It features prominent yellow and black patterns along its head and abdomen, in what is believed to be an evolutionary attempt to mimic wasps and avoid predation.
It also possesses thin legs and antennae that move in small, quick movements, which supports the wasp-mimicking hypothesis.
They particularly favour willow and birch,[3] but have been seen using a wide range of broadleaf species including Acer, Betula, Castanea, Crataegus, Fagus, Pyrus, Tilia, Salix and Ulmus.
When fully grown, they construct a pupal cell, parallel to the wood grain, around 3-5cm long at the end of the tunnel.
For the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus, for example, parental investment in offspring varies based on environmental conditions, especially for males.
[8] Although this information is about an unrelated beetle, it opens a window of possibilities into what could be found with further research on Clytus arietis.
A paper from 1963 states that both male and female wasp beetles engage in a "courtship song", without offering further explanation.
For Clytus arietis, the "licking" is combined with a "tapping" movement, when the male rhythmically "ducks" their head towards the female's thorax, "lick-tapping" them.
[9] They pull on the antennae until they are copulating, with the male's abdomen probing down to make contact with the female's ovipositor.
With copulation undergoing successfully, the male then releases the antennae and performs the aforementioned "lick-tapping" movement to calm the female.
Once mated, the adult generation will die at the end of the summer, leaving offspring to emerge either in the Fall or in the next Spring.
This behaviour by insects of mimicking other species was first articulated by Henry Walter Bates in the Brazilian rainforest.
[5] Although as mentioned above, it is theorized that the Batesian mimicry exhibited by the Wasp Beetle is to avoid predation, there is little research on its effectiveness.
This shows that environmental factors have a higher importance for predation risk than the actual coloration of the beetles.
[14] Saproxylic beetles (beetles dependent on dead and decaying wood for their lifecycle) play an essential role in these ecosystems by taking part in decomposition processes essential for the nutrient cycle and by interacting with other groups of organisms which are also important for the well-being and economy of the ecosystem, such as mites, nematodes, bacteria and fungi.
[14] Significant long-term concerns for Saproxylic species include loss of habitat due to logging and wood harvesting and the decline of older, old-growth trees throughout the landscape, as well as the lack of land management strategies aimed at recruiting new tree generations.
More short-term and localized threats come from sanitation works and the removal of old trees due to safety concerns in places subject to intense human use.
[14] As mentioned above, Clytus arietis and other Saproxylic beetles are economically important due to their maintenance role in many ecosystems.
[14] Clytus arietis is especially economically important due to its level of pollination, since adults rely on pollen for sustenance.
[17] The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) also has genetic information from Clytus arietis publicly available,[18] but no whole genome has been recorded to date.