Rather stout, black cylindrical beetles 4 to 7.5 mm long.
Antennae are small, elbowed and have a flattened club.
The head is visible when viewed from above. White, curved legless grubs with distinct head and mandibles. There are four larval instars. Larvae hatch and chew feeding galleries at right angles to the parent gallery, thus girdling the tree when attack density is high. A blue-staining fungi is introduced into the sapwood by the adult, further blocking translocating tissues.