Dorcus hopei

Dorcus hopei is a species of beetle in the family Lucanidae (stag beetles), sometimes kept as a pet.

Dorcus hopei
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Lucanidae
Genus: Dorcus
Species:
D. hopei
Binomial name
Dorcus hopei
Saunders, 1854

Description

Jet-black in colour, male beetles may reach 80 mm (3.1 inches) long, although females can be up to 48 mm (1.8 inches). Males use their large mandibles to fight with other males for food and mates. Females have smaller mandibles and are used to break down wood when laying their eggs.[1]

Distribution
Sexual dimorphism shown between a male (left) and female (right).

D. hopei inhabits Vietnam, Thailand, India, Laos, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan.[2][3][1] The winter season in these countries prompts the larvae to synthesize 6 types of antifreeze proteins, as it overwinters underground. This species is the first beetle outside of the Tenebrionoidea superfamily known to produce antifreeze proteins.[4]

Diet

Like other stag beetles, this species consumes the liquid of fruits, such as apples.[1]

References
  1. Brown. "Dorcus Hopei". Brown's Beetles. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  2. "Dorcus curvidens hopei". Ben's Beetle Breeding Pages. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  3. "Dorcus hopei formosanus Miwa, 1929". GBIF. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  4. Arai, Tatsuya; Yamauchi, Akari; Miura, Ai; Kondo, Hidemasa; Nishimiya, Yoshiyuki; Sasaki, Yuji C.; Tsuda, Sakae (31 March 2021). "Discovery of Hyperactive Antifreeze Protein from Phylogenetically Distant Beetles Questions Its Evolutionary Origin". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22 (7): 3637. doi:10.3390/ijms22073637. PMC 8038014.
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