Source: Wikimedia Commons
Siva Shining Stag Beetle
IntermediateOdontolabis siva
Also known in Japan as the oni shining stag. A large species ranging from India through Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam, with a captive record of 96.6 mm. The male's mandible form is known to shift with the temperature during the prepupal stage.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Size
Captive records 96.6mm for the nominate form and 95.5mm for Taiwanese stock (wild records 92.8mm and 90.6mm)
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Adults take fermented sap of broadleaf trees and beetle jelly; larvae eat humus close to soil
About
Odontolabis siva, known in Japan also as the oni shining stag, is a large Odontolabis ranging from India through Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam. It is the species in which Hiroshi Kojima, rearing successive generations in Taiwan in the 1980s, found that the male's mandible form depends on the temperature during the prepupal stage: roughly 23 to 25 degrees gives the short-toothed form, 20 to 23 the intermediate form and 16 to 20 the tip-toothed form. That observation is cited as evidence that mandible variation across the genus turns not only on nutrition during growth but on ambient temperature. Hiroyuki Sakaino, known for his work on Taiwanese stag beetles, reports that this species also produces tip-toothed males whose bodies, mandibles aside, are smaller than those of intermediate males, and intermediate males smaller than short-toothed ones, a pattern he calls the reversal phenomenon. The larvae live in humus close to soil and hold a jar-shaped chamber within it as territory. The captive records stand at 96.6 mm for the nominate form and 95.5 mm for Taiwanese stock.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Size of the Siva Shining Stag Beetle
The Siva Shining Stag Beetle grows to Captive records 96.6mm for the nominate form and 95.5mm for Taiwanese stock (wild records 92.8mm and 90.6mm).
Basic Info
Origin
India, Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam, ranging widely from Taiwan into China
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Size
Captive records 96.6mm for the nominate form and 95.5mm for Taiwanese stock (wild records 92.8mm and 90.6mm)
Care Specifications
AggressiveSolitaryBreeding: Easy
Sources: Odontolabis - Wikipedia (JA; range, biology, the three mandible forms, humus-feeding larvae, per-species difficulty of egg-laying) / Odontolabis - Wikipedia (EN; genus description and per-species distributions) / GBIF species page for Odontolabis siva (Hope, 1845) / BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
96.6 mm
Wild record (♂)
92.8 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition, captive records for imported stag beetles (siva nominate: captive 96.6 mm, Zhiyong Lin, registered 2022, wild 92.8 mm, expected maximum 100 mm; Taiwanese stock: captive 95.5 mm, registered 2023, wild 90.6 mm, expected maximum 98 mm)
Notable localities
IndiaTaiwanMalay PeninsulaVietnamChina
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) / Odontolabis - Wikipedia (JA; range, biology, the three mandible forms, humus-feeding larvae, per-species difficulty of egg-laying)
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 (EN; genus description and per-species distributions)
- GBIF species page for Odontolabis siva (Hope, 1845)
- BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Odontolabis siva (Hope, 1845)
Synonyms: Odontolabis siva parryi
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.
Siva Shining Stag Beetle Listings
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