Stag beetle

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and Fish

Stag beetles
Male Lucanus cervus
Male Lucanus cervus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea
Family: Lucanidae
Latreille, 1804
Subfamilies

Aesalinae
Lampriminae
Lucaninae
Syndesinae

Mating pair
Mating pair

Stag beetles are a group of about 1,200 species of beetle in the family Lucanidae, presently classified in four subfamilies Some species grow to 8  cm (3¼  in), but most are about 5 cm (2 in).

The English name is derived from the large and distinctive mandibles found on the males of most species, which resemble the antlers of stags.

A well-known species in much of Europe is Lucanus cervus, referred to in Britain as "the" stag beetle (it is the largest British terrestrial insect). Pliny the Elder noted that Nigidius called the stag beetle lucanus after the Italian region of Lucania where they were used as amulets. The scientific name of Lucanus cervus is this word, plus cervus, deer.

Male stag beetles use their jaws to wrestle each other for favoured mating sites, but despite their often fearsome appearance they are not normally aggressive to humans. Stag beetles are sometimes used in the Chinese sport of insect fighting.

Female stag beetles are usually smaller than the males, with smaller mandibles.

The larvae feed for several years on rotting wood, growing into grubs which in larger species may be as big as a human finger.

Partial List of Species

(classification follows Smith, 2006)
Subfamily Aesalinae

Tribe Aesalini
Genus Aesalus ( Fabricius, 1801)
  • Aesalus asiaticus Lewis, 1883
  • Aesalus himalayicus Kurosawa, 1985
  • Aesalus imanishii Inahara & Ratti, 1991
  • Aesalus meridionalis Bartolozzi, 1989
  • Aesalus neotropicalis Bates, 1886
  • Aesalus saburoi
  • Aesalus sawaii Fujita & Ichikawa, 1985
  • Aesalus scarabaeoides Panzer, 1793
  • Aesalus sichuanensis
  • Aesalus smithi Bates, 1889
  • Aesalus trogoides Albers, 1883
  • Aesalus ulanowskii Ganglbauer, 1886
Genus Cretaesalus (fossil)
Genus Echinoaesalus Zelenka, 1993
  • Echinoaesalus barriesi (Zelenka, 1993)
  • Echinoaesalus hidakai (Araya, 1993)
  • Echinoaesalus jaechi (Zelenka,1993)
  • Echinoaesalus matsuii (Araya, 1993)
  • Echinoaesalus sabahensis (Zelenka, 1994)
  • Echinoaesalus schuhi (Zelenka, 1994)
  • Echinoaesalus timidus (Krikken, 1975)
  • Echinoaesalus yongi (Araya, 1993)
Genus Lucanobium Howden & Lawrence, 1974
  • Lucanobium squamosum Howden & Lawrence, 1974
Tribe Ceratognathini
Genus Ceratognathus Westwood, 1838
  • Ceratognathus abdominalis Parry, 1870
  • Ceratognathus bitumulatus Carter, 1925
  • Ceratognathus flabellatus Boileau, 1905
  • Ceratognathus frenchi Blackburn, 1897
  • Ceratognathus froggatti Blackburn, 1894
  • Ceratognathus gilesi Blackburn, 1895
  • Ceratognathus macrognathus Boileau, 1905
  • Ceratognathus mentiferus Westwood, 1863
  • Ceratognathus minutus Lea, 1929
  • Ceratognathus niger Westwood, 1838
  • Ceratognathus ocularis Carter, 1925
  • Ceratognathus rufipennis Westwood, 1872
  • Ceratognathus tasmanus Benesh, 1943
  • Ceratognathus westwoodi Thomson, 1862
Genus Hilophyllus Paulsen & Mondaca, 2006
  • Hilophyllus argentinensis (Martinez, 1981)
  • Hilophyllus martinezi Paulsen & Mondaca, 2006
  • Hilophyllus penai (Martinez, 1976)
Genus Mitophyllus Parry, 1843
  • Mitophyllus alboguttatus (Bates, 1867)
  • Mitophyllus dispar (Sharp, 1882)
  • Mitophyllus foveolatus (Broun, 1880)
  • Mitophyllus gibbosus (Broun, 1884)
  • Mitophyllus insignis Broun, 1921
  • Mitophyllus irroratus Parry, 1842
  • Mitophyllus macrocerus (Broun, 1886)
  • Mitophyllus parrianus Westwood, 1863
  • Mitophyllus reflexus Broun, 1908
Tribe Nicagini
Genus Nicagus LeConte, 1861
  • Nicagus obscurus (LeConte, 1848)
  • Nicagus occultus Paulsen & Smith, 2005
  • Nicagus japonicus Nagel, 1928
Genus Holloceratognathus Nikolajev, 1998
  • Holloceratognathus cylindricus (Broun, 1895)
  • Holloceratognathus helotoides (Thomson, 1862)
  • Holloceratognathus passaliformis (Holloway, 1962)

Subfamily Lampriminae

Genus Dendroblax White, 1846
  • Dendroblax earlianus White, 1846
Genus Homolamprima
  • Homolamprima crenulata (MacLeay, 1885)
Genus Lamprima
  • Lamprima adolphinae (Gestro, 1875)
  • Lamprima aurata
Genus Phalacrognathus
  • Phalacrognathus muelleri MacLeay, 1885
Genus Streptocerus Dejean, 1833
  • Streptocerus speciosus Fairmaire, 1850

Subfamily Lucaninae Latreille, 1804

Tribe Aegini
Genus Aegus MacLeay, 1819
Tribe Allotopini
Genus Allotopus
  • Allotopus moellenkampi (Fruhstorfer, 1894)
  • Allotopus rosenbergi (Vollenhoven, 1872)
Genus Mesotopus
Tribe Chiasognathini
Genus Cacostomus
  • Cacostomus floralis (Lea, 1914)
  • Cacostomus squamosus Newman, 1840
  • Cacostomus subvittata (Moore, 1994)
Genus Casignetus
Genus Chiasognathus Stephens, 1831
  • Chiasognathus beneshi Lacroix, 1978
  • Chiasognathus granti Stephens, 1831
  • Chiasognathus jousselini Reiche, 1850
  • Chiasognathus latreillei Solier, 1851
  • Chiasognathus mniszechii Kiesche 1919
Genus Protognathinus
Genus Sphaenognathus
Tribe Cladognathini
Genus Aphanognathus
  • Aphanognathus laterotarsoides (Houlbert, 1915)
Genus Capreolucanus
  • Capreolucanus sicardi Didier, 1928
Genus Cladophyllus
Genus Eligmodontus
Genus Gonometopus
Genus Macrodorcas Motschulsky, 1862
  • Macrodorcas adachii
  • Macrodorcas amamiana
  • Macrodorcas barbata
  • Macrodorcas bisignata
  • Macrodorcas bomansi
  • Macrodorcas davidi
  • Macrodorcas dierli
  • Macrodorcas elsiledis
  • Macrodorcas fulvonotata
  • Macrodorcas humilis
  • Macrodorcas intricata
  • Macrodorcas kobayashii
  • Macrodorcas koyamai
  • Macrodorcas melliana
  • Macrodorcas mochizukii
  • Macrodorcas moellenkampi
  • Macrodorcas montivaga
  • Macrodorcas pieli
  • Macrodorcas pseudaxis
  • Macrodorcas recta Motschulsky, 1858
  • Macrodorcas ruficrus
  • Macrodorcas songiana
  • Macrodorcas striatipennis Motschulsky, 1862
  • Macrodorcas ursulae
  • Macrodorcas vernicata
  • Macrodorcas yaeyamaensis
Genus Palaeognathus
Genus Prismognathus Motschulsky, 1860
  • Prismognathus alessandrae
  • Prismognathus angularis C._O._Waterhouse, 1874
  • Prismognathus branczicki
  • Prismognathus cheni
  • Prismognathus dauricus Motschulsky, 1860
  • Prismognathus davidis
  • Prismognathus delislei
  • Prismognathus formosanus
  • Prismognathus klapperichi
  • Prismognathus lucidus
  • Prismognathus morimotoi
  • Prismognathus nigerrimus
  • Prismognathus nigricolor
  • Prismognathus piluensis
  • Prismognathus platycephalus
  • Prismognathus ruficephalus
  • Prismognathus sinensis
  • Prismognathus subnitens
  • Prismognathus tokui
Genus Prosopocoilus Westwood, 1845
Genus Pseudorhaetus
Genus Rhaetulus
Genus Rhaetus
  • Rhaetus westwoodi (Parry, 1862)
Genus Tetrarthrius
Genus Weinreichius
  • Weinreichius perroti Lacroix, 1978
Tribe Colophonini
Genus Colophon
Tribe Cyclommatini
Genus Cyclommatus Parry, 1863
Tribe Dendeziini
Genus Dendezia
Genus Oonotus Parry, 1864
Genus Xiphodontus
Tribe Dorcini
Genus Bartolozziolucanus
Genus Cantharolethrus
  • Cantharolethrus luxeri
Genus Cyclommatus
  • Cyclommatus scutellaris
Genus Dorcasoides
Genus Dorcus MacLeay, 1819
  • Dorcus akahorii
  • Dorcus alcides
  • Dorcus alexisi
  • Dorcus amamianus
  • Dorcus antaeus
  • Dorcus anteus
  • Dorcus arfakianus
  • Dorcus binodulosus
  • Dorcus brevis
  • Dorcus bucephalus
  • Dorcus carinulatus
  • Dorcus consentaneus
  • Dorcus curvidens
  • Dorcus cylindricus
  • Dorcus davidis
  • Dorcus emikoae
  • Dorcus eurycephalus
  • Dorcus formosanus
  • Dorcus gracilicornis
  • Dorcus garndis
  • Dorcus hopei
  • Dorcus hyperion
  • Dorcus japonicus
  • Dorcus kyanrauensis
  • Dorcus metacostatus
  • Dorcus miwai
  • Dorcus musimon
  • Dorcus parallelus
  • Dorcus parallelipipedus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Dorcus parryi
  • Dorcus parvulus
  • Dorcus peyronis
  • Dorcus prochazkai
  • Dorcus ratiocinativus
  • Dorcus rectus
  • Dorcus reichei
  • Dorcus rudis
  • Dorcus sawaii
  • Dorcus schenklingi
  • Dorcus sewertzowi
  • Dorcus suturalis
  • Dorcus taiwanicus
  • Dorcus tanakai
  • Dorcus taurus
  • Dorcus tenuecostatus
  • Dorcus titanus
  • Dorcus tormosanus
  • Dorcus ursulus
  • Dorcus vavrai
  • Dorcus velutinus
  • Dorcus vicinus
  • Dorcus yamadai
Genus Homoderus
Genus Leptinopterus
Genus Prosopocoilus
  • Prosopocoilus astacoides
  • Prosopocoilus biplagiatus
  • Prosopocoilus bison
  • Prosopocoilus giraffa
  • Prosopocoilus inclinatus
  • Prosopocoilus savagei
Genus Rhaetulus
  • Rhaetulus crenatus
Genus Serrognathus
Genus Pycnosiphorus
Genus Sclerostomus
Tribe Figulini
Genus Cardanus
Genus Dinonigidius
Genus Figulus
Genus Ganelius
Genus Nigidionus
Genus Nigidius
Genus Novonigidius
Genus Penichrolucanus
Tribe Lucanini
Genus Hexarthrius
Genus Lucanus
  • Lucanus capreolus
  • Lucanus cervus
  • Lucanus elaphus
  • Lucanus formosanus
  • Lucanus maculifemoratus
  • Lucanus mazama
  • Lucanus placidus
  • Lucanus swinhoei
  • Lucanus tetraodon
Genus Pseudolucanus
  • Pseudolucanus barbarossa ( Fabricius, 1801)
Tribe Odontolabini
Genus Calcodes
Genus Neolucanus
  • Neolucanus castanopterus
Genus Odontolabis
  • Odontolabis castelnaudi
  • Odontolabis cuvera
  • Odontolabis femoralis
  • Odontolabis siva
Tribe Platycerini
Genus Platyceroides Benesh, 1946
Genus Platyceropsis Benesh, 1946
  • Platyceropsis keeni (Casey, 1895)
Genus Platycerus Geoffroy, 1762

Subfamily Syndesinae

Tribe Ceruchini
Genus Ceruchus MacLeay, 1819
  • Ceruchus piceus ( Weber, 1801)
  • Ceruchus punctatus LeConte, 1869
  • Ceruchus striatus LeConte, 1859
Tribe Sinodendronini
Genus Sinodendron Hellwig in Schneider, 1792
  • Sinodendron cylindricum (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Sinodendron rugosum Mannerheim, 1843
Tribe Syndesini
Genus Psilodon Perty, 1830
  • Psilodon aequinoctiale (Buquet, 1840)
  • Psilodon gilberti Boucher, 1993
  • Psilodon schuberti Perty, 1830
  • Psilodon seguyi (Didier, 1929)
  • Psilodon xerophilicum Martinez & Reyes-Castillo, 1985
Genus Syndesus MacLeay, 1819
  • Syndesus cancellatus Montrouzier, 1860
  • Syndesus cornutus (Fabricius, 1801)
  • Syndesus macleayi Boileau, 1905


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