International audience ; All the macrofauna were sampled in the litter and deep soil of thirteen beechwoods, situated within the same geographical and geological area (the central Ardenne), but with different humus types: mesotrophic mull, dystrophic mull, moder and dysmoder. The analysis of data for 21 saprophagous taxa in 96 sampling units showed that the mesotrophic mull community was characterized not only by Lumbricidae (anecic, endogeic and some epigeic species), but also by many other epigeic taxa, pertaining mainly to Diplopoda, Isopoda and Gastropoda. By contrast, Elaterid larvae were one of the few taxa that were abundant in moder and dysmoder soils. The results from the Ardenne, with regard to the high density and diversity of the saprophagous macrofauna in forest mull, have confirmed other results in the literature, which gives them a large significance. The results also emphasize the interest of experimental studies dealing with interactions between different saprophagous species, during the process of formation of forest mull.