Species Xylobiops basilaris - Red-shouldered Bostrichid

Xylobiops basilaris (Say 1823)

4-7 mm

elytra with large dull reddish spots at base and with three conspicuous teeth on each side at posterior end(1)

e. half of the US (west to KS-TX) & ON(2)(3)

Deciduous forests

Adults emerge and fly during summer(2)

hosts: wide variety of hardwoods, favors hickories (Carya) and persimmon (Diospyros virginiana); larvae feed mostly in sapwood and to some extent in heartwood, adults often bore into healthy twigs for food and shelter(2)

Adults bore into the sapwood across the grain just under the bark surface in sapwood. Tunnels may girdle limbs and trunks of small diameter. Eggs are deposited at intervals along the sides of tunnels. Larvae bore along the grain. They spend winter in galleries, mostly as mature larvae, but sometimes as pupae or adults. Adults commonly spend the fall, winter, and spring in galleries within twigs and branches. A generation can develop in 1 year under optimum conditions, but sometimes takes longer.(2)