Rainbow Stag Beetle

Appearance

Males of "Phalacrognathus muelleri" are the largest members of the family Lucanidae in Australia. Males range from 24 to 70 mm in length, whereas the smaller females range from 23 to 46 mm. their beautiful colours fade after death and are difficult to photograph.

Naming

This species is commonly known as golden, rainbow, magnificent, Mueller's and king stag beetle. In 1885 the species was named "Phalacrognathus muelleri" by Sir William Macleay in honour of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, the Victorian Government Botanist, the genus "Phalacrognathus" created at the same time.The species is divided into the following two subspecies:

⤷  "Phalacrognathus muelleri muelleri" — Queensland, Australia
⤷  "Phalacrognathus muelleri fuscomicans" — New Guinea

Reproduction

This species breeds in wet tropical areas. Up to 50 eggs can be laid by a female and these will take 10 to 14 days to hatch. The larva can be seen in the egg before emerging. The larvae are found in wet and rotting wood often in close proximity to white rot fungi and can take up to three years to mature.

Examples of fungi found proximate to breeding sites are: "Ganoderma applanatum" Patouillard, "Nigrofomes melanoporus" Murr., "Phellinus" nr. "glaucescens" Ryvarden; "Phellinus robustus" Baird, & Galz., "Phellinus" - 3 spp., and "Pycnoporus" sp.