by A. Kairouz, O. Rittner and P. Tauzin

The family of Lucanidae Latreille, 1804 is widespread around the whole world, but is especially diversified in tropical areas and consists of about 1200 species worldwide. They are called "Stag Beetles", due to the set of large mandibles found on the males of most species. Taxa of this family present a sexual dimorphism often accentuated with the mandibles more developed in the males than in the females, and are in general of intermediate to strong size and black or brown coloring. They differs from the other families of Scarabaeoidea by the antennomere 1 much longer than 2 and 3 together, the antennas strongly bent with the segments of antennal club fixed and not capable of being tightly closed together and the abdomen including five visible sternites and a hidden sixth, very reduced sternite which is hidden under the fifth sternite.
They are divided into subfamilies (Aesalinae, Chiasognathinae, Cladognathinae, Figulinae, Dorcinae, Lampriminae, Lucaninae, Odontolabinae, Syndesinae) according to the number of articles of the antennal club and the shape of the prosternum, like by the presence (or not) of a pubescence under the articles of tarsi. Only 2 subfamilies (*) are present in Levant: Dorcinae Parry, 1864 and Lucaninae Latreille, 1804.

Lucanidae larvae generally develop in partially broken up wood or the ground in the vicinity immediate of stocks or hollow shafts, and the nymphosis occurs out of ground in a cocoon hull. The adults are often seen during twilight or at night.

*Didier and Seguy (1953) indicated from the Near East the common specie Sinodendron cylindricum Linnaeus, 1758 (subfamily Syndesinae), but according to our data, the specie has not been captured in Levant since long time.