An old trunk still nourishes life
For beetle larvae, decaying wood can be both home and food.
Explore this story
Your choice is saved only in this browser.
The larvae of Dorcus parallelipipedus live and feed in decaying wood, according to The Wildlife Trusts. The catalogue photograph documents an adult observed in the municipality; it does not show larvae or confirm the tree in which they developed. Connect this story with wood fungi: an ageing trunk can support different forms of life. There is no need to dismantle an animal’s shelter to observe it. In adults, The Wildlife Trusts highlights the broad head, jaws and entirely black wing cases. These are clues to compare with the available photograph, without concluding that every dark beetle belongs to this species.
A photograph, several phases of history
Open an option and choose the story.
Why do you change the texture of the wood?
Wood can sustain different organisms throughout decomposition.
A log can be a small house →How the fungi get food
The fungi transform the food out of the body before absorbing it.
A meal prepared outside →Decomposition continues on the ground
Fallen leaves and branches continue to be part of the life of the ground.
A fallen leaf still has way →
Source and context
The Wildlife Trusts — Lesser stag beetle, Dorcus parallelipipedus
Consultations: ,
Editorial summary; the date of consultation is not the date of the facts.