Saphanus
Beech Bark Borer
SpondylidinaeSaphanini
W. Palearctic spp.
2
European spp.
2
Body length
8–20 mm
Activity
Diurnal
Flight season
Summer–Autumn
Overwinters as
larva
Larva type
MRTVE_TV
Biotope
forest-saproxylic
Overview
Saphanus
*Saphanus* Audinet-Serville, 1834 is a small genus of cylindrical, dark-brown to black longhorn beetles (8–20 mm) belonging to the subfamily Spondylidinae. The genus is associated with dead and dying deciduous wood — principally *Fagus*, *Carpinus*, and *Alnus* — in broadleaved and mixed montane forests from Central and South-East Europe to Turkey and the Caucasus. Larvae develop over approximately three years in stumps, root collars, and the lower or subterranean parts of dead trees, often in wood already heavily degraded by rot. Adults are crepuscular to nocturnal, emerging from June to August, most frequently in late June and early July.
Seasonal activity
Flight season: Summer–Autumn
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Green = active months · Orange = peak
Host plants
Primary hosts: pine beech birch
FagusCarpinusAcer
⚑ Conservation note: none