''Prosopocoilus giraffa'', the giraffe stag beetle, is the world's largest

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 ...

and is a member of the family

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 ...

within the order

Coleoptera 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 ...

. The have very long, toothed and notched mandibles that protrude about half the size of their body. They tend to be aggressive and are fierce and powerful. Males fight each other using these strong and enlarged jaws to lift and throw rivals to win a mate. They can grow up to 119 millimetres in length. Several distinctive populations (subspecies) are found in moist forested region areas of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, ranging from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. ''Prosopocoilus giraffa keisukei'' can measure up to 12 centimeters. ''Prosopocoilus giraffa daisukei'' have the brightest

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

of all subspecies and ''Prosopocoilus giraffa giraffa'' is the smallest subspecies.

List of subspecies

* ''Prosopocoilus giraffa borobudur'' (Sumatra, Java and Bali Is.) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa daisukei'' (Negros and Sibuyan Is.) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa giraffa'' (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Bhutan, Cambodia and India) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa keisukei'' (Flores Is., Lombok Is.) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa makatai'' (Philippines - Mindoro, Luzon) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa nilgiriensis'' (S. India) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa nishikawai'' (Sangir Is.) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa nishiyamai'' (Sulawesi) * ''Prosopocoilus giraffa timorensis'' (Timor Is.)

References

External links

Giraffe stag beetle
photos. Lucaninae Beetles of Asia Prosopocoilus Beetles described in 1789 {{Lucanidae-stub