Specimens of Osmoderma eremita present in our pheromone traps
We can already outline the areas in which the specimens of Osmoderma eremita appear at the pheromone interception traps installed within the Life Rosalia project. After short photo sessions, the insects are marked and released in order for the beetle to spread!
The taxonomy of the species has been reconsidered, so the species found in Romania is Osmoderma barnabita, part of the Osmoderma eremita complex listed in the Habitats Directive. The hermit beetle is a phytophagous and saproxylic species dependent on the presence of hollow trees, rotted, rich in organic matter. It prefers standing trees in relatively sunny areas, but can also colonize fallen wood. It can be found up to about 1400 m on a wide variety of trees: beech, oak, maple, hornbeam, poplar, etc.
Due to very strict habitat requirements, the hermit beetle is an indicator species for natural dynamic of forest ecosystems that incorporates hollow trees. It is a species with very low densities, while feeding exclusively on rotten wood it does not cause economic loses due to the wood degradation.
The hermit beetle (Osmoderma eremita) is a species protected by the Habitats Directive (priority species, listed in Annexes II and IV) and by Emergency Ordonance no. 57/2007 on the regime of protected natural areas, conservation of natural habitats, wild flora and fauna. It is considered to have a favorable conservation status in Romania (monitoring period 2013-2018), due to a potential overestimation of the area that can be theoretically occupied by this species.
