Stag beetle - Lucanus cervus - Family: Lucanidae

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Stag beetle - Lucanus cervus
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

The spectacular stag beetle, large, shiny and black with chestnut-brown wing cases, is the biggest European terrestrial beetle. Males, which can be up to 70mm long, have large, antler-like jaws with which they fight for females.

The larvae live in moist and very soft decaying timber of many species, particularly elm, oak, beech and lime, but it must be in contact with the soil. They may take up to five years to mature, although the adults survive only a few weeks and die after they have bred. Male stag beetles are most likely to be seen in flight on warm summer evenings when they search for mates. At these times they often come to light, crashing spectacularly into the light itself and appearing to swarm on occasions.

The stag beetle has a restricted distribution, mainly in counties south-east of a line between Suffolk and Dorset, where it can be locally common, but with outlying populations in small areas of Devon and Worcestershire. In a recent survey of the species, 70% of sightings came from domestic gardens. You can provide a habitat for stag beetles and other dead wood insects by making a pile of logs, ideally with bark on them, placed upright in partial shade and sunk partially into the ground, with plants growing over them to retain humidity they need.

This species is now rare and declining in Europe.

Food

Larvae found in roots of deciduous trees, often older oaks, but also in tree stumps and even decaying garden furniture.

Plants

Large-leaved lime, Pedunculate oak, Small-leaved lime