Skip to main content

Christmas beetle, aka Golden stag beetle

Lamprima aurata

Photo by lori.tas
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

-42.5978, 147.247

Field Notes

Description:

The Golden stag beetle (named for the color of the male and his large antennae) is most frequently called the Christmas beetle here in Australia, because it hatches out around Christmas time and because it is brightly colored like a Christmas decoration.

Habitat:

In this instance, dry sclerophyll bushland, but found in much of Australia.

Notes:

This ia a female, and the first I've seen of this bronze-ish color. Most females have a base color of green with orange iridescence and electric blue legs: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/3239002 Males are gold, with much larger antennae and mandibles: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/3263001

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (14)

Thanks Latimeria, I just posted another one of these females: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8301418 I'm still waiting on the males to show up.
Sheesh lori, always wowing us with your Tasmanian beetles. ;)
could you check this out for me lori.....http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8102467
Oops, comments doing weird things to me.
Atul, it was a combination of natural light (I held her by the window) and a ring flash. I still never think the photos capture their color because so much is caused by iridescent shifts that can't all be captured in one 1/125 second instant.
Exactly right lori - these types of colours really need a short movie.
none the less Lori its a beautifully captured pic !!!
Fabulous colour. I'll keep an eye open for ours now although it's been pretty cool here so far which might slow them down. Seen a few promising ground holes though. Watching for your male addition then.
lovely !! have you used a flash on this one Lori!! beautiful colors on that one!!
And to you Argy. We've been keeping an eye out for these, and she was our first spotting of the season. Male seem to show up a about week later.
Photographed
PublishedDecember 19, 2011

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon