Very weird bug
Location: Maryville TN
May 31, 2011 9:45 pm
I saw this bug (dead) in a parking lot today (May 31, 2011) in Maryville TN and took a picture because I had never seen anything like it before. Can you tell me what it is?
Thank you!
Signature: Sherry
Stag Beetle: Road Kill or Insecticide???
Hi Sherry,
Your photo of a dead Giant Stag Beetle, Lucanus elaphus, found in a parking lot saddened us as these are magnificent beetles. Though we would hope this large male Giant Stag Beetle died of natural causes, we fear it may have become accidental road kill, or even worse, unnecessary carnage.
Hi, Daniel — Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know about this beetle.
Sherry
1
¶ Posted 01 June 2011 § ‡ ° What is this!?
Location: Chichester, England
May 30, 2011 6:10 am
Hi, I am writing to you from Chichester, England. I was out last night and spotted this on the high street, do you know what it is!?
Signature: Thanks, Gordon Frew
Male Stag Beetle
Hi Gordon,
This magnificent beetle is a Male Stag Beetle, Lucanus cervus. According to the Natural England website: “This species is now rare and declining in Europe.” The website also provides this tip: “In a recent survey of the species, 70% of sightings came from domestic gardens. You can provide a habitat for stag beetles and other dead wood insects by making a pile of logs, ideally with bark on them, placed upright in partial shade and sunk partially into the ground, with plants growing over them to retain humidity they need.” The UK Safari website has nice information and photos on the life cycle of the Stag Beetle including these special features: “This is the largest beetle found in Britain, and now sadly, quite rare. The most noticeable feature of the male are the large antler-like jaws, which give the beetle its name. They are used during the mating season to fight with other males over territory. Each male tries to grab his opponent between his jaws, and then throw him. The fully grown male stag beetles can normally be seen flying at dusk between May and August. The warmer temperatures at this time of year encourage them to look for a mate. They will drink tree sap, but do not eat, and will not grow at all. After mating the stag beetle dies.” You may also be interested in this article on attracting Stag Beetles with ginger from the BBC website.
1
¶ Posted 30 May 2011 § ‡ ° My macro photography
Location: MN, NH, MA
April 12, 2011 3:31 pm
Hi What’s The Bug?,
I am a huge fan of your website, and I thought you might be interested in seeing a few photos I have taken. I primarily photography fish, but I’m also very interested in bugs. Thanks to frequenting this site I knew right away that the bug in the first photograph was a stag beetle. By the time I took the photo of the fly I had purchased a macro lens, which is why there is a significan improvement in the photo quality. Enjoy, and keep up the excellent work!
Signature: Casey
Reddish Brown Stag Beetle
Hi Casey,
Thanks for the compliment, and we can also tell you to keep up the excellent work. Your Reddish Brown Stag Beetle image is especially nice. Most of our Stag Beetle reports come in July, so you photo is a nice anticipation of what summer may bring. Can you provide us with the actual location for the Stag Beetle? Is it MN, NH or MA?
Thank you so much for the feature on the front page! The photo of the stag beetle was taken in MN near the Twin Cities.
1
¶ Posted 12 April 2011 § ‡ ° Stag Beetle
June 22, 2010
My mom explained to me that there was some foot-long monster outside, after declaring, “You like bugs, don’t you?”
I took two seconds to identify it as a stag beetle (reddish-brown variety?) and thought I’d get some nice pics.
I don’t know if you can use these, but thought I’d submit them anyways…
…And have fun on your vacation!
MercuryCrest
West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S.
Reddish Brown Stag Beetle
Dear MercuryCrest,
We are trying to post a few new letters before attending to things around the house that need attention since we just returned yesterday. Your letter was the first subject line that caught our eye from the June 22 submissions because we love Stag Beetles and we were happy we didn’t need to spend any time doing research towards an identification. This is, as you indicate, the Reddish Brown Stag Beetle, Lucanus capreolus, and it is a male as evidenced by his large mandibles. There is some great information on BugGuide.
2
¶ Posted 23 June 2010 § ‡ ° Beetle
June 2, 2010
Found this the other night , may have come out of a potted cucumber plant that we were re-potting. (can’t be positive) Just wondering what it was and if it had been in the dirt in the pot, could it have damaged the roots? His body is about 2 inches long. We put him in a bug box and he burrowed under the dirt in it. Thanks!
AKF
NE Indiana
Reddish Brown Stag Beetle
Dear AKF,
This spectacular beetle is a Reddish Brown Stag Beetle. Lucanus capreolus. We suspect it may have been attracted to lights near your plant. The larvae feed on decaying wood and neither adults nor larvae will attack your potted plants.
3
¶ Posted 02 June 2010 § ‡ ° Found a odd looking critter
May 26, 2010
Just curious what type of insect this is. It looks like some sort of beetle but have never seen one before.
Glad it’s Summer!
Birmingham, AL
Giant Stag Beetle
Dear Glad,
The Giant Stag Beetle or American Stag Beetle, Lucanus elaphus, is quite a distinctive insect, especially the male with his impressive mandibles. Your specimen is a male. the females have significantly smaller mandibles.
2
Australian Stag Beetles
February 6, 2010
Dear Mr. Bugman,
(Currently) On page seven of WTB Downunder, there are some Australian Stag Beetles. Here is another photo of the same beetle-male? It was found in Tathra, NSW, in the grass around our caravan site.
Claudia
Tathra, NSW
Stag Beetle: Rhyssonotus nebulosus
Hi Claudia,
Thanks so much for sending us an additional image of the Australian Stag Beetle Rhyssonotus nebulosus. The OZ Animals website also has a nice photo of this species.
2
¶ Posted 07 February 2010 § ‡ ° Flower Beetle scarab ?
December 10, 2009
please identify closest l come is agestrata luzonica (cetoniine)
Lee-Anne
Melbourne Australia
Golden Green Stag Beetle
Hi Lee-Anne,
This is a Golden Green Stag Beetle, Lamprima latreillii, based on images posted to the Brisbane Insect website. Another possibility is the closely related Lamprima aurata which is pictured on the InsectaCulture website.
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