''Lamprima aurata'', the golden stag beetle, is a 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 the 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 ...

. In

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, this species is referred to by the common name of Christmas beetle, a name that is normally used for beetles in the family

Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change. Several groups formerly tre ...

, genus '' Anoplognathus''.

Description

This beetle has an oval, shiny body. It measures between 15 and 25 mm in length. It is fairly variable in coloration, so it has been given many names by various authors.C.A.M. Reid, K. Smith, M. Beatson (2018) Revision of the Genus ''Lamprima'' Latreille, 1804 (Coleoptera: Lucanidae). Zootaxa. 4446(2); 151–202. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4446.2.1 The colour of the males is typically metallic golden green or yellow with colorful legs, while females may be blue, blue-green or dull brown. Females are smaller than the males, and males have larger mandibles prolonged forwards used for fighting.

Distribution and habitat

''Lamprima aurata'' is native to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and can be found in

and south-eastern mainland Australia in dry sclerophyll forests. Of the five species in the genus ''Lamprima'', only two occur on the Australian mainland: ''L. aurata'' and the closely related '' L. imberbis'', which live in northeastern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Biology

The larvae are sapro-xylophagous and will spend two years feeding on rotting logs. Adults are free-flying and will move about on the ground during the day and drink the nectar of flowers, especially eucalypts. Males can be found on rotting logs defending their territory.

Gallery

File:Lamprima aurata larva.JPG, Golden stag larva File:COLE Lucanidae Lamprima aurata m.png, Illustration of male by

Des Helmore Desmond W. Helmore (born 1940) is a New Zealand artist and illustrator, known both for his fine art and for his scientific work depicting insects, not least illustrating the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. One of the country's most noted and ...

References

External links

''L. aurata''
at

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2435275 Beetles of Australia Beetles described in 1817 Lampriminae