Bolbelasmus unicornis is a bug species of those representatives of the sand forest steppe habitat complex which has remained in best condition in the Great Hungarian Plain.
It is a middle-sized species (12-16mms). Its convex elytrons are rusty red, decorated with dotted lines. Its abdomen side is densely hairy. The males have typical horns on the top of their heads. On the same place the females have three bulges.
The female lays its 7-8 mm long egg (which is extremely large compared to its body size) in truffle species, being able to dig down half a metre deep. The adult bug hatches from the cocoon in autumn but it comes to the surface only in spring or summer. Imagos can be seen between June and August – they crawl or fly very close to the ground.
Excessive picking of truffles, pioneer ploughing of the sand grasslands and the complete soil preparation of forest stands during artificial forest regeneration can also threaten this species showing decreasing population trends.
In Hungary, Bolbelasmus unicornis is a protected, red-list species. Within the EU it is considered as an Species of Community Interest. Thus, it serves as the basis of the designation of the Natura 2000 network.
(the video made by Róbert Enyedi in June 2018; on the OAKEYLIFE project site he found 4 pieces and another 2 pieces has been discovered outside the project site)