A World Catalogue and Bibliography of the Jewel Beetles (coleoptera: Buprestoidea) - v. 1-5

This is the first complete world catalogue of the jewel beetles, the eighth largest beetle family.

Buprestidae and its small North American sister-group Schizopodidae, since Jan Obenberger's six fascicle (1926-1937) contribution to the "Horn & Schenkling Coleopterorum Catalogus".

Published in five volumes (3125 pages in total), this catalogue presents a full taxonomic history for all taxa, including fossils, along with distribution and type repository data.

The catalogue follows the evolving modern classification which, for Buprestidae, employs 6 subfamilies, 47 tribes, 39 non-nominate subtribes, 513 genera and more than 14700 valid species.

In addition, the first large bibliography on the subject concludes the catalogue with more than 8000 citations. "Volume 1: Introduction; Fossil Taxa; Schizopodidae; Buprestidae: Julodinae - Chrysochroinae: Poecilonotini" - a 20 page Introduction provides definition, structure and acknowledgment.

The catalogue begins with a listing of fossil jewel beetles before commencing with the extant taxa. The small Schizopodidae come before the Buprestidae, which includes the subfamilies Julodinae, Polycestinae (including the first of the six large genera: Acmaeodera), Galbellinae and the first part of Chrysochroinae. "Volume 2: Chrysochroinae: Sphenopterini through Buprestinae: Stigmoderini" - The remainder of Chrysochroinae (including the second and third large genera Sphenoptera and Castiarina) and the first part of Buprestinae. "Volume 3: Buprestinae: Pterobothrini through Agrilinae: Rhaeboscelina" - The conclusion of Buprestinae (including the large genera Anthaxia and Chrysobothris) and the majority of the non-Agrilus Agrilinae. "Volume 4: Agrilinae: Agrilina through Trachyini" - The remainder of Agrilinae (including the enormous genus Agrilus) through to the end of the family with the likely paraphyletic Trachyini, the leaf-miners, still grouped together."Volume 5: Appendices, Bibliography, Indices" - The catalogue concludes with two appendix chapters, one listing unknown/nomina dubia/manuscript or catalogue names without modern, valid combinations and the second providing an index to the respective listings of genus-group names in five past jewel beetle catalogues, checklists or monographs.

This is followed by the 8000+ citation bibliography and the volume concludes with the catalogue index in three parts, one each for family-, genus- and species-group names.