Dorcus titanus

Dorcus titanus
Dorcus titanus (above)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lucanidae
Genus: Dorcus
Species: D. titanus
Binomial name
Dorcus titanus
(Boisduval, 1835)
Synonyms
  • Serrognathus titanus (Boisduval, 1835)
  • Lucanus titanus Boisduval, 1835
  • Lucanus titanus briareus Hope & Westwood, 1845

[1]

Dorcus titanus, also known as the Giant Stag Beetle, is a beetle of the family Lucanidae. It was described by Boisduval in 1835. In the research of Huang & Chen(2013), Serognathus has separated from Dorcus, showing the morphological and DNA analysis.

Description

Males measure 32.0–111.3 millimetres (1.26–4.38 in) including mandibles; females 36.5–54 millimetres (1.44–2.13 in). It has an elongated, somewhat flat body dull black with blackish antennae and legs. Male’s antler-like jaws have small teeth along inner edge and a pair of big teeth toward the bottom, and are forked at end. Head of a large male reaches nearly the length of its prothorax and abdomen combined.[2]

Life cycle

Adults can be seen from May to August. They feed on tree juice, especially of Quercus species. Females lay eggs on the underground part of fallen oaks. The eggs hatch in about a month and the larvae feed on rotten wood. Larval period last about one year. The complete life cycle can last approximately from 1 to 2 years.[2]

Distribution

This species is present in Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, China, Taiwan and Korea.[1][3]

Habitat

It inhabits mainly tropical rainforests and temperate forests from lowland to mountains.[2]

Popular culture

This beetle has some commercial value and export from some regions is criminalized. There are some Asian cultures that assign aphrodisiac properties to this insect, high in protein. However, most are imported for sport, decorative show, or to be kept as an exotic pet. This stag beetle is also popular pet in Asia and Europe.

Gallery

List of subspecies

Dorcus titanus platymelus

[2]

References

External links

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