Bug FAQDesjardins's Flat Beetle
Cryptamorpha desjardinsi · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Silvanidae
Also called: Desjardin's flat beetle, Desjardins's Beetle, Desjardins' Beetle
The beetle is tiny, about 4 to 5 mm long, with regular black markings on its wing covers. It feeds on mildews and moulds that grow on plants, and it is often seen on flax. Native to tropical Asia, it now occurs in many European countries, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle shows regular black markings on its elytra.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 4 and 5 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It eats mildews and moulds that grow on plants, especially flax.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It originates from tropical Asia but is now found across Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is sometimes confused with the similar-looking Cryptamorpha desjardinsii, also called Desjardin’s flat beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Hawaii, Florida, Alaska, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does this beetle eat?
It feeds on mildews and moulds that grow on plants, often being found on flax.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this beetle apart from similar species?
It has regular black markings on its elytra and is often confused with Cryptamorpha desjardinsii, another flat bark beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Silvanidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptamorpha_desjardinsii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.