December 12, 2025 

There are many different animals that inhabit Earth, however there is one that is often overlooked: the humble bug! My purpose with this column is to guide you, the reader, through the unique and special creatures that inhabit this planet and are often forgotten! 

To start, we’ll be looking at the Metallic Stag Beetle (scientific name of Cyclommatus metallifer). The Metallic Stag beetle is located under the family “Lucanidae” with other Stag Beetles. “Lucanidae” is derived from the Latin word “Lucanus”, meaning enlightenment and clarity, and the genus suffix of “-idae” means “off-spring”. Metallic Stag Beetles have a very unique appearance compared to other Stag Beetles, as the male’s mandibles (jaws) are quite distinctive, often reaching lengths of 26 to 100 (which is around the length of their body if not longer) They’re also unique for their distinctive metallic appearance, which is unique in the Lucanidae family! Metallic Stag Beetles have sexual dimorphism, which, in short, means that the different sexes have different appearances, with the females tending to be much smaller and lacking the distinctive mandibles of the males, as unlike the males the females don’t fight for partners and don’t need the mandibles to do so. Males will fight each other for a mate, however this rarely results in death for the Beetle, instead ending in minor injury and the retreating of one of the beetles. Metallic stag beetles are native to the islands of Indonesia, however they can be kept as pets as they are relatively easy to maintain and make for unique and exotic pets. The first Metallic Stag Beetle was discovered in 1835 by Jean Baptiste Boisduval.

The other creature that will be shown is a spider, so arachnophobia warning for those with it! With all the spiders that exist, of course there are some very unique ones, like the Long Jawed Orb-Weaver (scientific name of Tetragnathidae)! Located under the Entelegynae family with other Orb-Weavers, Funnel Weavers and Cribellate weavers. “Entelegynae” is derived from the Ancient Greek words “entelēs” meaning “full" or “complete”, “gunē” meaning “woman”, and the ending suffix of “-ae” which is the standard taxonomic suffix for naming a group, this name is given to this family of spiders for the unique reproduction system the females have. The Long-Jawed Orb Weaver’s scientific name, Tetragnathidae, is derived from the Greek words “Tetra” and “Gnathos” meaning “Four Jaws.” Their name, "Long-Jawed’ isn’t for nothing, as this species is characterized by their abnormally elongated chelicerae, or the appendages at the front of the Spiders face, normally connected to the fangs of the spider. They also have elongated legs and body. They are known as ‘Orb-Weavers’ for their unique and easily identifiable orb webs, which are characterized by an open hub with few, wide-set radii and spirals with no signal line or retreat. In simpler terms their webs are made like the classic “circle webs” that are seen in cartoons and Halloween decorations. Long Jawed Orb-Weavers are very diverse, being able to be found across North America from Alaska and Newfoundland, south to Cuba and Baja California, and into Central America as far as Nicaragua, making them fairly common all along the Western Hemisphere! The first Long Jawed Orb-Weaver was discovered in 1866 by Anton Menge.

While there are many more interesting and fun creatures that live in the bug kingdom, this column is getting quite long, so be sure to check back in in the future!