The numbers
Enclosure
25 × 20 × 20 cm
Diet
Adults: beetle jelly, banana; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil/kinshi · Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Temperature
22-27C
Humidity
60-80%
Identity
Order / Family
Coleoptera
IUCN / CITES
Not evaluated; not CITES
Difficulty
Intermediate
Commonality
The longest stag beetle; a hobby flagship
Adult size
Body up to ~120mm incl. huge jaws (world's longest stag)
Lifespan
Larva ~8-14 mo; adult ~6-12 mo
Growth rate
Moderate
Activity & niche
Nocturnal; adults on sap; larvae in white-rotten hardwood
Temperament
Males fiercely territorial; docile to keeper
Venom / defense
Harmless - no venom; powerful jaw pinch
Price (THB)
indicative ~300-2,000 (size/locality dependent)
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
22-27C
Humidity
60-80%
Min. enclosure
Larvae: flake soil / kinshi bottles 1-2.3L; adults 25x20x20cm+ to breed
Substrate
Larvae: white-rotten hardwood / flake soil / kinshi; adults: coco/soil + bark
Hides / decor / water
Egg-laying wood, bark hides; mist for humidity
Diet
Staple food
Adults: beetle jelly, banana; larvae eat rotten wood/flake soil/kinshi
Feeding frequency
Adults: jelly every 1-2 days; larvae: change substrate every 2-3 mo
Supplements
High-protein flake soil/kinshi for jaw length
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Gentle; strong pinch; support body
Communal
House individually (males + females fight); pair only to breed
Defense / stress signs
Jaw-gaping threat, freezing
Reproduction
Reproduction
Eggs in rotten wood -> L1-L3 -> pupa in cell -> adult
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsFailed eclosion, mites, dehydration, jaw/leg damage
Red flags / quarantine
SignsMites; verify legal import; never release non-natives
Good to know
- Its jaws can be nearly as long as its body - the longest of any stag beetle
Others in this group
Japanese rhinoceros beetleTrypoxylus dichotomus (formerly Allomyrina)Atlas beetleChalcosoma atlasSiamese rhinoceros / fighting beetleXylotrupes gideon (TH pops. often X. socrates)Giant stag beetleDorcus titanus (syn. Serrognathus titanus)Sun beetle (fruit beetle)Pachnoda marginata (peregrina)Hercules beetleDynastes herculesGiant flower beetleMecynorhina torquataCaucasus beetleChalcosoma chiron (formerly C. caucasus)