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).
Giant Stag Beetle found by Oliver Moritz in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
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Giant Stag Beetle found by Oliver Moritz in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (7/6/2022). (c) jtylerbell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
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Media by
Tyler Bell.
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).
View Record Details
Media by
Tyler Bell.
Lucanus elaphus, the giant stag beetle[1] or elephant stag beetle,[2] is a beetle of the family Lucanidae native to eastern North America.[3][4] They are sometimes kept as pets.
^ abNatureServe (4 August 2023). "Lucanus elaphus". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
^Milne, Lorus; Milne, Margery (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Visual key by Susan Rayfield. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 552. ISBN0-394-50763-0.