Scarce Stag Beetle vs Banana Stalk Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scarce Stag Beetle Banana Stalk Fly
Scientific Name Platycerus caraboides Telostylinus angusticollis
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Lucanidae Neriidae
Size 9-13mm 8-15 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Scarce Stag Beetle

A small metallic blue-black stag beetle with modest mandibles. It develops in red-rotten beech wood.

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Did You Know?

Despite being called scarce it is actually fairly common but overlooked due to its small size and dark coloring.

Banana Stalk Fly

A slender long-legged fly from Australia whose body size depends on larval nutrition. Larger males pass on a size advantage to offspring even through a non-genetic pathway.

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Did You Know?

Research on this species demonstrated transgenerational effects where paternal diet quality affected offspring body size without changes to DNA.