Pseudovadonia livida is a common Eurasian thermophilic species, widespread from Portugal to western China in six recognized subspecies (in Central Europe is distributed nominative subspecies). P. livida is Cerambycid with interesting and unusual larval development in humus particles of soil infested by Scotch bonnet mushroom (Marasmius oreades). Larvae feed on its mycelium and pupate in cocooons in soil. Life-cycle two years. Adults, active from May to September, are diurnal and anthophilous [❖][✧][✳].

Pseudovadonia livida has been described from Kiel environs (Germany) as Leptura livida by Johann Christian Fabricius in 1776 [✮].

Body length:	5 - 9 mm
Life cycle:	2 years
Adults in:	May - September
Host plant:	mycelium of Marasmius oreades
Distribution:	Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sicily, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey (all subspecies)

The depicted mounted beetle was collected in Kulmbach environs (Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany) in summer 1972. The living beetles were photographed in Kalksburg environs (N48°08′59″ E16°13′15″; Wien, Austria) on July 3, 2017.

Collected by Udo Schmidt and Per Hoffmann Olsen

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[❖]
Vitali F.:
Atlas of the Insects of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg: Coleoptera, Cerambycidae.
Ferrantia, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg 79: 1-208 [pages 79-80], 2018. [download ]

[✧]
Sláma M.E.F.:
Tesaříkovití – Cerambycidae České republiky a Slovenské republiky.
[ Cerambycidae of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. ]
Milan Sláma private printing, Krhanice, 383pp [pages 225-226], 1998 [ISBN: 80-238-2627-1]. [download ]

[✳]
Danilevsky M.L.:
Longicorn beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycoidea) of Russia and adjacent countries. Part 1.
Higher School Consulting, Moscow, 550pp [pages 249-252], 2014. [download ]

[✮]
Fabricius J.C.:
Genera insectorum eorumque characteres naturales secundum numerum, figuram, situm et proportionem omnium partium oris adiecta mantissa specierum nuper detectarum.
Chilonii, Michae Friedrich Bartsch: i-xv + 310pp [page 233], 1776. [download ]