Source: Wikimedia Commons
Mouhot's Shining Stag Beetle
IntermediateOdontolabis mouhoti
An Odontolabis of Indochina, traded as the nominate form and as the subspecies elegans. The captive record for the nominate form reaches 84.2 mm, and husbandry information for it is relatively well established within the genus.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Size
Captive records 84.2mm for the nominate form and 79.8mm for elegans (wild records 75.7mm and 79.3mm)
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Adults take fermented sap of broadleaf trees and beetle jelly; larvae eat humus close to soil
About
Odontolabis mouhoti is an Odontolabis of Indochina and circulates both as the nominate form and as the subspecies elegans. The genus centres on island Southeast Asia, but this species spreads across the mainland. Its members gather at the fermented sap of various broadleaf trees and near houses will sometimes damage cultivated fruit. The male's mandibles vary sharply and discontinuously, falling into short, intermediate and long-toothed forms as body size increases. The larvae live in humus formed where broadleaf wood has rotted down close to soil, hollowing out a jar-shaped chamber that they hold as territory, attacking and sometimes eating insects of their own and other species that enter. One to two years pass between hatching and pupation. The captive records stand at 84.2 mm for the nominate form and 79.8 mm for elegans, and husbandry information is relatively well established for this species within the genus. Neither adults nor larvae tolerate cold well.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Size of the Mouhot's Shining Stag Beetle
The Mouhot's Shining Stag Beetle grows to Captive records 84.2mm for the nominate form and 79.8mm for elegans (wild records 75.7mm and 79.3mm).
Basic Info
Origin
Indochina (the subspecies elegans in Thailand and nearby)
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Size
Captive records 84.2mm for the nominate form and 79.8mm for elegans (wild records 75.7mm and 79.3mm)
Temperature
20〜28℃
Care Specifications
AggressiveSolitaryBreeding: Moderate
Sources: Odontolabis - Wikipedia (EN; genus description and per-species distributions) / Odontolabis - Wikipedia (JA; range, biology, the three mandible forms, humus-feeding larvae, per-species difficulty of egg-laying) / GBIF species page for Odontolabis mouhoti Parry, 1864 / BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
84.2 mm
Wild record (♂)
75.7 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition, captive records for imported stag beetles (mouhoti nominate: captive 84.2 mm, Kohei Abe, registered 2013, wild 75.7 mm, expected maximum 87 mm; subspecies elegans: captive 79.8 mm, registered 2025, wild 79.3 mm, expected maximum 87 mm)
Notable localities
IndochinaThailand
Regional subspecies
- Odontolabis mouhoti mouhoti（The nominate form of this entry） — Indochina
- Odontolabis mouhoti elegans — Thailand and nearby; traded as a separate line
Generation codes
- WD
- Wild-caught
- WF1
- Offspring of a wild-caught female
- F1〜
- Captive generations (same locality)
- CBF1
- Cross-locality captive-bred (reset)
Sources: BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
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)
- Odontolabis - Wikipedia (JA; range, biology, the three mandible forms, humus-feeding larvae, per-species difficulty of egg-laying)
- GBIF species page for Odontolabis mouhoti Parry, 1864
- BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Odontolabis mouhoti Parry, 1864
Synonyms: Odontolabis mouhotii, Odontolabis mouhoti elegans
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.
Mouhot's Shining Stag Beetle Listings
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