Bug FAQRed-legged Buprestis Beetle
Buprestis rufipes · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Buprestidae
Also called: Red-legged Buprestis
Adults measure about 18 to 25 mm long and show a metallic green body with golden-yellow bands on the wing covers. The beetle is found on dead or dying hardwood such as maple, beech, blackgum, oak and elm. Very little is known about its life cycle or the time of year it is active.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Its elytra are metallic green with striking golden-yellow bands, and the head, underparts and legs are also green, while the legs and part of the underside are reddish.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are between 18 and 25 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It is associated with dead or dying wood, not with household structures.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Little is known about any bite or sting potential.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Little is known about control methods.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives on dead or dying hardwood trees.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on a variety of hardwoods including maple, beech, blackgum, oak and elm. No larval host plants have been recorded.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Little is known about this beetle’s life cycle.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Little is known about the season when it is active.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Little is known about similar species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Maryland, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Alabama.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do they look like?
They have metallic green bodies with golden-yellow bands on the wing covers and reddish legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they found?
They are found on dead or dying hardwood trees such as maple, beech, blackgum, oak and elm.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Buprestidae)
Emerald Ash BorerAgrilus planipennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Sculptured Pine BorerChalcophora virginiensisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Golden Buprestid BeetleBuprestis aurulenta
Anthaxia nitidulaAnthaxia nitidulaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Western Sculptured Pine BorerChalcophora angulicollis
Anthaxia quadripunctataAnthaxia quadripunctataSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buprestis_rufipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.