# Anthaxia nitidula

*Anthaxia nitidula*

The brilliant metallic green and gold colors are not pigments but structural colors created by light reflecting off microscopic layers in their exoskeleton.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Buprestidae › Anthaxia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forest edges, meadows, and orchards where sunlight reaches the understory.
- **Diet:** Adults feed on pollen and nectar; larvae consume the dead wood of fruit trees like cherry and plum.
- **Range:** Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Turkey
- **Size:** 5-7 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1-2 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Intensive forestry, removal of fallen branches, and agricultural pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These beetles are shy and will fly away if approached too closely. Safe to observe without special equipment; avoid handling to prevent stress to the insect.

## About

Anthaxia nitidula is a species of jewel beetles belonging to the family Buprestidae, subfamily Buprestinae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/60e0b585-9b1d-4c35-bdaf-9a890ebe3716
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/493972
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthaxia nitidula
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/44065342/medium.jpg (Guido Bohne, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.