Odontolabis mouhotii
| Odontolabis mouhotii | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Odontolabis mouhotii elegans |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Odontolabis mouhotii | ||||||||||||
| ( Parry , 1864) |
Odontolabis mouhotii is a species of beetle from the Schröter family(Lucanidae). The species was described by FJ Sidney Parry in 1864.
features
The males of Odontolabis mouhotii can grow up to 75 mm. The size of the females varies between 30 mm and 45 mm. The animals have yellowish colored elytra . Pronotum and caput are uniformly black. In the subspecies Odontolabis mouhotii elegans the wings are lighter and golden-yellow, in the nominate form Odontolabis mouhotii mouhotii the wings are dark yellow to orange. Like many species from the Schröter family, the males of Odontolabis mouhotii also have greatly enlarged mandibles.
distribution
Odontolabis mouhotii occurs in tropical Asia . Its main area of distribution is in Thailand and Myanmar .
Way of life
The nocturnal beetles cannot eat solid food because of the transformed jaws. That is why they feed on leaking tree sap or fermenting fruit juices, which they lick on with their brush-like tongue. During the day the animals hide in dark areas such as B. tree hollows, or they bury themselves in loose earth.
After mating, the females look for a suitable place to lay their eggs. The eggs are laid in rotten wood . The larvae that hatch from it primarily eat white rotten wood and humus . After completion of the third larval stage, the larvae pupate in a fist-sized chamber in the ground. These chambers are also called cocoons or dolls' cradles.
The development time from the egg to the finished beetle takes 11 to 16 months. The adults then live for about 4-6 months. As a rule, the males live longer than the females.
literature
- FJ Sidney Parry: A catalog of Lucanoid Coleoptera: with illustrations and descriptions of various new and interesting species. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 2, 1-113, London 1864 ( PDF 8.75 MB at Internet Archive) ( Odontolabis mouhotii p. 14)
Web links
- Odontolabis mouhotii at Siam Insect Zoo & Museum