'' Steraspis squamosa '' or the Middle Eastern jewel beetle is a beetle of the

Buprestidae Buprestidae is a family (biology), family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy Iridescence, iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the lar ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Description

Steraspis squamosa can reach a length of about . These beetles usually have a metallic green or bluish color with orange margin along the edges of the elytra and a rugose surface. They primarily feed on ''

Tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Ta ...

'', '' Rhus tripartita'' and ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

''. They lay the eggs on tree branches and the caterpillars drill hatching holes in the trunk. At the end of the process the insect bursts the bark and a new life cycle begin. The full life cycle last two years. Adult beetles are active in spring.

Distribution

This species is present in the northern part of Africa, particularly from

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, Sinai,

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and Egypt to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Subspecies

* ''Steraspis squamosa kindermanni'' Marseul, 1865 * ''Steraspis squamosa squamosa'' (Klug, 1829)

Cultural significance

This beetle is likely the particular species of buprestid beetle depicted in ancient Egyptian art. It feeds on the tamarisk tree, boring holes into it for their larvae to pupate. The larvae emerge once mature as beetles. As such they were likely identified with Osiris, who was imprisoned in a tamarisk tree in some versions of the myth where he is killed by Set. The beetle was associated with rebirth as a result, and jewelry with the beetles was often found with mummies. The beetle appears as part of the pins on Queen Hetepheres bed canopy, and as part of a 6th dynasty broad collar.

Gallery

File:Buprestidae - Steraspis squamosa-002.JPG, ''Steraspis squamosa'' File: Buprestidae - Sterapsis squamosa.JPG, ''Steraspis squamosa'' from

, mounted specimen at

National Museum (Prague) The National Museum (NM) (Czech language, Czech: ''Národní muzeum'') is a public museum dedicated to natural scientific and historical collections of the Czech Republic, its History of the Czech lands, history, Culture of the Czech Republic, cul ...

File:Barkanit.jpg, ''Steraspis squamosa''

References

Biolib

External links

Nature of oz
Beetles of Asia Buprestidae Beetles described in 1829 {{Buprestidae-stub