''Chiasognathus grantii'' is a species of

stag beetle Stag beetles are a family of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, currently classified in four subfamilies.Smith, A.B.T. (2006). A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections ...

found in Argentina and Chile. It is known as Darwin's beetle, Grant's stag beetle, or the Chilean stag beetle.

Behavior

The male's oversized jaws are crucial in its objective to secure a mate. It climbs trees, often climbing many meters, searching for a female. As it climbs and searches for females, it also seeks out other males in the vicinity. When two males meet, they fight. Males use their jaws in combat: they hook them under the opposite beetle's wings, pull up and throw their opponent to the ground (from 20 meters above, as they are in great trees most of the time). Charles Darwin collected the species in Chile during the

second voyage The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

of HMS ''Beagle'', and, despite the enlarged mandibles of the males, he noted that the jaws were "not so strong as to produce pain to finger".

Taxonomy and nomenclature

''Chiasognathus grantii'' is one of the seven species belonging to the genus '' Chiasognathus''. It belongs to the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Lucaninae The Lucaninae comprise the largest subfamily of the stag beetles (Lucanidae). Characteristics include partial to complete division of the eyes by a canthus, geniculate antennae, and distinctly separated coxae. The body is typically elongate ...

, the largest subfamily in the stag beetle family Lucanidae. ''C. grantii'' is also known locally as ', ', and ' in Spanish and ' in the Mapuche language.

Synonyms

Synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of this species include: *''Tetropthalma chiloensis'' Lesson, 1833 *''Chiasognathus affinis'' Philippi in Philippi, 1859 *''Chiasognathus pygmaeus'' Dallas, 1933 *''Chiasognathus brevidens'' Germain, 1911 (

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate descr ...

) *Chiasognathus granti Ruby red, 2023（Dr. Li Zhicheng Published in the 2023 International Journal of Nature）

Description

''Chiasognathus grantii'' is very variable in size and in the development of the jaws and exhibits a strong sexual dimorphism. Males can reach a length of including the mandibles, while females are much smaller, having a body length of . The upper mandibles of the males are very robust at the base, finely serrated and longer than the body itself. The eyes are small and the antennae have a whorl of hairs at the apex. The thorax is broad and the anterior and posterior margins are densely ciliated with short pale hairs. Elytrae are chestnut-brown, with slightly greenish iridescent tinges and finely granulated.James Francis Stephen
A description of Chiasognathus grantii
/ref> ''C. grantii'' is considered a rare and vulnerable species, with a high probability of extinction. The adults of these beetles primarily feed on tree juices, while the larvae eat dead wood.

Habitat

''Chiasognathus grantii'' lives in temperate/subantarctic ''Nothofagus'' forests.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiasognathus Grantii Lucaninae Beetles of South America Beetles described in 1831