Rosalia longicorn

About

Rosalia longicorn is one of the most beautiful beetles in Europe and a symbol of old beech forests. In the Carpathians, it lives where there are many old beeches and dead wood in the sun: in beech primeval forests and ancient forests of Ukraine, Poland (Bieszczady), Slovakia, and Romania. In Ukraine, it is most often found in the beech forests of Zakarpattia and Prykarpattia.

The beetle is 1.5–3.8 cm long, with delicate blue-gray or ash-gray pubescence, on which velvety black spots outlined in light are clearly visible. The long antennae, longer than the body in males, consist of blue segments with dense black tufts. This coloration effectively camouflages the beetle on the bark of old beech trees.

Adult beetles fly in July–August, on hot sunny days, and sit on sunlit trunks, broken and dry beeches, and stumps. The larvae live in dead but still fairly hard beech wood for about three years.

The main threat to the beetle is the logging of old forests and the removal of dead wood. Stacked beech firewood near roads and homes also becomes a dangerous trap: females lay eggs in it, and the firewood is then burned along with the larvae. Therefore, the best thing to do is to leave old and dead beeches in the forest.

Rosalia longicorn is listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine as a vulnerable species, in the EU — in Annex II (priority species) and IV of the Habitats Directive, and in the global IUCN Red List it has the category of 'vulnerable' (VU). Collecting and trapping beetles is prohibited.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Hungary · Ukraine · Austria · Romania · Slovakia

Mountain ranges

Mátra, Börzsöny and Cserhát, Bükk, Gorgany, Cerová Highlands, Zemplén Mountains, Polonynian Ridge, Maramureș Mountains, Chornohora, Krasna Polonyna

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Collecting and trapping is prohibited: the species is listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Admire, don’t pick: plants listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine — and any plants in nature reserves and strictly protected zones of national parks — must not be collected.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ