Family: Buprestidae
Subfamily: Agrilinae
Length: 7.0-8.5 mm
Some of the key identification traits for Eupristocerus cognitans are: humeral depressions on the elytra at their bases; sinuate sides of the elytra; the elytra densely punctate; the sutural margin raised on the elytra's front halves; and the pronotum dark with a purplish sheen. The white marks shown toward the rear of the elytra in the photograph above apparently may be weak or absent in many individuals.
Reported larval food plants are Speckled Alder, Alnus incana, and River Birch, Betula nigra.
Females lay eggs in rough areas of the bark on twigs. The newly hatched larvae tunnel in the stem and eventually encircle it, causing the formation of a gall where the larvae remain and pupate. The entire process from egg to adult takes two years to complete.
Insects of West Virginia
