Identification key to the adult Iranian Lucanidae

1. Eyes not divided or incised by the canthus..................................................................2

-. Canthus slightly, moderately, or strongly intersecting the eyes.................................................. 5

2. Body oval, elytra with rows of bristles, body length less than 1 cm ............................................... 3

-. Body cylindrical, elytra without bristles, body length more than 1 cm ............................................ 4

3. Mandibles with a vertical tooth................................................. Aesalus ulanowskii (male) (Fig 7)

-. Mandibles without a vertical tooth........................................... Aesalus ulanowskii (female) (Fig. 8)

4. Horn on head, apically with setae on the upper surface....................... Sinodendron persicum (male) (Figs. 9, 11)

-. Only a small medial tubercle on head...................................... Sinodendron persicum (female) (Fig. 10)

5. Canthus present, but very feebly penetrating the anterior margin of the eye, body shiny, with metallic colour, length less than 2 cm ................................................................................................. 6

-. Canthus more or less extensively penetrating the margins of the eyes, body not metallic in colour, body length more than 2 cm ..................................................................................................... 9

6. Punctation of the pronotum dense and regular, lateral furrows narrow and deep..................................... 7

-. Punctation of the pronotum less dense and regular, lateral furrows flat........................................... 8

7. Mandibles longer than head with a multidentate laminar process at the inner side................................................................................................ Platycerus caraboides caraboides (male) (Fig. 12)

-. Mandibles shorter than head................................... Platycerus caraboides caraboides (female) (Fig. 13)

8. Mandibles longer than head with a multidentate laminar process at the inner side.... Platycerus primigenius (male) (Fig. 14)

-. Mandibles shorter than head............................................ Platycerus primigenius (female) (Fig. 15)

9. Underside of the tarsomeres 1–4 with two series of small, symmetrical, longitudinal bristles along the outer margin of each tarsomere, onychium with one longitudinal series of short, dense, regular bristles.................................... 10

-. Underside of the tarsomeres 1–4 with two distal, symmetrical, protuberant tufts on the outer margin of each tarsomere, plantar side of the onychium with one distal tuft of long bristles..................................................... 14

10. Mandibles longer than head............................................................................ 11

-. Mandibles shorter than head............................................................................ 13

11. Apex of mandibles not bifid.................................................... Lucanus xerxes (male) (Fig. 22)

-. Apex of mandibles bifid.............................................................................. 12

12. Mandibles with apical fork strong........................................ Lucanus ibericus ibericus (male) (Fig. 24)

-. Apical fork with the inferior tooth small or almost absent................. Lucanus ibericus subvelutinus (male) (Fig. 26)

13. Antennomere 4 shorter than 3, canthus thin...................................... Lucanus xerxes (female) (Fig. 23)

-. Antennomere 4 as long as 3, canthus robust................................. Lucanus ibericus (female)1 (Figs. 25, 27)

14. External border of the mesotibiae and metatibiae with a single strong spine....................................... 15

-. External border of the mesotibiae and metatibiae with a large spine and 1–3 smaller ones........................... 16

15. Mandibles curved, with a vertical tooth, head flat............................ Dorcus parallelipipedus (male) (Fig. 16)

-. Mandibles small, without vertical tooth, head with two small tubercles.......... Dorcus parallelipipedus (female) (Fig. 17)

16. Mandibles longer than head, postocular protuberance large.................................................... 17

-. Mandibles shorter than head, postocular protuberance small...................................................18

17. Mandibles with two median teeth at the inner side, one on the upper margin, one on the lower one................................................................................................ Dorcus peyronis (male) (Fig. 18)

-. Mandibles with only one median tooth at the inner side, on the upper border........... Dorcus prochazkai (male) (Fig. 20)

18. Sides of prothorax rounded, postocular apophysis larger........................... Dorcus peyronis (female) (Fig. 19)

-. Sides of prothorax more parallel, postocular apophysis smaller.................... Dorcus prochazkai (female) (Fig. 21)