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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Lamprima adolphinae
Coleoptera / Lucanidae
Lamprima adolphinae is a metallic stag beetle of New Guinea’s mountain forests. Males combine a broad, dull-sheened body with long mandibles; the smaller females have short jaws and a brighter, polished surface.
Read the species account
Males are usually metallic bronze or green above, with a bronze-black head and purplish-black mandibles. Yellow-green, blue-green and rarer blue individuals also occur. Females can be bronze, brown, green, coppery or blue and have a distinctly shinier surface. [1]
Male length in the revision ranges from 24 to 60 mm, including the mandibles; females measure 18–24 mm. Small males have relatively straight jaws with upward-turning tips. Large males have strongly curved jaws ending in three acute teeth. [1]
The species is widespread in New Guinea’s mountains, with most records in cloud forest at 1000–2500 m. A high-elevation record reaches 2800 m on Mount Giluwe. [1]
Museums Victoria holds an adult collected at Wau in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, at 1250 m. [2]
Gestro described the species as Neolamprima adolphinae in 1875. The 2018 revision treats the named colour forms olivacea, lulua, chalciditis and bohni as synonyms of Lamprima adolphinae. [1]
Females closely resemble those of Lamprima aurata and Lamprima insularis. [1]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Reid, Smith and Beatson; Zootaxa 4446(2), 151–202 (2018) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Museums Victoria · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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