Rosalia

Rosalia

*Rosalia* Audinet-Serville, 1833 is one of Europe's most celebrated longhorn beetles, instantly recognised by its striking blue-grey pubescence patterned with irregular black velvety spots. The single European species, *R. alpina*, inhabits old-growth beech forests and lightly managed stands, as well as open pastures with ancient solitary beeches, between roughly 400 and 1500 m altitude. Larvae develop over two to three years within dead wood of *Fagus*, typically in thicker branches of standing trees, in bark-stripped sections of living trunks, and in the surface wood of tree cavities; fallen logs are used less frequently, and only under favourable moisture conditions. Adults fly from June …

Seasonal activity

Flight season: Summer–Autumn

Green = active months · Orange = peak

Host plants

Primary hosts: beech broadleaf

External resources

GBIF · Wikidata · Käfer der Welt

Field tip: Flagship species! Look on beech logs/stumps in mountains (Jun–Aug, 400–1500 m). Best in warm weather on sun-exposed dead wood.