Giant Stag Beetle Lucanus elaphus Fabricius, 1775Status Uncertain    Synonyms: American Stag Beetle, Lucanus carlengi.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Coleoptera   >   Family Lucanidae   >   Genus Lucanus   

Status:

Staines' 1984 checklist listed the species from St. Mary’s and Somerset Counties, but most recent records we know of have come from St. Mary's County. We also received records from Charles County and Dorchester County (June 2017). It might be found in Calvert or other lower Eastern Shore counties as well. Maryland DNR lists the species as "status uncertain", meaning that it may be of special concern, but there has not been enough data collected to determine the status in Maryland. Found in deciduous forests in the eastern U.S.

Description:

Males are massive with distinctive, elongated mandibles. Females can be identified via shape of the labrum (central area between the mandibles), which is "only pointed and triangular in females of this species. Females of L. capreolus or L. placidus have this structure blunt and truncated (never pointed)" (MJ Paulsen via BugGuide, 2006).

There are 48 records in the project database.

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A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/4/2018). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/16/2019). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/21/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/21/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Two male Giant Stag Beetles in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/7/2016). Photo by Jane Kostenko. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle found by Oliver Moritz in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A male Giant Stag Beetle in Charles Co., Maryland (6/17/2023). Photo by Dave Webb. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/30/2023). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/7/2019). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle found by Oliver Moritz in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A male Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/9/2020). Photo by Ben Springer. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/24/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/24/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/27/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/27/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in Charles Co., Maryland (11/24/2020). (c) Tim Emhoff, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tim Emhoff via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/29/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A female Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (8/2/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/30/2023). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A female Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/24/2016). Verified by Blaine Mathison/BugGuide. Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/17/2017). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/5/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/27/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A female Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (8/2/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/5/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A male Giant Stag Beetle in Dorchester Co., Maryland (6/21/2017). Photo by Lynn Davidson. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/16/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/22/2023). (c) janekostenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jane Kostenko. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/22/2023). (c) janekostenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jane Kostenko. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/15/2023). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle found by Oliver Moritz in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/19/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (6/12/2020). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

A female Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (8/2/2020). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2023). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2023). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tyler Bell. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/22/2023). (c) janekostenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jane Kostenko. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/4/2018). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

A Giant Stag Beetle in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/4/2018). Photo by USGS PWRC. (MBP list)

Giant Stag Beetle in Charles Co., Maryland (11/24/2020). (c) Tim Emhoff, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tim Emhoff via iNaturalist. (MBP list)


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