Plz id this enormous guy

[alexmargaritis]

I found this guy on a mountain during night in Greece.I ve never seen something like that before..
As was very curious what it could be I kept it for a couple of days..He loves cherries although..
What specimen?
M or F?

Alex

 

[arachnophobis]

I believe that is a stag beetle. If it is, its a male. Only males have pinchers that big.

 

[goliathusdavid]

Given that there are 28 stag beetle species native to the mediterranean, I'm not going to be able to identify it down to a species personally. However it is certainly a male, I would guess in the genus Lucanus.

 

[DaveM]

@arachnophobis and @goliathusdavid are right. That is a male Lucanus cervus - the European stag beetle. There are other stag beetle species in your country as noted by @goliathusdavid -- esp. common being L. tetraodon and L. ibericus.
Yours is the easiest to identify because it has the largest mandibles of them. The shape of the pronotum, and the size of the mandibles, and the number and position of lamellae on the antennae are the best diagnostics.
L. cervus - cervus because of cervids/deer; the mandibles remind people of deer antlers.

 

[The insect dude101]

@arachnophobis and @goliathusdavid are right. That is a male Lucanus cervus - the European stag beetle. There are other stag beetle species in your country as noted by @goliathusdavid -- esp. common being L. tetraodon and L. ibericus.
Yours is the easiest to identify because it has the largest mandibles of them. The shape of the pronotum, and the size of the mandibles, and the number and position of lamellae on the antennae are the best diagnostics.
L. cervus - cervus because of cervids/deer; the mandibles remind people of deer antlers.

yea probably some lucanus I think its ethier elaphas or cerveus