[1] Similar to other species of Ambrosia beetles, P. coccinea live and reproduce on wooden logs in early stages of decomposition.

[2] Compared to the red-headed common cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis), this species is distinct in that its head is black with feathery antennae, its pronotum and elytra are characteristically structured, and it is larger and deeper blood red in colour.

[1] Extending from each thoracic segment is a pair of short legs, with the eighth tergite containing a perpendicular raised line at its base that is otherwise absent in P.

[1] The final abdominal segment also has a pair of hardened, straight urogomphi,[4] which allows these beetles to crawl in between the narrow crevices of wood and bark to establish their habitat.

[1] Pyrochroa coccinea is active during the day (diurnal) and inhabits vascular plant species in wooded environments under the bark of decaying broad-leaved timber and fallen logs.

[2] P. coccinea is less likely to be found in wooded areas with increased sun exposure, but its presence is unaffected by microhabitat factors such as the moisture or humidity within the tree bark.

[2] While these beetles inhabit fallen timber, they are active during the day and live an exposed lifestyle easily detectable by predators and researchers.

[1] Adults are predatory and, in contrast to larvae, feed primarily on many different small insects living within the nearby foliage, as well as flowers and pollen.

[1] Because it takes larvae many years to fully develop, there are often many overlapping generations simultaneously inhabiting a single wooded area.

[7] This canthariphilous mechanism involving transforming the properties of CTD is common within the Pyrochidae family, where it functions as a pheromone for males and females in close proximity and is an important factor in sexual selection.

[7] In this glandular cranial apparatus, CTD is released as secretions that are consumed by females when males are courting them, inducing sexual intercourse.

[2] Females lay their eggs in small groups and primarily beneath the wood and rarely on upright trunks where they will have access to feed on nearby insects.