Observations of the Miena jewel beetle Castiarina inscultpa (Carter, 1934) in the summer of 2012-13

The Miena jewel beetle Castiarina insculpta (Carter, 1934) is classified as endangered on the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 and has been infrequently recorded since its re-discovery in 2004. Multiple searches during February 2013 resulted in observations of large numbers of live individuals of the species at several sites on Tasmania's Central Plateau. These finds resulted in a moderate range extension, recognition of Ozothamnus hookeri Sond. as the species' host plant, and increased life history knowledge of the beetle. Only further searching will determine whether the species was unusually abundant in 2012−13, or whether it had been overlooked in previous years.