Plagionotus arcuatus

Appearance

Background: Adult Plagionotus arcuatus (P. arcuatus) are 9-20 mm in length and black with yellow bands and spots (Lazarev, 2010).
Life cycle: 2 years
Adults in: May - July

Naming

Linnaeus, 1758

Distribution

Europe, Caucasus, Transcaucasia, North Africa, Turkey, North Iran

Status

Least Concern

Behavior

The biology of this species does not appear to be well-studied. The larvae live in dead (reports suggest the wood has usually been dead for only several months) wood of deciduous trees, including Carpinus, Castanea, Fagus, Prunus, Robinia, Salix, and Quercus spp. Reports suggest that this beetle attacks wood that is relatively fresh (i.e., dead, but recently-killed), perhaps several months old (Barševskis and Savenkov, 2013; Faggi et al., 2010; Ilić and Ćurčić, 2013; Jonsell, 2008; Sama et al., 2005; Vodka, 2007). Escherich (1916) reported that this damage lowers the value of oak timber. No evidence was found suggesting that P. arcuatus attacks living trees. Other species of Plagionotus also appear to be restricted to dead trees, although Moraal and Hilszczanski (2000) suggested that one or more species in the genus may have contributed to the death of oak trees in Poland.

Habitat

Host plant: polyphagous in deciduous trees (Quercus, Acer, Carpinus, Tilia etc.)