Prosopocoilus astacoides
Prosopocoilus astacoides elaphus
Prosopocoilus astacoides is a beetle of the family of Schröter ( Lucanidae ). The species was described in 1860 by Frederick William Hope. In insects, the beetle collectors is also known as Red Wine antler beetle.
Features
The males of Prosopocoilus astacoides can reach a total length of up to 70 mm. The females remain significantly smaller with 20 to 30 mm. The animals are orange - brown in color. Depending on the subspecies, they are also orange - yellow or completely brown. The males of Prosopocoilus have astacoides how many species of the family of Schröter, very greatly enlarged mandibles that they use to to fight for females or feeding grounds.
Dissemination
Prosopocoilus astacoides has a wide distribution area in tropical Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China and Malaysia. In various geographic regions subspecies can be distinguished.
Way of life
The predominantly nocturnal beetles can not eat solid food due to its converted jaw. For this reason, they lick on emerging tree saps or fermenting fruit juices with its brush-like tongue. During the day you get the beetles rarely seen.
After mating, the females of Prosopocoilus astacoides to start looking for a nesting place. The eggs are either stored directly in rotten wood or they are buried in the immediate vicinity of rotten wood in the forest floor. The larvae that hatch from the eggs, feed on weißfaulem wood and humus. When the larvae have reached the third larval stage and are verpuppungsbereit, they put in wood or forest floor of a chamber the size of a hen's egg. In this cocoon, the larva pupates. After 6-8 months, then slips the fully developed beetles from the pupal skin. To harden After another 2 months inactive in the cocoon, it takes the Beetle to its exoskeleton and to develop his internal organs completely, he slips out of the cocoon and does immediately start looking for a reproductive partner and a source of food.
When the finished beetles hatch from the cocoon, they have a life expectancy of about 4-6 months. The males are usually older than the females.
History of Research
The beetle was described in 1840 by Frederick William Hope as Lucanus astacoides. Hope chose the Artepithet astacoides by the antler -like mandibles of the male of this stag beetle, which are reminiscent of the shearing of the lobster, which belong to the infraorder Astacidea. The species was discovered by William Griffith from the Madras Medical Service during an expedition to Assam and sent to England. The type specimen is preserved Hope Department of the Oxford University Museum in.
The species was later put to the genus Metopodontus that initially united together with the genera Prosopocoilus and Palidoremus with the genus Cladognathus, but was later separated again.
Subspecies
There are known several subspecies, including:
- Prosopocoilus astacoides blanc hardi, native to Taiwan and Korea.
- Prosopocoilus astacoides castaneus
- Prosopocoilus astacoides cinnamomeus
Prosopocoilus astacoides castaneus
Prosopocoilus astacoides cinnamomeus