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uncommon
Thai Jewel Beetle
Sternocera aequisignata
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests of Thailand and mainland Southeast Asia
- Body length
- 40 mm
- Order
- Coleoptera · Buprestidae
Weird but real
Its emerald elytra are so durable and iridescent they're harvested and sewn into royal Thai textiles as living-looking sequins.
Why it's cool
A beetle whose wing-cases outshine cut gemstones and keep their glow for decades after the beetle is gone.
