   #copyright

Stag beetle

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

                iStag beetles
   Male Lucanus cervus
   Male Lucanus cervus
          Scientific classification

   Kingdom:     Animalia
   Phylum:      Arthropoda
   Class:       Insecta
   Order:       Coleoptera
   Suborder:    Polyphaga
   Infraorder:  Scarabaeiformia
   Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea
   Family:      Lucanidae
                Latreille, 1804

                                 Subfamilies

   not a complete list
   Aesalinae
   Figulinae
   Lampriminae
   Lucaninae
   Nicaginae
   Penichrolucaninae
   Syndesinae

   Stag beetles are a group of about 1,200 species of beetle in the family
   Lucanidae, the most well-known species being Lucanus cervus, a large
   beetle found in much of Europe. Some species grow to 8 cm (3.25 in),
   but usually they are about 5 cm (2 in).

   The name is derived from the large and distinctive mandibles found on
   the males, which are used in much the same way as the antlers on stags
   are between males competing for mates. Carolus Linnaeus named the
   beetle Lucanus cervus. Pliny the Elder noted that Nigidius called the
   stag beetle lucani after the Italian region of Lucania where they were
   used as amulets.

   Once common over much of Southern England and Wales, they have been in
   decline over the last 50 years and are now becoming rare and are listed
   as a globally threatened / declining species. They have become a
   protected species under Schedule 5 of the UK's Wildlife and Countryside
   Act 1981 and the EU Habitats Directive of the Berne Convention. Two of
   the most important London areas for stag beetles are Richmond Park and
   Wimbledon Common.

   Adults appear during late May to the beginning of August being most
   active in the evenings. Females lay their eggs in a piece of decaying
   wood. Stag Beetle larvae, which are blind and shaped like a letter "C",
   feed on rotting wood in a variety of places, tree stumps, old trees and
   shrubs, rotting fence posts, compost heaps and leaf mould. The larvae
   have a cream-coloured soft transparent body with six orange legs, and
   an orange head which is very distinct from the very sharp brown
   pincers. They have combs in their legs which they use for communication
   ( stridulation) with other larvae. The larvae go through several
   developmental stages ( instars), taking 4 to 6 years to become pupae.
   The work of entomologist Charlie Morgan during the late 1970s
   discovered that the pupae of the Stag Beetle live in the soil for about
   3 months, then emerge in summer to awkwardly fly off to mate. Adults
   only live for a few months feeding on nectar and tree sap. Their slow,
   lumbering flight, usually at dusk, makes a distinctive low-pitched
   buzzing sound. The males fly more readily than the females. The modern
   Italian word for a toy kite cervo volante (and hence the French
   cerf-volant) may derive from the ancient amusement of flying the
   beetles on a length of thread.

   The Stag beetle is preyed upon by magpies, chickens, badgers, foxes,
   hedgehogs, cats, and woodpeckers.

   The natural reaction of the beetle to an approaching large object is to
   remain motionless making them a good photographic subject. Sexually
   dimorphic, the males have enlarged mandibles and are larger than the
   females. Although the male's mandibles seem threatening, they are too
   weak to be harmful. Nevertheless, females can inflict a painful bite.

   Male Lucanus cervus
   Enlarge
   Male Lucanus cervus
   The female Lucanus cervus has much smaller mandibles than the male
   Enlarge
   The female Lucanus cervus has much smaller mandibles than the male

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stag_beetle"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
