Adults about 35–38 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Polybothris sumptuosa
A Madagascan jewel beetle that occurs as blue, green and almost black forms — radically different colour outcomes built on the same species blueprint.
About this species
Polybothris sumptuosa(Klug, 1833)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Polybothris sumptuosa is a large wood-boring jewel beetle endemic to Madagascar. Its sculptured wing cases can appear metallic blue, dark green or nearly black depending on the recognised chromatic form.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Buprestidae · Polybothris
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
MadagascarBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Madagascar
Forest and woodland containing suitable woody host plants.
Adults are sun-loving and active on trunks or foliage in warm weather.
Adults feed on plant tissues; larvae tunnel beneath bark or within wood.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The species produces at least three famous chromatic outcomes: metallic-blue gemma, dark-green superba and dark-green-to-black nominate sumptuosa — colour variation dramatic enough to look like different species.
The apparent metal is optical architecture: microscopic layers and sculpture reflect selected wavelengths, so the shell can shift from saturated colour to darkness as the viewing angle changes.
At roughly 35–38 millimetres it is a large jewel beetle, yet its entire natural distribution is confined to Madagascar, where a single island generated both the species and its striking colour polymorphism.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Polybothris sumptuosa
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Polybothris sumptuosa
- Bellamy catalogue of Madagascar Buprestidae — authority and Polybothris sumptuosa treatment
- Species account — measurements and blue, green and black chromatic forms
- Photographic discussion illustrating iridescence in Polybothris sumptuosa