Rainbow Stag Beetle (Phalacrognathus muelleri) Purple

IMPORTANT: Live beetles cannot be released into non-native habitats under any circumstances.  Please contact me to re-home any unwanted non-native beetles.

Rainbow Stag Beetles, otherwise known as Phalacrognathus muelleri, originate from Queensland, Australia.  However, our adult beetles and larvae are all captive bred in the United States.  There are several color morphs that can be found within the species including Standard (primarily red and green), Red, Green, Purple, and Black.  This listing is for the Purple color option which is primarily dark purple with some greens, blues, reds and browns possible in some individuals.

Rainbow Stag Beetles are a great beginner species.  They are hardy, easy to keep and breed, and don't have a painful pinch or bite.  They are also fairly long lived for beetles with adult lifespans of up to 18 months or more.  Their bright and shiny elytra are stunning to behold with both males and females exhibiting this gaudy coloration.  Males can be equipped with large, curved mandibles used for occasional skirmishes with other males.  It is recommended to keep the males individually except when breeding with females to prolong their lifespan.  

Our beetles can be purchased as L1/2 larvae, L2/3 larvae, or as adults.  Please make sure you select the proper life stage in the checkout options.  Larvae will be shipped in a small amount of substrate that is suitable to sustain them for up to a week.  Please make sure you have the proper amount of substrate to transfer the larvae to upon arrival.  Rainbow Stag Beetle larvae can be kept in stag flake soil or kinshi (oyster or turkeytail mushroom mycelium colonized substrate).  Kinshi will typically produce larger beetles but it is not necessary to raise them in this substrate.

Suggested substrate container sizes for Rainbow Stag Beetles are:

• L1: 4 oz. container
• L2: 16 oz. container
• L3 females: 16-24 oz. container
• L3 males: 24-32 oz container

Adult Rainbow Stags can eat soft fruits such as banana, melons, peaches, etc.  Buying organic produce is a better option to avoid pesticides that can be found in fruit.  Also stay away from citrus fruits (too acidic) and watermelon as it's water content is too high to use as a regular food source.  The best choice though is probably beetle jelly since it is designed to provide beetles with the proper nutrients and with additional protein (helpful for breeding).