Lesser stag beetles facts | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Lifecycle.Femaleslaytheireggsinrottingwoodaboveground.Larvaeonlytake1-2yearstodevelopandunlikestagbeetlestheadultsdon't ...

Lesser stag beetles (Dorcus paralellapipidus) are the smaller cousin of our more well-known stag beetle[1] (Lucanus cervus). They also rely on dead wood for a large part of their life cycle. However, instead of laying their eggs in rotting wood underground, they use wood and tree stumps above the ground. They are more common and have a wider range than the stag beetle.

Lesser stag beetles range in size from about 2-4cm and are matt black in colour. The males lack the enlarged antler-like jaws of the male stag beetle. Males and females are still different, but the differences are less noticeable than in the stag beetle.

Females lay their eggs in rotting wood above ground. Larvae only take 1-2 years to develop and unlike stag beetles the adults don’t necessarily die at the end of the season; they can live for up to...