Castiarina Jewel Beetle

Hi Mac. We have been hitting the beetles pretty hard this season and I'm confident enough to say this one isn't what Shanna suggested. Martin's suggestion above is looking right.

Hey Mac. This is a great beetle and common from Perth to Brisbane but not north. They appear only when white flowers like tea tree are in bloom. Castiarina has over 200 species and they imitate bees (being flower feeders) and sometimes each other. More common is C. sexplagiata which has a yellow primary color, with a red edge making your side-on easy to mistake.

Very nice beetle. What a colour combination.

Nice shot Mac. It might be a Jewel Beetle (Castiarina sexplagiata) but I can't say for sure! http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_jewelbeetles/C_sexplagiata.htm

Very pretty beetle MacC. Never seen one of these before.