 Both adults and larvae feed on fungi, including "Piptoporus betulinus" (Polyporales) on birch ("Betula papyrifera", "B. lenta") and "Heterobasidion annosum" (Bondarzewiaceae) on balsam fir ("Abies balsamea").They have also been reported to feed on fungi on western hemlock ("Tsuga heterophylla") and on "Lentinus" (Polyporaceae).Adults feed on the surface, while larvae burrow into the substrate

When threatened, adult beetles will use thanatosis (feigning death) to avoid predators.This behavior is known from several other species in the Zopherinae.