Neojulodis vittipennis (Fåhraeus in Boheman, 1851)

A jewel beetle. Wondering about the name? Well, here's why:

Photographed in New Kasama, Lusaka, Zambia, in March 2013, using an Olympus E-420 DSLR with a 40-150mm Zuiko lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

Based on the distinctive patterns of most large jewel-beetles extending into this rather poorly documented group, this beautiful creature is;

Neojulodis vittipennis

(Fåhraeus in Boheman, 1851)

 For context, here's another angle:

Same individual, same place, this time on my finger for scale.

- Julodinae
- Buprestidae
- Buprestoidea 
- Elateriformia    
- Polyphaga            
See also Melolontha melolontha, Otiorhynchus atroapterus and Malachius bipustulatus
- Coleoptera                

See also Demetrias atricapillus and Anthia fornasiini.

- Coleopterida                 
- Endopterygota                    

See also Crambus pascuella, Hagenomyia tristis, Vespula germanica, Synagris proserpina, Astata tropicalis, Zebronia phenice, Laelia robusta, Anthocharis cardamines, Acada biseriata Panorpa germanica, Megistocera filipes, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Episyrphus balteatus, Helophilus pendulus, Diasemopsis meigenii and Dolichotachina caudata

- Eumetabola                                  

See also Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes and Ranatra

- Neoptera                                          

See also  Sibylla, Stictogryllacris punctata, Lobosceliana loboscelis and Cyathosternum prehensile

- Manopterygota                                     

See also Rhyothemis semihyalina, Pseudagrion hageni and Enallagma cyathigerum

- Pterygota                                                  

- Dicondylia                                                  

- Insecta                                                            

- Hexapoda                                                           

- Arthropoda                                                            

See also Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Hyllus argyrotoxus.

- Ecdysozoa                                                                 

- Protostomia                                                                  

- Nephrozoa                                                                      

See also Burhinus vermiculatus, Chiromantis xerampelina, Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Lygodactylus capensis, Ardea goliath, Chalcophaps indica, Sterna hirundo, Synchiropus splendidus and Hipposideros vittatus.

- Bilateralia                                                                            

- Eumetazoa                                                                              

- Animalia                                                                                     

- Eukaryota                                                                                      

 This harmless - although, as with anything colourful, I wouldn't recommend having it for lunch - herbivore seemed content to sit in the sun and occasionally nibble ineffectually at a plant which, I have to confess, I failed to record. 

As an additional, it is worth noting that the primary reason these are jewel beetles is not because most of them are quite colourful, but rather because several inordinately colourful species have been overcollected since prehistoric times as a staple of Oriental beetle jewellery. Insect art still goes on today, although with our improved understanding of population dynamics (just because insects lay hundreds of eggs doesn't mean that there are adult insects to spare), many popular projects - such as Jennifer Angus stunning geometric mosaics (here) not only state amongst their aims the improvement of public awareness of insects, but also promote sustainable harvesting of insect populations. 

I have to say that, admirable aims or not, killing any animal for art can only seem ghoulish to me.

And that is all, folks.

nothing I have found is consistently reliable across African beetle groups, the Coleopterists society's site The World of Jewel Beetles is a good place to start for the Buprestidae.