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Sommer's Shining Stag Beetle
AdvancedOdontolabis sommeri
An Odontolabis of Sumatra and Borneo, with further subspecies such as pahangensis on the Malay Peninsula. It is described as one of the hardest of the genus to keep, with getting eggs at all the main hurdle.
Difficulty
Advanced
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Adults take fermented sap of broadleaf trees and beetle jelly; larvae eat humus close to soil
About
Odontolabis sommeri occurs on Sumatra and Borneo, with the subspecies pahangensis on the Malay Peninsula and lowei on Borneo besides the nominate form. The genus centres on island Southeast Asia and is richest in species on Sumatra. Its members gather at the fermented sap of various broadleaf trees and near houses will sometimes damage cultivated fruit. 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 and small animals that enter. This species is known as one of the hardest of the genus to keep: where O. burmeisteri and O. dalmanni lay readily in shop-bought rhinoceros-beetle substrate, getting this one to lay at all is the difficulty. As with O. striata, O. cephalotes and O. lacordairei, it is reported to lay sometimes into red-rotted flake. Neither adults nor larvae tolerate cold well.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Basic Info
Origin
Sumatra and Borneo (the subspecies pahangensis on the Malay Peninsula and lowei on Borneo)
Lifespan
A few months as an adult
Temperature
20〜28℃
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Adults take fermented sap of broadleaf trees and beetle jelly; larvae eat humus close to soil
Care Guide
Care Specifications
AggressiveSolitaryBreeding: Very hard
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 sommeri Parry, 1862
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
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Odontolabis sommeri Parry, 1862
Synonyms: Odontolabis sommeri sommeri, Odontolabis sommeri pahangensis, Odontolabis sommeri lowei
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.
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