The Lesser Stag Beetle

Hello everyone! It's good to be back again, after spending some quality time with our friends.We had been looking forward to this reunion for years, so even the persistant April showers couldn't dampen our spirits as we showed them the local beauty spots, and some other places of interest. I still have loads of photos to go through, and edit, so it might take me a while before I can start sharing the latest photos, but in the mean time, these are some I had already saved.



The Lesser Stag Beetle     Dorcus  parallelopipedus
 






Despite it's name, neither sex of this beetle has antlers, and resembles the female Stag Beetle.



It is smaller than it's cousin the Stag Beetle, but it is still a relatively large beetle. It has a broad head and can be distinguished from the male Stag Beetle, by it's smaller mandibles and knobbed antennae, and from the female Stag Beetle, by it's all black wing cases, and it can be seen flying strongly in the early evening, often attracted to garden lights.The Lesser Stag Beetle feeds on sap and their larve develope in old tree stumps and other rotting wood, and the beetles can also be found  in the soft decaying wood of broad leaved trees, and in gardens where there are orchards, old hedges and trees.

 

The Adults are from 18, to 32mm. in size, and are similar in appearance to the related antelope beetle (Dorcus parallelus) of North America
If you would like to see a previous post of the Stag Beetle to compare click here 

and if you would like to see more critters from around the globe and join in the fun, just click on the link. SATURDAY'S CRITTERS and my thanks to Eileen for hosting.