Dorcus striatipennis

Vertical lines running down the back.

Scientific name	Dorcus striatipennis
English name	Dorcus striatipennis
Japanese name	Sujikuwagata
Classification	Insecta
Classification details	Coleoptera Lucanidae
Full length	14-39mm
Distribution	distributed from Hokkaido to Kyushu

Characteristics

A small stag beetle with distinctive vertical muscles on its back. The smaller the fish, the more pronounced the back muscles. The color, size, and shape of the jaws are very similar to the stag beetle, but they are a different species. The difference from the stag beetle is the shape of the teeth in the middle of the male's jaw. There are individual differences in size and jaw shape, and small males may have almost no internal teeth.

Ecology

Inhabits broadleaf forests. Adults can be seen from around May, and some individuals overwinter. In the plains, like other stag beetles, they gather in the sap of sawtooth oaks and konara oaks. In areas where there are few sawtooth oaks and oaks, the bark is scraped and licked.

Habitat

At night, I caught it clinging to the white wall of my house and observed it overnight. It was a small male with a small jaw. The next morning, I let it go to the tree in the garden, and it crawled into the root of the tree at full speed.

Every year in May and June, when the warm days continue, they appear, and I have the impression that they are more numerous near my home than the stag beetle.