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Genus Platycerus

stag beetle - Platycerus quercus - female Platycerus cribripennis - male Black and dark green beetle - Platycerus quercus Platycerus? - Platycerus depressus Beetle - Platycerus oregonensis Platycerus? - Platycerus oregonensis - female Platycerus oregonensis Platycerus quercus - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
Superfamily Scarabaeoidea
Family Lucanidae (Stag Beetles)
Subfamily Lucaninae
Tribe Platycerini
Genus Platycerus
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Systenocerus Weise 1883, Systenus Sharp & Muir 1912
Explanation of Names
Platycerus Geoffroy 1762
Numbers
27 spp. total, 5 in the New World (all confined to our area)(1)
Identification
Eyes entire:

without a canthus--present in Dorcus(2)
Range
Holarctic; in our area, across so. Canada and most of the US, with only 1 sp. (P. quercus) in the se. quarter(3)
See Also
similar lucanids from other genera:

Ground beetles of genus Scarites are superficially similar. Note clubbed antennae of Platycerus versus thread-like, or beaded, antennae of Scarites:
Print References
Paulsen M.J., Caterino M.S. (2009) The Platycerus (Coleoptera, Lucanidae) of California, with the recognition of Platycerus cribripennis Van Dyke as a valid species. Zookeys 8: 89-94 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.8.118