My bark is much worse than my bite

Trawling through the last lot of beetles from the moth traps I had another couple of Bark Beetles to sort out. I've found a few of this group in the garden this year, having never previously seen a single one. Not sure whether it's been a good year for them or if it's just that I've been better at finding stuff. 

The first one was small and looked like it had a punk hair cut. It's the second garden record of Polygraphus poligraphus. Not a well recorded or widely distributed species.

The second one was one I hadn't seen before. It easily keyed to Scolytus, a new genus for me too. These ones look like they have forgotten to bring all their abdomens with them.

This is even more apparent when viewed from the side. Luckily, this one keyed out at the first couplet as it had a distinctive median process (sticky out bit) on the 2nd visible sternites (underside of abdomen). I have absolutely no idea of the function of this. Answers on a postcard...

Anyway, the sticky out bit makes it Scolytus multistriatus, also known as the Small Elm beetle, one of the vectors of the dreaded Dutch Elm disease, although not the main one. That prize goes to Scolytus scolytus, the Large Elm Bark Beetle. Presumably this species feeds on the elms still found in local hedgerows. 

They are a bit of a bugger to card neatly, as their heads are tucked away and their legs take a wee bit of teasing out. Amazing little things though.