[3][4][5] The species name nodulosus refers to the bumps or nodes on the beetle's back.

The body is a blotchy black-and-white pattern, and the legs are fully black.

[12][13][7][9] They are thought to feed on lichen and dead plant material.

[7][11] Females have been observed laying eggs on American elms, and larvae and pupae have been found in pecan wood,[11][9] which "apparently serves as the developmental site for this species".

[14][9] Z. n. nodulosus can grow between 1.4 and 2.8 centimetres in length, and 0.5 to 1.1 cm in width.