There are close to 15,000 species of Jewel Beetles around the world and Jan Fabre uses the Sternocera aequisignata species from Thailand (Amy). Jewel beetles are hard to miss with their exuberant colors. During the summer months they can be found on flowers of various trees and plants. They can range in size from 3-65 millimeters in size, with elongated bodies and shorter heads. The body tends to comes to a point at the abdomen and comes to a broader thorax at the head ("Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles"). They have large eyes and shorter antennae then most other insects. For defense purposes they are able to retract their legs against their body and some species of the beetle will retract their head and legs into their bodies if they feel threatened (“Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles").
The elytra, which are the hardened fore-wings of the beetle, form a protective covering for the flight wings and are usually the part of the beetle artists use as media for their art. As we have seen in pictures, the elytra are usually brightly colored and some are metallic. Most of the adult beetles feed on nectar or leaves. The larvae of the these beetles feed on wood underneath bark of trees and shrubs. While some species are also known to be leaf eaters and gall forming beetles (“Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles"). The larvae are similar looking to white grubs with strong mouths to feed on wood. They cocoon inside the wood of the host plant and emerge by boring a whole from the inside out. Once in the adult stage they will feed, mate and then usually end up dying anywhere from 1-2 days to a couple weeks (“Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles").
There has been research done on the jewel beetles to determine what causes the iridescent glimmer and shine of the beetle. They discovered that the cells form in a unique arrangement of glucose-like particles called chitin. These chitin cells form a cone shape that when solidified their structure are retained and allow them to produce different colors according to the different angles that are hit with light (“What Scientists Know About Jewel Beetle Shimmer”). This is why the color is so vibrant and metallic and often gives the effect of changing colors. One species of jewel beetle called Chrysina gloriosa has the ability to change color because the cells of their external skeletons have the light reflecting properties versus the beetles having this property within their pigment of the chitin (“What Scientists Know About Jewel Beetle Shimmer”).
The jewel beetle has four distinct life cycle groups: the egg, larvae, pupae and adult, therefore the beetles are known to have a complete life cycle. Beetles may lay their eggs alone or in groups and end up hatching into either larvae or grubs that move around feeding on roots, leaves and fruit. After maturity is reached it begins the next stage and pupates before finally becoming an adult (Robinson).
The elytra, which are the hardened fore-wings of the beetle, form a protective covering for the flight wings and are usually the part of the beetle artists use as media for their art. As we have seen in pictures, the elytra are usually brightly colored and some are metallic. Most of the adult beetles feed on nectar or leaves. The larvae of the these beetles feed on wood underneath bark of trees and shrubs. While some species are also known to be leaf eaters and gall forming beetles (“Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles"). The larvae are similar looking to white grubs with strong mouths to feed on wood. They cocoon inside the wood of the host plant and emerge by boring a whole from the inside out. Once in the adult stage they will feed, mate and then usually end up dying anywhere from 1-2 days to a couple weeks (“Buprestidae: Jewel Beetles").
There has been research done on the jewel beetles to determine what causes the iridescent glimmer and shine of the beetle. They discovered that the cells form in a unique arrangement of glucose-like particles called chitin. These chitin cells form a cone shape that when solidified their structure are retained and allow them to produce different colors according to the different angles that are hit with light (“What Scientists Know About Jewel Beetle Shimmer”). This is why the color is so vibrant and metallic and often gives the effect of changing colors. One species of jewel beetle called Chrysina gloriosa has the ability to change color because the cells of their external skeletons have the light reflecting properties versus the beetles having this property within their pigment of the chitin (“What Scientists Know About Jewel Beetle Shimmer”).
The jewel beetle has four distinct life cycle groups: the egg, larvae, pupae and adult, therefore the beetles are known to have a complete life cycle. Beetles may lay their eggs alone or in groups and end up hatching into either larvae or grubs that move around feeding on roots, leaves and fruit. After maturity is reached it begins the next stage and pupates before finally becoming an adult (Robinson).