saproxylic

Etymology

From sapro- + xylo- + -ic.

adj

  1. Relating to, or causing, the decay of wood.
  2. That lives in or feeds on decaying wood.“The study says 18% of saproxylic beetles – which depend on dead and decaying wood for some of their lifecycle – now exist on a conservation plane between “vulnerable” and “critically endangered”.”

noun

  1. Any organism that lives in decaying wood