A Nice Surprise
While clearing away the moth trap this morning I came across this super beastie tucked away in the folds of the ground sheet. It is a female Lesser Stag Beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus), a new species for me and RXland according to our records. A relative of the true Stag Beetle, like that species the long-lived larvae feed in the decaying wood of deciduous trees, particularly oak and ash.
Female Lesser Stag Beetle