Bug FAQChilean Stag Beetle
Chiasognathus grantii · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Lucanidae
Also called: Darwin's Beetle
Males grow up to about 9 cm long with huge, serrated mandibles, while females are under 4 cm. They live in temperate Nothofagus forests of Argentina and Chile and feed on tree sap as adults and dead wood as larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wing covers are chestnut-brown with a slight green iridescence and a fine granulated texture.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males reach 60 to 90 mm in total length, including the mandibles; females are only 25 to 37 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Even the large male jaws are not strong enough to cause pain when pinched.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit temperate to sub-antarctic Nothofagus forests.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults drink tree juices, while the larvae develop in and eat dead wood.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The beetle is considered rare and vulnerable, with populations at risk of decline.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is found in Argentina and Chile.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How big do Chilean stag beetles get?
Males can be up to 90 mm long, while females are usually under 40 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Chilean stag beetles found?
They live in temperate Nothofagus forests of Argentina and Chile.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lucanidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiasognathus_grantii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.