FAMILY LUCANIDAE 



71 



Beetle. — ^ Large, elon^^ate, black or greenish black, clothed with a very short greenish 



pubescence ; the elytra shining, occasionally coppery brown. Vertex of head shield-like, 



the edges raised, central area depressed ; the anterior margin sinuate, 



Description. the outer angles and median part produced forward ; front of head 



slopes downwards, the anterior edge produced into a median bifurcate 



prolongation. Eyes large. Mandibles enormously developed into two long horns having a 



resemblance to a stag's antlers ; the antennae are long, elbowed, and prominent. Prothorax 



wider than long, with a median longitudinal depressed line. Klytra convex, apex conjointly 



rounded. Scutellum large, wide, anterior edge concave, posterior convex. Legs long, tibiae 



spined. Pubescence on under-surface denser, especially on metathorax. Abdominal segments 



brownish. Length, 36 mm. to 75 mm. 



2 Smaller than the male, the black mandibles of normal size ; the front of head is 

 coarsely rugose-punctate. 



Larva. — Large, stout, fleshy, cur\ed and corrugate, with three pairs of legs on thoracic 

 segments; abdominal segments swollen in a bag-like manner behind. Head large, brown, and 

 shining ; mandibles large, black. Length, 50 mm. to 85 mm. 



In the outer Himalaya the mature beetles are to be found on the wing 

 in June, July, and later in September. The beetles 



Life History. probably issue irregularly 



throughout the summer, as I 

 have taken fully developed larvae just pupating, 

 as also pupae and mature beetles, in rotten oak- 

 stumps in July. The length of time passed in the 

 larval stage is unknown. It possibly exceeds a year. 

 Before pupating the larva forms a rough kind of 

 semi-cocoon with shreds of wood. The pupal stage 

 is short, a month or six weeks at most ; but the 

 beetle spends some time in the "resting" stage 

 whilst its outer chitinous parts are slowly solidi- 

 fying. At this period the beetle is light brown in 

 colour, this tint slowly darkening as the outer 

 covering hardens. 



Fir,. 38. — Luc anus luiiifi'r, 

 Hope. $ 



The female beetle lays her eggs in crevices of 

 the bark or creeps under projecting flakes and 

 deposits them on the outer surface of the sapwood. 

 The tree selected is invariably a dead one in which the w^ood has already 

 undergone considerable decay. In no cases have I ever found the grubs or 

 beetles in sound timber; nor have I been able to find any corroboration 

 of the statement made by Thompson in his Report on Insects Destructive to 

 Forests * that these beetles and their grubs destroy oak timber. In Injurious 

 Insects \ I alluded to this matter so long ago as 1899, and investigations 

 made since have confirmed me in the view I then expressed, which was also 

 held by Mr. W. F. Blandford, formerly Lecturer in Entomology at Coopers 

 Hill. Mr. Thompson wrote: "The stag beetles are both numerous and 

 common in individuals, and are, of the whole order of w'ood beetles, the 

 most destructive to living trees. Some idea may be formed of the ravages 



16. 



t /«/. /ns. Ind. Forests, p. 32 (1899). 



