Rita Cortês de Matos
Portugal
Especie: Lucanus cervus
The Stag beetle, Lucanus cervus, is the biggest beetle in Europe well known for the enlarged mandibles of the males (II). The species is sexually dimorphic, that is, males and female are different in morphology. The male has enlarged mandibles and is also larger than female.
Females lay their eggs in a piece of decaying wood, deep in the soil. Stag beetle larvae feed on rotting wood for several years. The larvae go through several instar stages, taking 4 to 6 years to become pupae (I). Adults emerge in summer to mate and only live for a few weeks.
In the Iberian Peninsula Lucanus cervus has been associated with a range of deciduous trees like Quercus and Castanea sativa (III).
The loss of its natural habitat caused by human activities and bad forestry management (for example, removing decaying wood from forests) makes this species vulnerable and protected by several international laws, subsscribed by Portugal and Spain.
Category: Scientific illustration
Technique: Graphite on poliester. Digital color and composition.
Year: 2018