''Hexarthrius melchioritis'' is a species of

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 ...

, which belongs to the family 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 ...

s (Lucanidae) in the group

Scarabaeoidea Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Its constituent families are also undergoing r ...

. It was first described in 1954 by French

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Eugène Séguy Eugene Séguy (21 April 1890 – 1 June 1985) was a French entomologist and artist who specialised in Diptera. He held a chair of entomology at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris from 1956 to 1960. He is also known for establishing ...

. The species is endemic to northern

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

Appearance

A large (males 35–71 millimeter), glossy, brown-black

. The male's jaws are long, quite straight, with an inward-facing tooth just outside the middle, with scattered, small teeth along the inner edge, pointed at the tip. This species is slimmer in build than most other Hexarthrius species. The antennas are quite thin, with a small, six-joint fan. The pronotum is rectangular, much wider than long. The female is completely black, much smaller than the male, with no strikingly enlarged jaws.

Life cycle

The larvae develop in rotten tree trunks.

Systematic classification

Overview of the species
/ref> * Order

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, Coleoptera ** Sub-order

Polyphaga Polyphaga is the largest and most diverse suborder of beetles. It comprises 144 families in 16 superfamilies, and displays an enormous variety of specialization and adaptation, with over 350,000 described species, or approximately 90% of the b ...

*** Superfamily

**** Family

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 ...

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 ...

Latreille, 1806 ****** Tribe '' Lucanini'' Latreille, 1806 ******* Genus ''

Hexarthrius ''Hexarthrius'' is a genus of large stag beetles. They are also known as fork horned stag beetles for the shape for their mandibles It includes the following species: *''Hexarthrius aduncus'' Jordan & Rothschild, 1894 *''Hexarthrius andreasi'' ...

'' Hope, 1842 – 15 species ******** ''Hexarthrius melchioritis'' Seguy, 1954

References

{{reflist Lucanidae Beetles described in 1954 Insects of Myanmar