However, the most striking features are the slender thorax, hence the specific name (leptos=slender, deiros=neck),[1][2] and the domed elytrae which cover the abdomen completely and give the animal its peculiar round appearance.

[2][3] This adaptation (so-called "false physogastry") allows the animal to store wet air under its elytrae and use it for breathing in drier areas.

Another typical feature is a specific receptor (the Hamann organ) on its antennae which helps the animal to perceive air humidity level.

The only study done on L. hochenwartii so far showed that, as is the case in most specialised cave Leptodirini, females lay a small number of relatively large eggs which take a long time to develop.

For this reason, the discovery of L. hochenwartii (along with the olm) is considered the starting point of biospeleology as a scientific discipline.

[7] Although IUCN has not evaluated its conservation status, due to its limited range and slow reproduction, L. hochenwartii is considered rare and vulnerable, despite the fact that individual density in some caves can be high.