Infective (dauer) larvae of Micoletzkya attach themselves onto the body surface of a beetle for transmission and resume their development in host breeding galleries.
In the bark beetle galleries, nematodes go through a few free-living generations, presumably feeding on beetle-associated microorganisms and other nematodes, after which dauer larvae develop and attach to newly emerging bark beetles for transmission.
Phylogenetic evidence suggests that diversification of the genus was largely influenced by the evolutionary radiation of bark beetles.
[6] Like many other members of the diplogastrid family,[7] Micoletzkya nematodes have movable opposing teeth and show a mouth dimorphism.
[8] The two alternative phenotypes are thought to represent a resource polyphenism, or specialized for feeding on different foods, such as microorganisms and other nematodes respectively.