This species and its congeners are the "false cerambycids" of the forest. Their larvae burrow through wood immediately below the bark that has been softened by various fungi and store the particles within a large crop, there to be digested by bacteria and protozoa. Many (ca 20) individuals of this species are known to have emerged from a ca 1 m length of log as their pupal shucks project prominently from the log's surface. Larvae of Austrolimnophila argus have been found in the larval frass of this species.
C. albistigma is common in the South Island and has been found in damp logs of many exotic tree species in plantations and urban gardens. It is likely the other species are far more restricted in habitat requirements yet are more widespread.