Chrysobothris azurea Le Conte 1857

Rare.

July.

Recorded from southern British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Known from the eastern United States south to Virginia and sporadically west to Idaho (Fisher 1942, Bright 1987, Barr 1971).

As the scientific name indicates, azure (azurea), these beetles have a bluish colour to them. The body varies from a purplish blue to purple, sometimes with greenish or reddish tinges. Each elytron, has vague costae, the surface has 2 slightly impressed foveae with a greenish metallic sheen to them. The antennae and front of the head are metallic green, and the vertex is reddish purple. Short decumbent hair is on the head, and absent on the pronotum and elytra. Ventrally, the body is mostly metallic blue green and reddish purple laterally.

Prairie shrub thickets.

Unknown.

Recorded from a variety of trees including maple, alder, paper birch, willow, and Saskatoon berry (Fisher, 1942 Bright 1987). In Alberta the specimens were reared from choke cherry (Prunus virginiana L.).

Chrysobothris azurea is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. It is found in North America.