stag beetle

Any of a number of large dark brown beetles, the males of which possess enormous mandibles, or jaws, shaped rather like the antlers of a stag. There are over 900 species within this family.

The males are much bigger than the females and very often the length of their mandibles equals the length of the rest of the body. The mandibles appear to be largely ornamental and cannot be moved by the jaw muscles. Another characteristic feature is the smooth appearance of the chestnut-coloured wing cases, which are devoid of ridges. The larvae inhabit the rotting wood or the roots of trees, such as oak.

Classification The stag beetle is in family Lucanidae of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, order Coleoptera, class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda.