The false stag beetles (''Diphyllostoma'') are a group of three species of rare

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s known only from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Almost nothing is known of their life history beyond that the adults are diurnal and females are flightless;

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e have not been observed. Their length ranges from 5 to 9 mm; bodies are elongate, with a generally dull brown to reddish-brown color. Both body and legs are covered with longish hairs. Originally classed with the

Lucanidae 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 ...

, ''Diphyllostoma'' have a number of characteristics not shared with any other type of stag beetle, and so in 1972 Holloway proposed a separate family Diphyllostomatidae, which has since been accepted.

Species

* '' Diphyllostoma fimbriatum'' (Fall), 1901 * ''

Diphyllostoma linsleyi The false stag beetles (''Diphyllostoma'') are a group of three species of rare beetles known only from California. Almost nothing is known of their life history beyond that the adults are diurnal and females are flightless; larvae have not been ...

'' Fall, 1932 * '' Diphyllostoma nigricolle'' (Fall), 1901

Notes

References

Mary Liz Jameson Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

and Brett C. Ratcliffe, "Diphyllostomatidae", in

Ross H. Arnett, Jr. Ross Harold Arnett Jr. (April 13, 1919 – July 16, 1999) was an American entomologist noted for his studies of beetles, and as founder of the '' Coleopterist's Bulletin''. Born in Medina, New York, he was a star student at Cornell University, whe ...

and

Michael C. Thomas Michael Charles Thomas (May 5, 1948 – October 14, 2019) was an American entomologist who co-authored the book series ''American Beetles''. Born in Miami, Florida, Thomas graduated from the University of South Florida in 1970 with a Bachelor o ...

, ''American Beetles'' (

CRC Press The CRC Press, LLC is an American publishing group that specializes in producing technical books. Many of their books relate to engineering, science and mathematics. Their scope also includes books on business, forensics and information tec ...

, 2001), vol. 2 * B. A. Holloway, "The systematic position of the genus ''Diphyllostoma'' Fall (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)" ''New Zealand Journal of Science'' 15: 31-38 (1972)

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q137433 Scarabaeiformia