Smooth Stag Beetle
Lucanus placidus
The larval stage is a pale, curved grub that lives inside decaying logs, stumps, and buried rotting roots in eastern North American woodlands. It feeds mainly on softened dead wood and the fungi breaking it down, using strong chewing mouthparts to tunnel through its food. This hidden life can last for years, and the larva helps recycle fallen hardwood back into the forest soil.
- Type
- Burrow
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Smooth Stag Beetle