Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bison Saw Stag Beetle
BeginnerProsopocoilus bison
A saw stag beetle named after the bison, with a yellow line running along the body edge from the pronotum to the tip. The male carries a pincer-like inner tooth at the mandible base that meets exactly when the jaws close.
Difficulty
Beginner
Temperature
20〜24℃
Lifespan
About 8-10 months as adults, the general rule for foreign saw stag beetles
Size
Males 27-75mm (captive record 79.1mm for cinctus from New Guinea), females 25-33mm
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Beetle jelly; larvae on fermented substrate or fungus bottles
About
Prosopocoilus bison ranges from the Moluccas, the Tanimbar Islands and New Guinea in Indonesia to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and is divided into five subspecies. The epithet bison refers to the American bison. Males measure 27-75mm and females 25-33mm. Compared with the similar Prosopocoilus wallacei it tends to be slimmer, and the male carries a pincer-like inner tooth at the mandible base, absent in wallacei, that meets exactly when the jaws close. Both sexes show a yellow line along the body edge from the pronotum to the tip, with black spots above the line on each side of the pronotum. Male mandibles grow longer with size, and while the arrangement of inner teeth varies between regional subspecies, the local character shows most clearly in the largest, best developed jaws. The largest subspecies is cinctus from New Guinea, whose males reach 28.5-75mm.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Lifespan of the Bison Saw Stag Beetle
The Bison Saw Stag Beetle lives About 8-10 months as adults, the general rule for foreign saw stag beetles.
Size of the Bison Saw Stag Beetle
The Bison Saw Stag Beetle grows to Males 27-75mm (captive record 79.1mm for cinctus from New Guinea), females 25-33mm.
Temperature & humidity for the Bison Saw Stag Beetle
The ideal temperature for the Bison Saw Stag Beetle is 20〜24℃.
Basic Info
Origin
Indonesia (the Moluccas, the Tanimbar Islands and New Guinea), Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
Care Specifications
AggressiveSolitaryBreeding: Easy
Sources: Wikipedia (Prosopocoilus bison, ja) / Tsukiyono Kinokoen: Prosopocoilus giraffa rearing manual (general care for foreign saw stags) / BE-KUWA rearing records (2025 edition, Mushi-sha)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
79.1 mm
Wild record (♂)
81.5 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition (cinctus: captive 79.1 mm, Ikai Takao, registered 2014, wild 81.5 mm; nominate: captive 72.0 mm, wild 67.0 mm; hortensis captive 62.9 mm; magnificus captive 54.3 mm; female captive 37.1 mm, Fujikawa Daisuke, registered 2025)
Notable localities
New GuineaAmbonSeramBuruTanimbar IslandsSolomon Islands
Regional subspecies
- Prosopocoilus bison bison（Nominate subspecies; males 28-63.5mm, females 26.5-29.5mm） — Ambon, Seram and the Banda Islands
- Prosopocoilus bison cinctus（Largest subspecies; males 28.5-75mm, females 26-33mm. Not registered in the GBIF Backbone.） — New Guinea
- Prosopocoilus bison hortensis（Males 27.5-62.5mm, females 25.1-25.9mm） — New Britain, Bougainville and the Solomon Islands
- Prosopocoilus bison buruensis（Males 30-52mm, females 26mm） — Buru
References & Sources
Edited & verified by: BreederDirect editorial team
The taxonomic, regulatory, and husbandry data on this page are compiled and verified against the authoritative primary sources below.
Primary sources
- Wikipedia
- Ministry of the Environment, Invasive Species Act: "Guidance for Those Importing Live Insects in Scarabaeoidea"
- CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
- Tsukiyono Kinokoen: Prosopocoilus giraffa rearing manual (general care for foreign saw stags)
- BE-KUWA rearing records (2025 edition, Mushi-sha)
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Prosopocoilus bison (Olivier, 1789)
Synonyms: Metopodontus bison
Authority databases: GBIF
Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.
Regulations & Conservation Status
Not CITES-listed
Plant Protection Act: When importing live specimens of Scarabaeoidea (including rhinoceros beetles, stag beetles, flower beetles, etc.), a species identification certificate issued by the exporting country government agency or equivalent must be attached in accordance with the Invasive Species Act (import ports are limited to Narita, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima airports). This species itself is not a designated invasive species, and import is possible upon submission of the certificate.
Sources: Ministry of the Environment, Invasive Species Act: "Guidance for Those Importing Live Insects in Scarabaeoidea" / CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.
Bison Saw Stag Beetle Listings
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