Malaysia and nearby Southeast Asia
Fine-art photographic collection
Demochroa gratiosa
A jewel beetle that sets bright yellow bands across a shifting metallic green-brown body.
About this species
Demochroa gratiosaDeyrolle, 1864
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Demochroa gratiosa is a Southeast Asian jewel beetle with a long tapered form and sharply contrasting transverse markings. Structural metallic colour and scale-based bands operate together on the same armour.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Buprestidae · Demochroa
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Malaysia and nearby Southeast AsiaBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
What makes this species remarkable?
The broad yellow bands interrupt an iridescent body, combining non-metallic surface scales with angle-dependent colour from the underlying cuticle.
Its wedge-shaped body narrows behind the shoulders, allowing the beetle to press into bark fissures while the elytra shield the abdomen.
The flattened wood-boring larva can move in the thin zone beneath bark, a habitat too narrow for the thick cylindrical adult that eventually emerges.