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Natal Saw Stag Beetle
IntermediateProsopocoilus natalensis
A medium-sized saw stag from the woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. It is one of the few African saw stags with a BE-KUWA captive record, set at 48.7 mm in 2024.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
Adults 2-3 months
Size
Captive record for males 48.7 mm, wild record 54.0 mm (BE-KUWA, FY2025 edition)
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Sap of broadleaf trees; beetle jelly
About
Prosopocoilus natalensis was described by Parry in 1864. The epithet points to Natal in South Africa, but GBIF holds more records from Tanzania than anywhere else, with further material from South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique. Beetlebreeding.ch presents it as a Tanzanian species and, while saying it knows of no breeding report, judges that it should not be hard to rear. The BE-KUWA FY2025 edition does carry a captive record of 48.7 mm set by 赤城慶哉 in 2024, against a wild record of 54.0 mm and a projected maximum of 58 mm. Among African saw stags this is one of the better known in Japanese collections, and egg-laying is attempted with the standard fermented-substrate set used for the genus.
Source: GBIF
Lifespan of the Natal Saw Stag Beetle
The Natal Saw Stag Beetle lives Adults 2-3 months.
Size of the Natal Saw Stag Beetle
The Natal Saw Stag Beetle grows to Captive record for males 48.7 mm, wild record 54.0 mm (BE-KUWA, FY2025 edition).
Basic Info
Origin
Eastern and southern Africa (Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and neighbouring countries)
Lifespan
Adults 2-3 months
Size
Captive record for males 48.7 mm, wild record 54.0 mm (BE-KUWA, FY2025 edition)
Temperature
20〜28℃
Care Specifications
Solitary
Sources: Ben's Beetle Breeding Pages - Prosopocoilus natalensis (range; absence of breeding reports) / GBIF species page for Prosopocoilus natalensis (distribution and occurrence records by country) / BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA) / Mushinavi - Tokara saw stag (general egg-laying, larval and adult husbandry for Prosopocoilus, JA)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
48.7 mm
Wild record (♂)
54 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition (Natal saw stag, captive 48.7 mm, 赤城慶哉 2024 / wild 54.0 mm; projected maximum 58 mm)
Notable localities
TanzaniaSouth AfricaMalawiKenya
The captive record was registered in 2024 and still falls short of the 54.0 mm wild record; BE-KUWA sets the projected maximum at 58 mm.
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) / Ben's Beetle Breeding Pages - Prosopocoilus natalensis (range; absence of breeding reports)
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
- GBIF
- Ministry of the Environment, Invasive Species Act: "Guidance for Those Importing Live Insects in Scarabaeoidea"
- CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
- Ben's Beetle Breeding Pages - Prosopocoilus natalensis (range; absence of breeding reports)
- BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
- Mushinavi - Tokara saw stag (general egg-laying, larval and adult husbandry for Prosopocoilus, JA)
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Prosopocoilus natalensis (Parry, 1864)
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.
Natal Saw Stag Beetle Listings
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