ID Stag Beetle in the jungle of Campeche, Mexico
December 20, 2009
Last week (December 2009) I was visiting some Maya ruins in Campeche, Mexico near the border with Guatemala.
I found this beetle, it seemed to be dying and was moving very slowly with its legs held close to it’s body.
Just interested to find out more about it,
Thanks!
Tim
Jungle of Campeche, Mexico
Dear Tim,
This beautiful beetle is not a Stag Beetle, but rather a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae. We believe it is Callipogon senex based on a photo on the coleop-terra website. The species is found in Honduras and El Salvador as well as Mexico. It was pictured on a postage stamp from Belize in 1995.
Hmmm, thanks for refering to my page Coleop-Terra. I am still not certain about the true taxonomical status of C.senex. Senex means old men, probably refering to the lighter coloration of the hairs, but this could not be a character to distinguish between two species? When I am saying, this is a C.barbatum, can anybody tell me the difference?