COMMENSALISM

Commensalism is a biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species  (here:capricorn beetle) gains benefits, while those of the other species (humans) being neither benefit nor are harmed. Many cases of supposed commensalism exist in the natural world. The benefits to be gained in a commensal relationship can be nutrition.  Many hosts of commensal organisms appear to be unaffected, at most being slightly bothered by the presence of the commensal.

The great capricorn beetle is a wood-eating species that usually lives in deadwood of standing veteran oak trees. The loss of natural and semi-natural forests containing old and decaying trees and their replacement with young or non-native plantations is a major problem for the great capricorn beetle.