C. saltuarius prefers to attack weakened trees, infesting small branches with a thin bark.

Even in northern Europe where it is common, it has been only occasionally reported to cause significant damage, mainly to already weakened host trees.

The emerging larvae feed under the bark on the phloem and cambium, hibernate during the winter and complete their development during the coming year.

Only in 2023 did Justensen et al. definitely establish that both species are clearly different, using morphological features as well as DNA comparison.

[6][7] Later, Ratzeburg's description of these differences, as well as the specimens he used for his comparison, became the basis for naming a new species which was called Cryphalus saltuarius by Weise in 1891.

For example, in a standard textbook on German beetles, Reitter in 1916 included five species under the genus Cryphalus, C. picea, C. saltuarius, C. abietis, C. intermedius and C. jalappae, together with a key describing the differences between them.

[8] In 1972, Wood compared the genus Cryphalus with other closely related genera and in the process found the specimens on which Gyllenhal's description of Bostrichus asperatus was based, 5 in Uppsala, Sweden and 3 in Berlin.

[9] This error was due to both species being very similar and because Ratzeburg's specimens of C. abietis were destroyed during World War II.