TAXONOMY:
(View Orders)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
   Class:Insecta
    Order: Coleoptera
     Family: Lucanidae
      Genus: Lucanus
       Species: capreolus

OTHER NAME(S):
Common Stag Beetle

CHARACTERISTICS: Common east of the Mississippi. Noted for their large size and ferocious appearance, complete with hard shell and imposing pincer-like mandibles. The mandibles on the female are shorter than that of the male, whose mandibles can be about the size of their heads. This species is separated from other Stag bettle types by the orange or yellow coloring at the base of each leg. Shell appears smooth and shiney with a dark red or brown coloring. They are primarily night dwellers and - like most noctural insects - are generally attracted to light sources. Despite their large mandibles, the Stag Beetle serves itself a steady diet of sap. The mandibles on the male are generally reserved for male-on-male fighting when it comes time to woo a female Stag Beetle.

ADULT SIZE (Length, not including legs):
20mm to 36mm (0.79in to 1.42in) (Compare Size)

IDENTIFYING COLORS: red; black; orange; yellow

Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, South Dakota, North Dakota

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Courtesy of Jason Scott Means of South Charleston, West Virginia - www.JasonMeans.com

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