This is an obligate saproxylic species. This species is restricted to decaying heartwood; it is found only in large, old veteran trees of a variety of broad-leaved species (including oak Quercus, willow Salix, beech Fagus, fruit trees Malus, Prunus and Pyrus, and lime Tilia) in both relatively open old-growth woodland and traditional cultural landscapes. This species has very poor dispersal capacity (it is a weak flier), and consequently linear habitat features (e.g. avenues of ancient trees) are critically important for retaining connectivity and viable populations. The larvae develop in accumulations of wood mould in hollow living trees, usually trunks and main boughs with large cavities containing large volumes of wood mould, primarily derived from natural fungal decay of the dead heartwood. Larvae normally take two years to develop, longer where conditions not optimal. Suitable trees may occur in a wide variety of situations where trees have been retained into maturity and old age, for a variety of reasons. (K.N.A. Alexander pers. comm. 2009). In Hungary the strongest populations are in very old willow galleries; others are in mature oak forests (O. Merkl pers. comm. 2009). In Romania, in the southern Carpathians, it occurs in clear oak and beech forests from sun exposed slopes where large trees with big hollows occur. In the central part of the country it was found in the pastures with old oaks with large hollows (P. Istrate pers. comm. 2009).