Staghorn Beetles
More than 1,000 species of the beetle family Lucanidae, called the stag beetle or staghorn beetle, are found worldwide. Their enormous toothed jaws that resemble the antlers of a stag identify the striking stag beetles. The largest species in North America is the giant stag beetle (Lucanus elephus) that grows up to 2-½ inches long. Does this Spark an idea?
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Range
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One of many species of stag beetle. The stag beetle L. cervus is the most common stag beetle in Europe. The stag beetle L. capreolus, also called the pinching bug, is the most common stag beetle in North America. Two-thirds of the 30 stag beetle species in the United States live in the western half of the country. Hobbyists, largely in Asia and Japan, raise stag beetles.
Description
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Stag beetle antennae have elbows. Stag beetles' color ranges from black to orange and reddish brown, and they and have long legs. They have teeth on their mandibles, or jaws. Their antennae have elbows and a comblike club on the ends. Stag beetles resemble bess beetles, members of the Passalidae family of beetles, but bess beetles do not have elbows on their antennae, and they have a horn; stag beetles do not have a horn. The stag beetle, like the scarab beetle, must remove a protective covering from its wings before it can fly. It takes time for the beetle to remove the covering, exposing it to danger, so it evolved huge jaws to threaten predators. When in danger, the beetle rears up on its back legs and opens its outsized jaws. Females of the species have smaller, but sharper jaws. Male stag beetles also use their jaws to compete with one another for female stag beetles.
The stag beetle, like the scarab beetle, must remove a protective covering from its wings before it can fly. It takes time for the beetle to remove the covering, exposing it to danger so it has evolved huge jaws to threaten predators. When in danger, the beetle rears back on its back legs and opens its outsized jaws. Females of the species have smaller, but sharper jaws. Male stag beetles also use their jaws to compete with one another for the charms of female stag beetles.
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Lifecycle
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A female stag beetle watches males compete for her favor. Female stag beetles lay their eggs in rotting stumps and logs. The larvae eat decaying wood and sometimes roots; they ordinarily live from 3 to 5 years before they become adults. The adults feed on the leaves, tree sap and honeydew from aphids. They live for 1 to 2 years. Stag beetles are attracted to light and are often seen them on patios and porches at night.
Stag Beetle Concerns
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Stag beetles look threatening but their bite is not serious to humans. Stag beetles may appear threatening, but their bite feels like a slight pinch to a human. They are ordinarily considered harmless, but their larvae can eat plant roots. Adult stag beetles like rotting fruit as well as tree sap. If you are concerned about stag beetles, you should keep rotting wood away from your garden and keep your yard clear of rotting fruit.
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References
Resources
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