Phalacrognathus muelleri
Phalacrognathus muelleri, colloquially the rainbow stag beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Lucanidae. It is found in northern Queensland, Australia and New Guinea. It can come in red, green, black, and blue forms. It is the only species in its genus, Phalacrognathus, which is closely related to the genus "Lamprima". "Phalacrognathus muelleri" has been the official symbol of the Entomological Society of Queensland since 1973. Etymology. This species is commonly known as golden, rainbow, magnificent, Mueller's and king stag beetle. In 1885 the species was named "Phalacrognathus muelleri" by Sir William Macleay in honour  of Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, the Victorian Government Botanist, the genus "Phalacrognathus" created at the same time. Description. Males of "Phalacrognathus muelleri" are the largest members of the family Lucanidae in Australia. Males range from in length, whereas the smaller females range from . their beautiful colours fade after death and are difficult to photograph. Breeding. This species breeds in wet tropical areas. Up to 50 eggs can be laid by a female and these will take 10 to 14 days to hatch. The larva can be seen in the egg before emerging. The larvae are found in wet and rotting  wood often in close proximity to white rot fungi and can take up to three years to mature. Examples of fungi found proximate to breeding sites are: "Ganoderma applanatum" (Pers.) Patouillard, "Nigrofomes melanoporus" (Mont.) Murr., "Phellinus" nr. "glaucescens" (Petch) Ryvarden; "Phellinus robustus" (P. Karst) Baird, & Galz., "Phellinus" - 3 spp., and "Pycnoporus" sp. Subspecies. The species is divided into the following two subspecies: