Insects and Spiders - native

Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Aug 2, 2025

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

Pictures attached. Looks like the emerald ash borers .

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
Aug. 4, 2025, 2:44 a.m.

Resources

Golden Buprestid Beetle information from iNaturalist

Location

On the Wildwood trail right above the Japanese’s gardens in Washington park. There is a small eddy with a piece of wood where you can sit and look down and see the views of the trees and the Japanese gardens below. I was sitting down and this iridescent bug fell on me. I thought is was unusual looking and just learned it’s an invasive destructive species, emerald ash borers

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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