Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Jun 14, 2025
Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)
Submitter has sample
Description of specimen
Green shiny beetle. Stepped on it to kill it
Commentary
Thank you for your report! This is not EAB. It's a native member of the Metallic Wood-boring beetle family, the Golden Buprestid, Buprestis aurulenta. These beetles are larger and less slender than EAB. They are not tree killers. Their grubs live in dead conifers.
There are a number of iridescent green look-alike beetles in Oregon that are not pests. I am attaching a link to the ODF EAB webpage with some photos of other Oregon insects that could be mistaken for EAB
I found it crawling on me while I was walking on my street by my house. I’ve worked in the nursery industry in the past back in the Midwest and am very familiar with these insects.
There are a number of iridescent green look-alike beetles in Oregon that are not pests. I am attaching a link to the ODF EAB webpage with some photos of other Oregon insects that could be mistaken for EAB
https://oregon-eab-geo.hub.arcgis.com/pages/identify
Thanks for being on the lookout!
Tom Valente
June 16, 2025, 1:46 a.m.