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Colossal Stag Beetle (Lucanus cervus) ♂
My partner and me have spent countless summers (and Spring and Autumn times as well) in alpine habitats where stag beetles occur - in theory.
But it wasn't until this happy day, walking through the "Riserva Naturale Orientata delle Baragge" near Biella in Piemont, Italy, that we encountered one of these beauties. In compensation for years of hoping, we found a colossal veteran that reached at least 10 cm in length (including the "antlers"). I never imagined they could get so big! We found it sitting on a broken off branch of an old oak tree. Under that same oak, on the ground, we also found the remains of another male stage beetle with considerably smaller "antlers".
This titan of stag beetle probably sired countless offspring and was the champion of many a fierce duel. Note that it was already missing its left foremost leg:
"Lucanus cervus" is the best-known species of stag beetle in the West, and is sometimes referred to simply as the stag beetle. It lives in holes in old trees and dead trunks, in the forest as well as in groves. Forest management, in eliminating old trees and dead wood, eliminates at the same time the habitat and food of this species.
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