and can be an impediment, particularly in flight.

The females, which are longer lived as adults, lack

these elaborate ornaments and have smaller, more

functional mandibles.

The larvae of most stag beetles live and feed in

decaying wood, usually below ground level, where

the moisture content is relatively high. Larval

development, especially in temperate climates, may

take several years as the wood is not very nutritious.

After pupation, the active adult life of most species

lasts no longer than a few weeks, and many of them

take little or no food as adults.

In many countries, lucanids are among the

largest and most conspicuous of beetles, and a

considerable folklore and culture has developed

around them. In some Asian countries they are used

in gambling, and bets are placed on the outcomes

of fights between males such as those of the genus

Prosopocoilus. The group is also popular with

collectors and hobbyists, both for insect collections

and as exotic pets, and live stag beetles can be

purchased from slot machines in Japan. Stag beetles

can be a surprising sight on city streets on warm

summer evenings in many parts of the world, since

opposite | Cyclommatus giraffa

The Lesser Giraffe Stag

Beetle, from the island of

Borneo. Male stag beetles

with elongated mandibles

are abundant in the tropics.  

right | Lucanus cervus  

The classic European stag

beetle. The biggest beetle

in northern Europe, it has

adapted to living in urban

parks and even gardens.

below right |

Phalacrognathus muelleri

The Rainbow Stag Beetle from

tropical Australasia is one of

the most colorful of all stag

beetles, and is popular as a pet.

several species have adapted well to life in human-

modified habitats, developing in street trees and

trees in urban parks and cemeteries. On the other

hand, the flightless stag beetles of the genus Colophon,

restricted to several mountaintops in South Africa,

have some of the smallest natural ranges of any

beetles, and are among the only beetles given legal

protection under the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).