''Hexarthrius parryi'', the fighting giant stag beetle, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of large

stag beetle 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 ...

s. It belongs to the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

'' Hexarthrius'' of the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Lucanini. It is classified under the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Lucaninae The Lucaninae comprise the largest subfamily of the stag beetles (Lucanidae). Characteristics include partial to complete division of the eyes by a canthus, geniculate antennae, and distinctly separated coxae. The body is typically elongated ...

of the stag beetle

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 ...

Subspecies

The species is divided into the following subspecies: *''Hexarthrius parryi deyrollei'' Parry, 1864 (

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

) *''Hexarthrius parryi elongatus'' Jordan, 1894 (Malaysia) *''Hexarthrius parryi paradoxus'' Mollenkamp, 1898 (

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

) *''Hexarthrius parryi parryi'' Hope, 1842 (

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

, Myanmar, Thailand,

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

)

Description

''Hexarthrius parryi'' can reach a length of about in males, of about in females (length from the tip of the jaw to wing tip). Some individuals of the Sumatra subspecies (''Hexarthrius parryi paradoxus'') can reach a length of about . Body is moderately elongate, not very shining, the basic color is black. Males have long jaws directed downward from the base, with bifurcated tips and a large yellow or bright orange patch occupying the posterior three-quarters of each elytron. The pronolum is short. The lateral angle of the prothorax is very sharp. The head is very broad, quite uneven and rugosely punctured. The mandibles are strongly curved, densely granular, with a sharp tooth directed upwards and another one directed downwards. The front tibia is finely serrated and the middle tibia has a strong lateral spine. The forewing shows a pair of brown spots.

Life cycle

Eggs are laid into rotten wood, sometimes into tunnels made by the females. Larvae feed on rotten wood. They become a pupa in the about 6–9 months. Adults emerge in about one month after pupation. Life of adults last about 6–8 months. They feed on sap and fruits.Beetle Breeding Pages
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Distribution

This species is present in the forests of Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and India.

Gallery

Lucanidae - Hexarthrius parryi paradoxus.JPG , ''Hexarthrius parryi paradoxus'' from

. Museum specimen File:Hex2.JPG, ''Hexarthrius parryi deyrollei'' File:Hexarthrius parryi - Akashi Kaikyo National Park Awaji.jpg, A live individual of ''Hexarthrius parryi'' from the Akashi Kaikyo National Park of Awaji Island

References