Staghorn pair
Location: Middlesex County, New Jersey
July 1, 2011 7:28 am
I used your website to identify these beetles.
I thought you might be interested in what I believe to be a male and female Staghorn beetle.
I found these around my home, actually I was alerted by my daughters scream so technically she found them.
Signature: Mark from Woodbridge
Hi Mark,
We are so excited to be able to post your photos of a pair of Reddish Brown Stag Beetles, Lucanus capreolus. It is also wonderful to have such nice documentation of the sexual dimorphism. The male has the much larger mandibles, and they are allegedly used in sparring contests as males vie for the attention of a female.
We hope you released this magnificent pair of Reddish Brown Stag Beetles back into the habitat so that they are able to perpetuate the species. The larvae of Stag Beetles are significant contributors to breaking down rotting wood so that it can be incorporated into soil as humus, thus increasing the fecundity of the soil.