A widespread and relatively common species of North Canterbury and inland Marlborough. It coexists with Megadromus rectangulus but is found more in the well drained, often stony habitats under many types of vegetation. It may be present in relatively undisturbed urban or pastoral habitats eg Hanmer Springs and the Waiau Valley. It is present in pine platations. The photo shows a beetle resting in a small cavity which was exposed after turning over a log. The animal has fine droplets of water all over it, a common feature during the late summer and throughout the winter. It is also relatively inactive during the winter.
It nurses its eggs (about 20) in late spring/early summer in a small cavity under a stone or log. The eggs hatch after about three weeks and the larvae disperse soon after.