Helm's Stag Beetle vs Dicromantispa Mantidfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Helm's Stag Beetle Dicromantispa Mantidfly
Scientific Name Geodorcus helmsi Dicromantispa sayi
Order Coleoptera Neuroptera
Family Lucanidae Mantispidae
Size 25-40 mm 18-28 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Oceania (New Zealand - South Island) Eastern North America
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Helm's Stag Beetle

An endemic New Zealand stag beetle found in the forests of the South Island. Males have enlarged mandibles used in fighting. It is a large, flightless beetle that lives in rotting logs in native bush. Several Geodorcus species are found only in New Zealand.

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Did You Know?

New Zealand stag beetles are flightless, having lost their ability to fly in the absence of land mammal predators over millions of years of island evolution.

Dicromantispa Mantidfly

A brown mantidfly found across eastern North America in forested habitats. Named after the eminent entomologist Thomas Say.

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Did You Know?

Females lay thousands of eggs on stalks, but only larvae that find spider egg sacs survive.