Taiwan’s only illustrated book series on jewel beetles includes 105 species in the first volume and another 100 species in the second volume. The series features high-quality images and provides information on host plants, occurrence periods, type localities, distribution, and photographs of male genitalia.
“Jewel Beetles of Taiwan” is nominated by the prestigious Golden Pin Award. We want to thank all our supporters. Because of you, “Jewel Beetles of Taiwan” is now getting international recognition. Thank you!
Jewel beetles are famous for their iridescent colors. The taxonomy is under the family of Buprestidae (Coleoptera) which comprises about 15,500 species around the world. Taiwan locates at the boundary of the western Pacific Ring of Fire. From sea coast to mountains which are nearly 4000 meters high, the drastic landscape allows tropical and subtropical vegetation to spread on this island. A rich variety of flora nourishes a diversity of the native buprestid beetles. The fauna of Taiwanese buprestid beetles includes mainly the endemic species and other species that are deeply related to Japan, China, Indochina, and Philippine islands.
Uitsiann Ong
Uitsiann Ong is a motion graphics designer and macro photographer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan and completed his graduate studies in Interactive Design at the same institution. After graduating, he has worked in various fields, including video post-production, animations, VFX, and app design. His work can be found in TV commercials, election campaigns, music videos, short films, and projection mapping projects. In 2015, he co-founded Donothing Image with Yaoting Huang.
Uitsiann Ong developed a passion for beetles during his childhood when he began collecting stag, scarab, and longhorn beetles. After recovering from a serious illness, he realized that life should not be all about work. He decided to rekindle his interest in the subject and has since devoted himself to studying Taiwanese buprestids. Since late 2016, he has been working on several papers with Dr. Takaharu Hattori. In early 2022, Uitsiann Ong coincidentally met Dr. Gianfranco Curletti from Italy and started collaborating with him on researching Taiwanese Agrilus species.
Gianfranco Curletti
Lives in NW Italy. Graduated in Agricultural Sciences with specialization in Viticulture and Enology to follow the family business. He has always been passionate about nature and has been involved in minerals and fauna from an early age. Over the years he has focused his attention on the field of insects, in particular on the Buprestid Beetles, coming to specialize in the study of Agrilus, one of the largest living genera with over 4,000 known species. His passion led him to leave his family business to become curator of entomology at Museum of Natural History in Carmagnola. He participated in numerous naturalistic expeditions in Africa, America, Australia, and Asia. Among these, the “Radeau-des-Cimes” an organization devoted to the study of the canopy of tropical forests with the help of mobile platforms and airships. He has a particular interest in taxonomy and is the author of over a hundred scientific publications, while not disdaining works of dissemination with articles, books, and conferences. He is currently retired due to his age but continues to work intensively. His interest in Taiwan’s fauna is recent thanks to the involvement of his friend Uitsiann Ong.
Takaharu Hattori
Co-author, Takaharu Hattori, held a bachelor degree in applied physics from the Science University of Tokyo where he also got his master degree in state physics. He worked as a software developer and a technical writer in an electrical equipment manufacturer until he reached his mandatory retirement age. He now owns a business in server maintenance and personal computers.He grew a strong interest in butterflies and beetles from his childhood. He decided to study buprestid beetles at age 30, marveling at their dazzling coloration and lustre. In order to collect and study beetles, he constantly visited the central mountains in Taiwan from 1980 to 1995. During this period of time, he found and described many new species in Taiwan. He is delighted to collaborate with Mr. Uitsiann Ong in studying the buprestid beetles. He also reminisces about the pleasant time collecting buprestid beetles with the late Mr. Hyôji Torigai in Japan and Mr. Chinchi Luo in Taiwan. In addition to his research projects, Hattori also enjoys the forests in the mountains and the clear blue sky in Taiwan.
‘Jewel Beetles of Taiwan, Vol. 1’, 264p, hard cover, 175 mm x 235 mm. Printed in Taiwan. ISBN: 978-986-97623-0-4
‘Jewel Beetles of Taiwan, Vol. 2’, 219p, hard cover, 175 mm x 235 mm. Printed in Taiwan. ISBN: 978-986-97623-1-1
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