Not much morphological variation has been mentioned for the Spanish specimens. Most of them have four antennal lamellae. Recently, variety pontbrianti has been mentioned for northern Spain (MS in review).

In Romania the populations from Dobroudjia are the subspecies turcicus, with the club of the antenna having six lamellae.

European regional assessment: listed as Near Threatened because although this species is widely distributed in Europe, it is in significant decline in the north and central part of its range and future trends of European forests will pose serious threats to this species, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable.

EU 27 regional assessment: listed as Near Threatened because although this species is widely distributed in Europe, it is in significant decline in the north and central part of its range and future trends of European forests will pose serious threats to this species, thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable.

This species is widespread across most of Europe, extending east to the Urals and South European Russia.

In Germany, it is widespread, mainly in the south. In Hungary, this species is widespread in the hilly and mountainous areas. It is much more sporadic on the lowlands, mainly in riverine willow and oak galleries. In Romania, it is widespread, especially in the hilly areas with sun-exposed slopes. It also occurs in the European part of Türkiye and it has been reported from Istanbul (Schimitschek 1953).

In Italy, it is mainly distributed in northern and central regions (for certain southward to Latium) (Bartolozzi and Maggini 2006). In Spain, it is present in the northern half of the country and occupies a total of 32 provinces (Galante and Verdú 2000, López-Colón 2000); its southernmost distribution limit is a south-western and north-eastern line running from Cáceres province to Sierra de Gredos in northern Toledo, Sierra de Guadarrama, Serranía de Cuenca, east of Teruel and north of Tarragona. To the south of this line two isolated localities are known, one of them in Albacete (Galante and Verdú 2000) and the other one in the south of Badajoz (Blanco Villero and Sáez Bolaño 2007). Within the northern half, the presence of this species in Valladolid province requires confirmation. In Portugal, it occurs in the northern half, most records being from the western part (Grosso-Silva 1999, 2005), and there are also two recent (1990 and 2006) records from the centre: Sintra, northwest of Lisbon (J.M. Grosso-Silva and P. Soares-Vieira pers. comm. 2009).

In Britain, it is largely confined to the southeast of England, where it is widespread. It is absent from Ireland.

In Denmark, this species is Regionally Extinct (2003). The last reliable finding is from the 1960s-1970s, and a few later findings are all considered introduced. A reintroduction project is underway, but the reintroduced individuals are not yet reproducing (Aarhus Universitet 2022).

Out of the European region, the range extends to the Caucasus, Anatolia (Türkiye), Syria and western Kazakhstan.

In Europe the species seems to be more common in the south (except for Italy) and south-eastern part of its range. In the northern part of Europe, this species is decreasing.

In the UK it has a highly fragmented distribution but with one large and strong population centred across the Lower Thames Basin, plus two smaller concentrations; there is no evidence for any substantial decline in recent decades; sub-fossil remains have been found more widely (K.N.A. Alexander pers. comm. 2009). In Spain no systematic quantitative data exist on population size. Locally it can be over 100 individuals. The subpopulations in the north are decreasing and the subpopulations in the south are stable. In Andorra no data on populations exist. The three 10x10 squares occupied are data from records before 1980 (M. Méndez pers. comm. 2009).

In Ukraine is local and not common. In Hungary the population size and trend have not been quantified, but the species became somewhat rarer in the second half of the 20^th century. However, strong populations still occur in mature oak forests (O. Merkl pers. comm. 2009). In Romania well preserved populations occur in the oak forests from central and other hilly areas. Much rarer is the subspecies turcicus from Dobroudjia (P. Istrate pers. comm. 2009). In European Turkey the population size and trend have not been quantified.

In the Czech Republic its population is decreasing and in Sweden a 15% decline has been recorded over 15 years. In Italy it is locally quite common but declining.

This is an obligate saproxylic species. The larvae develop in moist decaying wood near or below the soil surface, including decaying old stumps, but also in the base of fence posts; always decay from white-rot fungi; and generally in light soils; larval development takes about four years in the UK but five in European Turkey; pupation in IX; adults are active in VI-VII, feed on fruit and sap, and fly mainly in the evening (Lodos 1989, Alexander 2002). In Ukraine larvae mostly live in wood of oak Quercus, sometimes other broad-leaved trees. In European Turkey larvae develop in dead wood of Castanea, Fraxinus, Populus, Quercus, Salix, Tilia. The species needs big trunks and stumps.

In Hungary this species lives in thermophilous oak woods (mainly in turkey oak woods) in the hills and the lower mountain areas. Important populations occur in wood pastures and riverine forests, where pedunculate oaks occur. Sometimes it develops in other broadleaved trees (e.g. willow) (O. Merkl pers. comm. 2009). Sites in the UK are mostly in the cultural landscape and especially in human settlements which tend to be richer in suitable trees, etc, than open countryside (Alexander 2002). In Spain this species is very polyphagous on broad-leaved tree species. In the north, it is present in bocage landscapes, city gardens, riparian forests and forests below 700 m. Towards the south, in Mediterranean areas, it is present at higher altitudes up to 2,000 m, in Quercus forests, including dense forests (Proyecto Ciervo Volante 1996, M. Méndez pers. obs. 2009).

The overall decrease in the average age of forests due to more intense management and exploitation is a major threat. A future threat in eastern Europe is increased forest exploitation, leading to a decline of this species. Abandonment of coppicing and pollarding will lead to forest closure and will negatively affect the species. Loss of dead wood and old trees, forest clearing and removal of living hedges are also potential threats. In Britain, suitable habitat has been disappearing from the wider countryside to such an extent that the species now has a more urban and suburban distribution pattern.

The species is also popular with collectors.

Saproxylic Coleoptera tend to be popular with beetle collectors although trade is rarely an issue, the only exceptions being a few larger species of more dramatic form or colour.

This species is listed on Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive and Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

In the UK it has conservation status as Nationally Scarce (Hyman and Parsons 1992); also legal protection from trade and a few key sites are designated as SAC. It is a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan; there has been extensive publicity led by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (K.N.A. Alexander pers. comm. 2009).

Important populations of this species live in protected areas and Natura 2000 areas in Hungary; the species is legally protected in Hungary (O. Merkl pers. comm. 2009). Also in Romania and in Ukraine the species occurs in large protected areas.

In Spain it is protected at the national level as being of 'Special interest'; also present in regional protection lists. Present in several Natura 2000 areas and national parks. Rated as Least Concern in the Red Data Book (Verdú and Galante 2006).

In Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic it is considered Endangered, in Sweden Near threatened and Least Concern in Spain and Bulgaria. In Denmark this species is Regionally Extinct (2003). The species is included in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.