Chiasognathus grantii explained

Chiasognathus grantii is a species of stag beetle found in Argentina and Chile.[1] It is known as Darwin's beetle, Grant's stag beetle, or the Chilean stag beetle.[2]

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).[3] Charles Darwin collected the species in Chile during the second voyage 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".[4] [5]

Taxonomy and nomenclature

Chiasognathus grantii is one of the seven species belonging to the genus Chiasognathus.[6] It belongs to the subfamily Lucaninae, the largest subfamily in the stag beetle family Lucanidae. C. grantii is also known locally as Spanish; Castilian: ciervo volante, Spanish; Castilian: cantaria, and Spanish; Castilian: cacho de cabra in Spanish and Mapudungun; Mapuche: llico-llico in the Mapuche language.[7]

Synonyms

Synonyms of this species include:[8]

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 60- including the mandibles, while females are much smaller, having a body length of 25-. 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.[9]

C. grantii is considered a rare and vulnerable species, with a high probability of extinction.[10] 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.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annotated Checklist of the New World Lucanidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) . November 24, 2008 . M. J. Paulsen . November 22, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120207164520/http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/Guide/Scarabaeoidea/Lucanidae/Lucanidae-Catalog/LucanidaeC.htm . February 7, 2012 . dead .
  2. Web site: Coyhaique . South Anglers . 2009-11-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091208090332/http://www.southanglers.cl/programs-coyhaique.php . 2009-12-08 .
  3. David Attenborough (narrator). Life: Darwin Beetle Tosses Rivals . Television production. Life Series, BBC/Life: Insects, The Discovery Channel, Discovery Communications, LLC.
  4. Web site: Entomology treasures . . November 22, 2009.
  5. Darwin's insects: Charles Darwin's entomological notes, with an introduction and comments by Kenneth G. V. Smith . Kenneth G. V. Smith . 1987 . . Historical Series . 14 . 1 . 1–143 . 10.5962/p.314519 . November 22, 2009. free .
  6. M. J. Paulsen & Andrew B. T. Smith . 2010 . Revision of the genus Chiasognathus Stephens of southern South America with the description of a new species (Coleoptera, Lucanidae, Lucaninae, Chiasognathini) . . 43 . 33–63 . 10.3897/zookeys.43.397. free .
  7. Book: Charles Leonard Hogue . Latin American Insects and Entomology . 1993 . . Berkeley and Los Angeles, California . 978-0-520-07849-9 . 263–264 . Chilean stag beetle.
  8. Web site: M. J. Paulsen. Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles: Chiasognathus grantii Stephens, 1832. March 26, 2011. August 5, 2009. University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110120229/http://museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/Guide/Scarabaeoidea/Lucanidae/LUC/CHIA/grantii.html. January 10, 2018. dead.
  9. James Francis Stephens A description of Chiasognathus grantii
  10. Vergara. Olivia. Jerez. Viviane. 2009-12-01. Estado de conservación de Chiasognathus granti Stephens 1831 (Coleóptera: Lucanidae) en Chile. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural - REV CHIL HIST NAT. 82. 4. 10.4067/S0716-078X2009000400010. free.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chiasognathus grantii".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.