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Lucanus cervus
Stag Beetle
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Photographer: Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
ID: 0000 0000 0816 1818 (2016-08-25)Copyright © 2016 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
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INFORMATION PROVIDED WITH THE PHOTO
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date of photo Aug 21, 2016
latitude 46.36042 longitude 13.70255
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location
Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soča and Trenta, Na Melu place, next to cottage Trenta 2b, East Julian Alps (Posočje, Slovenia)family
Lucanidae
order
Coleoptera
class Insecta
notes Slo.: rogač, kleščman - Habitat: grassland, pasture, near mixed woods with Fagus sylvatica, Ostrya carpinifolia and Picea abies dominant trees; poorly maintained forest; locally flat terrain, colluvial, skeletal, calcareous ground; relatively warm place, in shade; elevation 600 m (1.970 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Comment: Lucanus cervus is Central and South European species. It is probably the most attractive beetle of Europe. It can reach up to 8 cm in length. The male's huge 'jaws' (antlers, mandibles) give it a fierce appearance. In reality the mandibles are too weak to seriously injure one's finger. They are used in courtship displays and wrestling with other males much like with deer. Much more 'dangerous' are female's jaws in spite of the fact that they are much smaller (biological dimorphism). They can indeed inflict a painful bite. The larvae of the stag beetle live within rotting logs very long - up to five years before pupating. Contrary, pupas and adults live much shorter time, from a few weeks to few months only. The natural reaction of the beetle to an approach is to remain motionless. Hence they are benevolent objects for photographers. When I was young, spending my holidays in Bohinj Mountains of Julian Alps, I was seeing several stag beetles every year. Now before this find I haven't see it for last six or seven years. The population of this beetle is shrinking drastically in many places. It is already extinct in Denmark. Registered in the second appendix of the Habitats Directive of the European Union from 1992. The species is also registered in the third appendix of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Berne convention) of 1982. Pravilnik o uvrstitvi ogroženih rastlinskih in živalskih vrst v rdeči seznam, Uradni list RS, št. 82/2002 (Regulation of enlisting of endangered plant and animal species onto Red List, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 82/2002) (2002). Ref.: (1) H.Garms, L. Borm, Fauna Europas, Georg Westermann Verlag (1977), translated to Slovenian; Živalstvo Evrope, Mladinska Knjiga (1981), p 382. (2) http://www.kerbtier.de/Pages/Themenseiten/enHirschkaefer.html (3) http://www.natura2000.si/uploads/tx_library/Priloga_5a_1351_bionomics_and_distribution_01.pdfcamera Nikon D700/Nikkor Micro 105mm/f2.8
contributor's ID # Bot_998/2016_DSC4558 photo category: Animal - Invertebrate-Insect
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ANIMAL
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Stag Beetle (photographer)
View all photos in CalPhotos of Lucanus cervus Check Google Images for Lucanus cervus |
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The photographer's identification Lucanus cervus has not been reviewed. Click here to review or comment on the identification. |
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Using this photo The thumbnail photo (128x192 pixels) on this page may be freely used for personal or academic purposes without prior permission under the Fair Use provisions of US copyright law as long as the photo is clearly credited with © 2016 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy.
For other uses, or if you have questions, contact Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy amadej.trnkoczy[AT]siol.net. (Replace the [AT] with the @ symbol before sending an email.) |
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