Insects and Spiders - native

Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Jun 26, 2025

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

Torpedo shaped insect with a shimmering green head and green blue wings with a reddish brown stripe down the middle

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

https://oregon-eab-geo.hub.arcgis.com/pages/identify

Thanks for being on the lookout!

Tom Valente
June 27, 2025, 8:17 a.m.