Whilst I was collecting the eggs from my chickens I noticed this small beetle lying dead on the floor, so I picked it up and brought it to my desk to see if I could identify it. I looked through my insect books and identified it as Dorcas parallelipipedus whose common name is the Lesser Stag Beetle. It is smaller and more common than the Stag Beetle. The adults can fly at night and feed on tree sap. It looks quite scary in the photograph like something off Dr Who!
Great picture! I found a lesser stag beetle about two years ago under a rotting log. The larvae can stay as larvae for years! Still looking for my first sighting of a real stag beetle, though!!
ReplyDeleteAlex