Insects and Spiders - native

Golden Buprestid Beetle (Buprestis aurulenta) on Aug 4, 2025

Originally reported as Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

Green beetle with red stripe.

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. 6, 2025, 1:24 a.m.

Resources

Golden Buprestid Beetle information from iNaturalist

Location

I saw this beetle on my chair in Manzanita Oregon in April 2023. I did not realize it could have been an emerald ash borer but I thought I’d send you a photo just in case.

Expert Reviewer

Tom Valente
Oregon Department of Agriculture

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