pmid:24671962 . The morphology of these jaws has to be a compromise between robustness (to withstand the bite forces), length and weight. Male stag beetles (Lucanidae) use their extremely elongated jaws to pinch their rivals forcefully in male–male battles. This Indonesian species belongs to the genus Cyclommatus, which includes (together with the genus Prosopocoilus) stag beetle species with the most oversized male mandibles (Gotoh et al., 2012; Kawano, 2006). Male stag beetles carry large and heavy mandibles that arose through sexual selection over mating rights. Cyclommatus metallifer stag beetles circumvent this trade-off by reducing their bite force when biting with their slender jaw tips. Researchers have staged stag beetle battles to solve the mystery of how the male beetles bite so hard. Cyclommatus is a genus of the family Lucanidae, also known as the stag beetle.The majority of the species from the genus Cyclommatus are located in Southeast Asia, though some species are found in China and Taiwan as well. In order to assess the The big unique antenna of the males contains various lamellate plates (Leaf like layers), similar to the rest of the representatives of the genre. The beetle most often mistaken for a female stag beetle is the lesser stag beetle. Here we describe the functional mechanism behind the force modulation behaviour. Cyclommatus metallifer stag beetles circumvent this trade-off by reducing their bite force when biting with their slender jaw tips. Abstract. View Article PubMed/NCBI Google Scholar 7. Stag beetle, (family Lucanidae), also called pinching bug, any of some 900 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) in which the mandibles (jaws) are greatly developed in the male and resemble the antlers of a stag.In many species the elaborately branched and toothed mandibles may be as long as the beetle itself. However, lesser stags are black all over with matt wing cases, while female stag beetles have shiny brown wing cases. Stag beetles only exists as adults for a … The morphology of these jaws has to be a compromise between robustness (to withstand the bite forces), length and weight. If handled carelessly, their pinch can draw blood from a person. The sensors enable stag beetles to modulate their bite force to prevent failure. J Exp Biol 217:1065–1071. doi: 10.1242/jeb.091744 Article PubMed Google Scholar A few of them grow larger up to 1.25 inches or further than that. Our bite force measurements show a muscle force reduction of 18% for tip biting when compared with bites with the teeth located halfway along the mandibles. mandibular apparatus and the bite force in Cyclommatus metallifer Boisduval 1835 stag beetles. Goyens J, Dirckx J, Dierick M et al (2014a) Biomechanical determinants of bite force dimorphism in Cyclommatus metallifer stag beetles. It is known that owners of larger fighting apparatuses are favoured to win the male-male fights, but it was unclear whether male stag beetles also need to produce high bite forces while grabbing and lifting opponents in fights. Although the mandibles of Cyclommatus metallifer males are used in pugnacious fights, they are surprisingly slender. Goyens J, Dirckx J, Dierick M, Van Hoorebeke L, Aerts P (2014) Biomechanical determinants of bite force dimorphism in Cyclommatus metallifer stag beetles. J Exp Biol 217: 1065–1071. 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