Currently viewing the category: "Stag Beetles"
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Subject: What kind of beetle did I photograph?
Location: Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia
November 26, 2012 6:17 pm
Dear sir, I’m curious what kind of beetle I photographed during my trip to Malaysia. This picture was taken in Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Borneo. The phone over which the beetle walks has dimensions 119 x 60.4 x 14.2 mm (4.69 x 2.38 x 0.56 in), giving a clear image of the size of this beetle. Hope you can give me an answer :-)
Signature: Regards,

Stag Beetle

This is some species of Stag Beetle.  We will try to do additional research to see if we can determine the species.

Thanks to a comment by Mardikavana, we know that this is a male Odontabilis species.

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Subject: Identification
Location: UK
August 9, 2012 1:25 pm
Photo taken on 02/08/2012 in Worcestershire England.
Signature: B Woodward

Lesser Stag Beetle

Dear B Woodward,
This is the female of the largest and arguably most distinctive beetle found in the UK, a Stag Beetle,
Lucanus cervus.  Stag Beetles have become increasing rarer in the UK in recent years and in many areas they are protected.  Here is a matching photo on the Space for Nature Garden Biodiversity Forum.

Correction:  Lesser Stag Beetle
Thanks to a comment by mardikavana, we are correcting this posting.  This is actually a male Lesser Stag Beetle.

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Subject: would you please identify this bug, It frightened my wife into no longer wanting to weed the ground cover she loves so dearly
Location: southeastern Pennsylvania (Lancaster)
July 19, 2012 10:47 am
any help in identifying this bug will be appreciated.
Signature: frightened bug lady

Reddish Brown Stag Beetle

Dear frightened bug lady,
This is a female Reddish Brown Stag Beetle,
Lucanus capreolus, and she is not dangerous to people.  Both females and males, which have considerably larger mandibles, might nip if carelessly handled.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed in rotting logs. They are not harmful to vegetation.”  Perhaps there was a rotting log or tree near where your wife was weeding.

thank you for the quick response, I’m sure she will be more at ease and I’ll look in the ground cover for some rotted wood.

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Subject: Bug from NC
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
June 30, 2012 9:58 am
This bug was crawling very slowly on the outside of my front door near Raleigh North Carolina. I have never seen a bug like this before. Can you please identify it for me?
Signature: Thank you!

Giant Stag Beetle

This impressive beetle is a male Giant Stag Beetle.

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Subject: Possible stag beetle?
Location: Greenville, SC
June 20, 2012 10:52 am
Hello! This was in the shop at work. We have never seen one before. It has a grey body with a red head and prominent pincers/jaws. It was seen a couple of weeks ago (late spring).
Thank you!
Signature: Kristina & Elizabeth

Giant Stag Beetle

Dear Kristina,
You are correct.  This is a Giant Stag Beetle,
Lucanus elaphus.

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Subject: Nice Rhino? Beetle
Location: Southern Illinois
June 17, 2012 10:43 pm
This is from a few weeks ago, a work neighbor found this and let me take some pic’s What is this beautiful specimen called?
Signature: JimmyDean

Giant Stag Beetle

Dear JimmyDean,
This is a Giant Stag Beetle or American Stag Beetle,
Lucanus elaphus, and it received both its common and scientific names based on the enlarged mandibles of the male Stag Beetle which resemble the antlers of a stag.  Here is a nice etomylogical explanation from BugGuide:  “Apparently species name is something of a reference to vertebrate zoology. The European Stag Beetle is Lucanus cervus. Cervus is Latin for deer/stag, and also the genus name for the European Red Deer, Cervus elaphus. (That species is holarctic, and called Elk or Wapiti in North America.) Elaphus is apparently a Greek word for deer. So the name elaphusis a reference to the Greek for deer or, more likely, to the scientific name for the Red Deer, for which the European Stag Beetle was also named. Very cute. (Based on Internet searches and correspondence, below.)  Thanks to Maria Fremlin for help on the origin of the scientific name and for pointing out that ‘Giant Stag Beetle’ is the more accepted common name.”

Giant Stag Beetle

 

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Small australian stag beetle
Location: Mount Gambier S.A Australia
February 21, 2012 4:53 am
Hello!
I was wondering if you could identify this stag beetle for me?
I left the light on in the kitchen at night and it was sitting on the windowsill in the back yard(in summer). I went outside and chaught two of them to take a closer look at.(i could only find two) a day or so after they died sadly :( . The largest is 14mm (quite small) and the othe 12mm. they are brownish red and both have the lareish antler like mandibles. I cant find a picture or anything about this cute little Beetle…
Thanks
Signature: Liam

Possibly Stag Beetle

Dear Liam,
We agree that this is most likely a Stag Beetle, however, we did not have any luck with an online identification either.  We are posting this as unidentified in the hopes that we might eventually be able to provide you with a species name.

Possibly Stag Beetles

Comment from mct5548
It seems to be the genus Syndesus MacLeay, which is indeed a stag beetle. Two species occur in Australia, S. cornutus and S. macleayi.

Ed. Note:  We found this link on Alain Galant’s website and the beetles look like a spot on match to us.  http://web.me.com/alain.galant/LES_LUCANIDAE_DU_MONDE/Syndesus_Cornutus.html

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Curious Beetle
Location: Cook County, Illinois
July 30, 2011 12:02 pm
The other day, I came across this beetle at work (donut shop, but it was in the lobby, between the entrance and the lavatory). Someone had already tried to step on it, but I scooped it up in a cup anyways, and set it in the bushes on the other side of the parking lot from the store. I took some pictures, and was just curious what this cute little critter might be.
From browsing your site, and the one you link to, I’m guessing it’s a bark gnawer of some kind. But I would like to know for certain.
Signature: Doctor McCrimmon

Female Reddish Brown Stag Beetle

Dear Doctor McCrimmon,
This is a female Reddish Brown Stag Beetle,
Lucanus capreolus.  The larva feed on rotting wood.  Hopefully, your good deed spared her from other stompers.

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination