Platycerus caraboides
| Platycerus caraboides | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Lucanidae |
| Genus: | Platycerus |
| Species: | P. caraboides |
| Binomial name | |
| Platycerus caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Platycerus caraboides is a species of stag beetle belonging to the family Lucanidae, subfamily Lucaninae.
These beetles are present in most of Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa.
Platycerus caraboides on beech
Lateral view
Platycerus caraboides has a flat body, green or iridescent blue. It can be easily distinguished as a stag beetle by its elbowed antennae.
The adults grow up to 9–13 millimetres (0.35–0.51 in) long and can mostly be encountered from May through July, flying around during the day in deciduous forests or staying on the ground on rotten branches. The predominantly host-plants are broadleaf plants, but also conifers (mainly Pinus species). The larvae usually live on decayed wood of oak and beech.
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This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/25/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.