Rainbow Stag Beetle vs Australian Diving Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rainbow Stag Beetle Australian Diving Beetle
Scientific Name Phalacrognathus muelleri Cybister godeffroyi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lucanidae Dytiscidae
Size 25-70 mm 28-35 mm
Habitat Forests Ponds & Lakes
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Oceania Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Rainbow Stag Beetle

Australias most spectacularly colored beetle, with iridescent green, red, gold, and purple metallic coloring. Males have large curved mandibles with internal teeth.

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Did You Know?

This is widely considered the most beautiful stag beetle in the world — its rainbow metallic sheen shifts through green, gold, red, and purple depending on the angle of light.

Australian Diving Beetle

A large olive-green diving beetle found in freshwater habitats across Australia. It is one of the most commonly encountered large water beetles on the continent.

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Did You Know?

During droughts it can fly long distances at night to find new water bodies.