Project Description
Beetle of the Buprestidae family, very similar to C.undatus.
The adult is distinguished from C.undatus by its slightly larger size (16-18 mm in length), the shape of its body is more convex, its elytra are brighter and it has 2 bands on the back of its body that are wider and less sinuous (Fig. a).
The larva measures 50 mm at the end of its development, it is yellowish white and with a head wider than the rest of the body. The last abdominal segment has two appendages with teeth in the internal part, characteristic of this species (Fig. b).
The female lays her eggs preferably between June and July, hidden in the cracks of branches that are most exposed to the sun.
The eggs hatch in a short time and the larvae feed by making a gallery that can exceed one metre in length and that it finished in the following spring, creating very characteristic spiral or annular galleries (Fig. c).
Then it created the pupa from where a new adult will come out to start a new cycle. In the adult instar, it feeds on the leaves, but without causing significant damage.
The larvae make galleries of 2 to 4 mm in diameter inside the branches. At the end of their cycle, they create spiral or annular galleries, causing the girdling or ring-barking, and subsequent drying (Fig. d).
In young specimens, it can cause the death of the tree.
Trees weakened by other causes are more vulnerable to the attack of this insect.
Carry out preventive or curative treatment with plant endotherapy (ENDOterapia Vegetal®) to avoid or eliminate possible infestations at the beginning of summer. This way, the treatment will act on the first instar larvae, avoiding the proliferation of damage.