General Description

Body oval and shiny. Colour varies; green, red, blue or purple all over body. Males have larger bodies and larger jaws (mandibles) than females. Body up to 3 cm long, usually 1.5 - 2.5 cm.

Biology

Golden Stag Beetles move around on the ground during the day but are free flying and will visit flowers (especially eucalypts) to get a nectar drink. The males defend a territory on top of rotting logs. The larvae look like curl grubs and lie sideways on the soil beneath the rotting logs on which they feed.

Distribution

Southern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

Dry sclerophyll forest.

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