Stag beetle

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Stag beetle
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–Recent
Golden stag beetle.jpg
A male specimen of Lamprima aurata , otherwise known as the golden stag beetle
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea
Family: Lucanidae
Latreille, 1804
Subfamilies

Aesalinae
Lampriminae
Lucaninae
Syndesinae

Stag beetles comprise the family Lucanidae. It has about 1,200 species of beetles in four subfamilies. [1] Some species grow to over 12 centimetres (4+1⁄2 inches), but most to about 5 cm (2 in).

Contents

Overview

Dorcus curvidens male (left) and female (right) Dorcus curvidens hopei sjh.jpg
Dorcus curvidens male (left) and female (right)
Paralissotes sp. illustrated by Des Helmore COLE Lucanidae Lissotes.png
Paralissotes sp. illustrated by Des Helmore

The English name is derived from the large and distinctive mandibles found on the males of most species, which resemble the antlers of stags.

A well-known species in much of Europe is Lucanus cervus , referred to in some European countries (including the United Kingdom) as the stag beetle; it is the largest terrestrial insect in Europe. Pliny the Elder noted that Nigidius called the beetle lucanus after the Italian region of Lucania where they were used as amulets. The scientific name of Lucanus cervus adds cervus, deer.

Male stag beetles are known for their oversize mandibles used to wrestle each other for favoured mating sites in a way that parallels the way stags fight over females. Fights may also be over food, such as tree sap and decaying fruits. Despite their often fearsome appearance, they are not normally aggressive to humans. During a battle between the two males, the main objective is to dislodge its opponent's tarsal claws with its mandible, thus disrupting their balance. Because its mandibles are capable of exceeding its own body size, stag beetles are generally inefficient runners and are very slow, and typically feel the need to fly from one location to another. [2]

Female stag beetles are usually smaller than the males, with smaller mandibles that are much more powerful than the males'. [3] As larvae, females are distinguished by their cream-coloured, fat ovaries visible through the skin around two-thirds of the way down their back.

The larvae feed for several years on rotting wood, growing through three larval stages until eventually pupating inside a pupal cell constructed from surrounding wood pieces and soil particles. In the final larval stage, "L3", the surviving grubs of larger species, such as Prosopocoilus giraffa , may be the size of a human finger.

In England’s New Forest, it was once believed that the stag beetle, dubbed the "devil's imp", was sent to do some evil to the corn crops. The superstition led to stoning the insects on sight, as observed by a writer in the Notes and Queries. [4] Along with rhinoceros beetles, stag beetles are often bought as pets in South Korea and Japan. [5] [6]

Evolution

The oldest known fossil of the group is Juraesalus from the late Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Daohugou Beds of Inner Mongolia, China. While initially interpreted as a member of Aesalinae, it was later interpreted to be a basal member of the family. [7] Litholamprima , the only genus in the subfamily Litholampriminae, is known from the Lower Cretaceous of Yixian Formation, China. [8]

Antler allometry

Antler allometry in Prosopocoilus savagei Metopodontus savagei-Musee royal de l'Afrique centrale.jpg
Antler allometry in Prosopocoilus savagei

The Lucanidae males have large antlers. Their size often varies among individuals. Such variation is termed a scaling relationship or static allometry. Environmental conditions and genetic factors affect antler size. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beetle</span> Order of insects

Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. However, the number of beetle species is challenged by the number of species in dipterans (flies) and hymenopterans (wasps).

Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mechanism is typically that of one structure with a well-defined lip, ridge, or nodules being moved across a finely-ridged surface or vice versa, and vibrating as it does so, like the dragging of a phonograph needle across a vinyl record. Sometimes it is the structure bearing the file which resonates to produce the sound, but in other cases it is the structure bearing the scraper, with both variants possible in related groups. Common onomatopoeic words for the sounds produced by stridulation include chirp and chirrup.

<i>Macrodontia cervicornis</i> Species of beetle

Macrodontia cervicornis, also known as the sabertooth longhorn beetle, is one of the largest beetles, if one allows for the enormous mandibles of the males, from which it derives both of the names in its binomen: Macrodontia means "long tooth", and cervicornis means "deer antler". Measurements of insect length normally exclude legs, jaws, or horns, but if jaws are included, the longest known specimen of M. cervicornis is 17.7 cm; the longest known specimen of Dynastes hercules, a beetle species with enormous horns, is 17.5 cm, and the longest known beetle excluding either jaws or horns is Titanus giganteus, at 16.7 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mycangium</span> Body structures adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi

The term mycangium is used in biology for special structures on the body of an animal that are adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi. This is seen in many xylophagous insects, which apparently derive much of their nutrition from the digestion of various fungi that are growing amidst the wood fibers. In some cases, as in ambrosia beetles, the fungi are the sole food, and the excavations in the wood are simply to make a suitable microenvironment for the fungus to grow. In other cases, wood tissue is the main food, and fungi weaken the defense response from the host plant.

<i>Lucanus cervus</i> Species of beetle

Lucanus cervus, known as the European stag beetle, or the greater stag beetle, is one of the best-known species of stag beetle in Western Europe, and is the eponymous example of the genus. L. cervus is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List.

<i>Lucanus capreolus</i> Species of beetle

Lucanus capreolus, the reddish-brown stag beetle or pinching beetle, is a beetle of the family Lucanidae. The specific name capreolus is derived from Latin, meaning "roe deer". The name refers to the resemblance of the mandibles to deer antlers.

<i>Lucanus elaphus</i> Species of beetle

Lucanus elaphus, the giant stag beetle, elk stag beetle, or erroneously as the elephant stag beetle, is a beetle of the family Lucanidae native to eastern North America. They are sometimes kept as pets.

<i>Lucanus formosanus</i> Species of beetle

Lucanus formosanus is a stag beetle which is endemic to Taiwan, and grows to a length of 45–80 millimetres (1.8–3.1 in). Like other species in the Lucanid family, L. formosanus exhibits distinct sexual dimorphism and subsequent external morphological allometry in males. Males of the species develop mandibles of various forms depending on geographic location; i.e. northern, central, and southern morphs.

<i>Lucanus tetraodon</i> Species of beetle

Lucanus tetraodon is a stag beetle of the family Lucanidae.

<i>Odontolabis cuvera</i> Species of beetle

Odontolabis cuvera, the golden stag beetle, is a beetle of the family Lucanidae, stag beetles.

<i>Chiasognathus grantii</i> Species of beetle

Chiasognathus grantii is a species of stag beetle found in Argentina and Chile. It is known as Darwin's beetle, Grant's stag beetle, or the Chilean stag beetle.

<i>Cyclommatus metallifer</i> Species of beetle

Cyclommatus metallifer is a species of stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. There is sexual dimorphism within the species. Males are generally larger in size and have enlarged mandibles. It is named for its metallic coloration, which ranges in color and may be varying levels of black, brown, or gold. This species is notably easy to maintain, making it a useful species for scientific study. Additionally, it has been kept as an exotic pet.

<i>Cyclommatus</i> Genus of beetles

Cyclommatus is a genus of the family Lucanidae, also known as the stag beetle. The majority of the species from the genus Cyclommatus are located in Southeast Asia, though some species are found in China and Taiwan as well. The genus Cyclommatus also consists of three subgenera: Cyclommatus, Cyclommatinus and Cyclommatellus. Each subgenera contains 80, 24 and 3 species respectively. In total, the genus Cyclommatus consists of a total of 134 species, though more are still being discovered to this day.

<i>Paralissotes reticulatus</i> Species of beetle

Paralissotes reticulatus, also called the New Zealand reticulate stag beetle, is a native species of stag beetle from New Zealand. Although they do have wings they are flightless.

<i>Dorcus parallelus</i> Species of beetle

Dorcus parallelus, more commonly known as the antelope stag beetle, is a species from the Lucanidae family. Extensive research has not been done on this species. D. parallelus has been seen to be endemic to North America. Features of this species include its impressive size and distinctive antler-like mandibles useful during mating. These beetles are often compared to Dorcus parallelipipedus, the sister species mainly concentrated in Europe.

<i>Geodorcus helmsi</i> Species of beetle

Geodorcus helmsi, known as New Zealand giant stag beetle or Helms's stag beetle, is a large, slow-moving, flightless stag beetle in the family Lucanidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Lucanus datunensis is a species of stag beetle endemic to Tatun Mountain of Taiwan's Yangmingshan. It is first described in 1984. It is the smallest stag beetle in Taiwan and is an endangered species threatened by recent human activity.

<i>Aegus chelifer</i> Species of beetle

Aegus chelifer, is a species of stag beetle found in Indo-Malaya regional countries.

<i>Dorcus hopei</i> Species of stag beetle

Dorcus hopei is a beetle in the family Lucanidae.

<i>Figulus</i> (beetle) Genus of beetles

Figulus is a genus of beetle in the family Lucanidae. They have a paleotropical distribution, including occurrences in Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections to nomenclature and a current classification. The Coleopterists Bulletin 60:144–204.
  2. ↑
    Goyens J, Van Wassenbergh
    S, Dirckx J, Aerts P. 2015 Cost of flight and the evolution of stag beetle weaponry. J. R. Soc. Interface 12: 20150222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2015.0222
  3. ↑ "How to help stag beetles" (PDF). wildlondon.org.uk. London Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ Cowan, Frank (December 15, 2012). "Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions, by Frank Cowan—A Project Gutenberg eBook". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  5. ↑ "[남상호 자연 다큐/곤충 세계 여행④]곤충도 '황금알'을 낳는다". 시사저널 (in Korean). 2001-09-28. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  6. ↑ Lombardi, Linda (26 May 2014). "How to Care for Your Beetle". tofugu.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Kim, Sang Il; Farrell, Brian D. (May 2015). "Phylogeny of world stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) reveals a Gondwanan origin of Darwin's stag beetle". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 86: 35–48. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.02.015. PMID   25732069.
  8. ↑ G.V. Nikolajev, D. Ren (2015). "A new fossil Lucanidae subfamily (Coleoptera) from the Mesozoic of China" (PDF). Caucasian Entomological Bulletin (in Russian). 11 (11): 15-18. doi:10.23885/1814-3326-2015-11-1-15-18. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2024.
  9. ↑ Kawano, Kazuo (1 March 2006). "Sexual Dimorphism and the Making of Oversized Male Characters in Beetles (Coleoptera)". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 99 (2): 327–341. doi:10.1603/0013-8746(2006)099[0327:SDATMO]2.0.CO;2.
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