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Dorcus parallelipipedus

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Dorcus parallelipipedus
Dorcus parallelipipedus, adult
Scientific classification
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D. parallelipipedus
Binomial name
Dorcus parallelipipedus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Dorcus parallelipipedus is a beetle of the family Lucanidae and is found in Europe.

Known in Britain as the lesser stag beetle, both sexes resemble the female stag beetle, though it is a uniformly black colour rather than having the chestnut brown wing covers of the larger species. The lesser stag beetle is similar in appearance to the related antelope beetle (Dorcus parallelus) of North America.

Adults are from 18 to 32 mm in length. The male has distinctly knobbed antennae. Like other stag beetles, the beetle larva feeds on wood.