''Colophon primosi'' is one of 17 described species of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

in family

Lucanidae Stag beetles comprise the family Lucanidae. It has about 1,200 species of beetles in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections to nomenclature and a c ...

, closely related to the scarab family,

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to South Africa. ''Colophon'' beetles are also known as Barnard's stag beetles after Dr.

Keppel Harcourt Barnard Keppel Harcourt Barnard (31 March 1887 – 22 September 1964) was a South African zoologist and museum director. He was the only son of Harcourt George Barnard, a solicitor from Lambeth, and Anne Elizabeth Porter of Royston. Life and career Ba ...

(1887–1964), who pioneered studies of this genus while working at the

South African Museum The Iziko South African Museum, formerly the South African Museum (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Museum), is a South African national museum located in Cape Town. The museum was founded in 1825, the first in the country. It has been on its present ...

. Barnard's mountaineering interest first brought him into contact with the genus, and many species of the beetles were named after his mountaineering friends. Indiscriminate collecting and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, especially from fires as the beetles are flightless, are so threatening to the genus, it has been placed under the protection of nature conservation laws in South Africa, with ''C. primosi'' being particularly endangered. Being flightless makes recolonisation of burnt areas more difficult for these beetles. Though little is known of its lifecycle and habitat requirements, this has not deterred Japanese and European collectors of ''C. primosi.'' Consequently, the genus has been placed on

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Appendix II, banning all trade, exchange, or sale of the insects.

TRAFFIC Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

has reported on insect trade fairs in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

where tens of thousands of specimens have been offered for sale, and has called for threatened butterfly and beetle species to be placed unde
EU Wildlife Trade
protection.Wood Southern Africa - August 2010 vol.35/10

References

* * Lucaninae Endemic beetles of South Africa Beetles described in 1929 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Lucanidae-stub