AI-generated image
Okinawa Saw Stag Beetle
IntermediateProsopocoilus dissimilis okinawanus
A subspecies of the Amami saw stag from Okinawa Island and Kouri Island. The body is slender and the male mandibles curve gently rather than arching as in the nominate, keeping an inner tooth at the base even in large males. The colour is dark reddish brown to black.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
Adults live two to three months in the wild
Size
Males 24-75.1 mm (including captive; the wild record is 71.7 mm) / females 24.5-34 mm
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Sap of broadleaf trees such as Mallotus, Machilus and Castanopsis; beetle jelly
About
The Okinawa saw stag (Prosopocoilus dissimilis okinawanus) lives on Okinawa Island and Kouri Island and was described in 1962. Males run 24-71.2 mm and females 24.5-34 mm. The male mandibles curve gently instead of arching as in the nominate subspecies and keep an inner tooth at the base even in large beetles, which is the identifying mark; the build is slender. The colour is dark reddish brown to black. The BE-KUWA captive record is 75.1 mm against a wild record of 71.7 mm, making it the third largest subspecies after the Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima forms. It lives in broadleaf forest and comes to sap of Mallotus and Castanopsis from mid-June to early September, mainly at night though it often rests high in the shade by day. Keep it like the mainland saw stag, laying in a firmly packed set of black soil or fully fermented fine substrate.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Size of the Okinawa Saw Stag Beetle
The Okinawa Saw Stag Beetle grows to Males 24-75.1 mm (including captive; the wild record is 71.7 mm) / females 24.5-34 mm.
Basic Info
Origin
Japan (Okinawa Island and Kouri Island, Okinawa)
Lifespan
Adults live two to three months in the wild
Size
Males 24-75.1 mm (including captive; the wild record is 71.7 mm) / females 24.5-34 mm
Temperature
20〜28℃
Humidity
60〜80%
Care Specifications
AggressiveSolitaryBreeding: Easy
Sources: Prosopocoilus dissimilis - Wikipedia (JA; sizes, ranges and biology of the seven subspecies) / Mushinavi - Tokara saw stag (egg-laying, larvae, adult care, difficulty rating, JA)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
75.1 mm
Wild record (♂)
71.7 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition (Okinawa saw stag, captive 75.1 mm, 里 由一 2007 / wild 71.7 mm, 小橋川 共也; projected maximum 79 mm. Smallest records: captive 25.8 mm, とぅーちゃん 2023; wild 23.3 mm, 上地 哲史 2020)
Notable localities
Okinawa Island (Okinawa)Kouri Island (Okinawa)
Regional subspecies
- Prosopocoilus dissimilis okinawanus — Okinawa Island and Kouri Island
The captive record of 75.1 mm stands 3.4 mm above the 71.7 mm wild record, with a dream size of 79 mm. Kumejima in the same prefecture has its own subspecies, so check the locality on any beetle offered.
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.
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Prosopocoilus dissimilis okinawanus Nomura, 1962
Authority databases: GBIF
Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.
Regulations & Conservation Status
Not CITES-listed
Sources: CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.
Okinawa Saw Stag Beetle Listings
Loading latest listingsFind listings for this species
