The elusive gold Christmas beetle has been crowned the ABC’s Australian Insect of the Year for 2026, reigniting concerns about the future of one of Australia’s most recognisable native insects as scientists investigate reports of declining sightings nationwide.
Gold Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus aureus), distinguished by their mirror-like golden wing covers, are part of a larger group of 35 Australian Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus).
While Christmas beetles remain a treasured part of many Australians’ childhood memories, scientists say there is growing concern they are becoming less common. Researchers are calling on Australians to report sightings as they work to determine whether populations are declining.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Gold Christmas beetle has been named ABC Australian Insect of the Year for 2026.
- Scientists say many Australians report seeing fewer Christmas beetles than in previous decades.
- There is not yet enough data to confirm whether populations are declining.
- Researchers are urging Australians to record sightings through citizen science projects.
- Sighting data could help scientists better understand the health of native insect populations.
Are Christmas beetles disappearing?
Many Australians believe Christmas beetles are becoming harder to find, but scientists say there is not yet enough long-term monitoring data to confirm whether populations are in decline.
Once a familiar sight around porch lights and backyard gatherings during summer, Christmas beetles have become the focus of growing concern among Australians who say they rarely see them compared with previous decades.
Researchers say understanding Christmas beetle numbers could help them track the health of Australia’s ecosystems, which are facing increasing pressure from habitat loss, urbanisation and climate change.
Invertebrates Australia and the University of Sydney have been running the Christmas beetle count project for five years in the effort to collect more information about Christmas beetles. They’re calling on regular Australians to log any sightings of Christmas beetles to the iNaturalist Australia website, which can be accessed and used by scientists.
What do the BHG readers think?
The BHG readers have mixed opinions about Christmas beetle sightings. Responding to a recent question we asked on Facebook, some haven’t seen any Christmas beetles for years, while others have ‘several visiting every night.’
Most are saying that there are definitely fewer in recent years, and can remember a time in their childhood where their homes would be ‘full of them.’
Julia said “I normally still see a handful of the proper iridescent Christmas Beetles each year but definitely not as many as when I was a kid.” Veronica also recalled how “every summer the air would be full of them” and that the drop in sightings is “heartbreaking”.
Australian Insect of the Year winner and finalists
The 2026 Australian Insect of the Year – the Gold Christmas beetle (Anoplognathus aureus) – is a rarer species of the Christmas beetle genus (Anoplognathus).
Gold Christmas beetles are found in northern Queensland and some parts of northern WA. It is named for its shiny, golden outer shell, which can sometimes be a brassy-gold or a red-brown colour.
The Gold Christmas beetle received 17,454 votes from the Australian public.
There were five other finalists chosen:
- Tortoise-shelled ladybird (Harmonia testudinaria)
- Otway glow-worm (Arachnocampa otwayensis)
- Stalk-eyed signal fly (Achias australis)
- Mallee bronze azure butterfly (Ogyris subterrestris)
- Orchard swallowtail butterfly (Papilio aegeus)
Australian Insect of the Year was launched by the ABC in 2024 and has become an effective environmental campaign to address serious conservation challenges. Previous winners include the blue banded bee (Amegilla cingulata) in 2024 and the graphic flutterer dragonfly (Rhyothemis graphiptera) in 2025.
Like many of Australia’s 35 endemic Christmas beetle species, sightings of the gold Christmas beetle have declined significantly over recent decades due to factors like habitat and eucalypt loss. Being named the ABC 2026 Australian Insect of the Year helps to raise awareness for conservation and citizen science tracking.
Who decides the winner of Australian Insect of the Year?
Australian Insect of the Year is a competition run by the ABC, in collaboration with Invertebrates Australia, to help promote Australian native invertebrate conservation. A long-list of nominations are created by respected insect experts and scientific organisations, including the CSIRO, the Australia Entomological Society and Zoos Victoria. Six finalists are then chosen from the nominations, and the public vote for the winner.
The lead image of this article is of a gold Christmas Beetle, credit: © Penny Taylor, iNaturalist Australia.
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