What do you all make of this?

It looked as if it was trembling like a flower, David Bowie style, but that could have just been my unsteady hand lolz. The curly-ness of it was inconsistent, if that makes sense? It was also a solid cream color.

@JKim your thoughts, sir?

 
Goliathus said:
Most likely, a spermatophore filament.  Had the beetle recently mated?
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No, the beetle had not mated within the past 3 weeks actually, but he lived with a female before that. Are spermatophore filaments, like, hard to pull? I tried pulling at it, it was tougher than a hair and wouldnt break or come out. 

 
ruislerez said:
No, the beetle had not mated within the past 3 weeks actually, but he lived with a female before that. Are spermatophore filaments, like, hard to pull? I tried pulling at it, it was tougher than a hair and wouldnt break or come out. 
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Better not to pull on it in any way - that could cause internal damage.  If it's what I suspect it is, it will probably fall out on its own, eventually.

 
@Goliathus Oh, I should mention that the lad has already passed away. I had noticed that he expired, and upon lifting him out of his enclosure to begin the preservation process, the string became noticeable.

 
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ruislerez said:
@Goliathus Oh, I should mention that the lad has already passed away. I had noticed that he expired, and upon lifting him out of his enclosure to begin the preservation process, the string became noticeable.
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How long did he live after becoming active?  Is this Lucanus elaphus?  It's been my experience that this species only lives for around 10 weeks at most after becoming active.  It seems that that their days as an adult are rather limited after they've mated - shorter than is the case with many other Lucanidae, and various Dynastinae.

 
Goliathus said:
How long did he live after becoming active?  Is this Lucanus elaphus?  It's been my experience that this species only lives for around 10 weeks at most after becoming active.  It seems that that their days as an adult are rather limited after they've mated - shorter than is the case with many other Lucanidae, and various Dynastinae.
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Yes, Lucanus Elaphus. I am not sure when he became active, I received him and a female in May but the female was extremely lethargic and died shortly thereafter.

I have heard about them expending a lot of their energy to mate and fly, so I kept him alone in a big container with branches and shredded white rot. Perhaps it was just his time, I can accept that. I was just really shocked to see the... attachment. 

 
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@ruislerez @aspenentomology @Goliathus

It is an endophalus. It is part of genitalia. The actual part you can generally able to see when it is mating is parts called parameres (two hardened parts, left and right). extends to endophalus, usually preserved right behind the parameres, but can also be pulled out in other way for different research purposes.

I don't study the morphology of stag beetles at all, but man... I've seen A LOT of those when I was in the lab, back in college. I don't know if anyone here is interested in scarab taxonomy as well, but... I was in University of Nebraska-Lincoln for college, majored in entomology for B.S. degree. This lab is one of the best scarab research institute in the U.S., and in the world. One researcher here is Dr. Brett C. Ratcliffe, who studies nearctic and neotropical scarabs. Other coleopterist here is Dr. M. J. Paulsen, who studies nearctic and neotropical Lucanidae and some other groups in superfamily of scarabaeoidea. As I worked mostly with Dr. Paulsen, He always showed me all bunch different kinds of genitalia and interesting body parts of stag beetles from all over the place.

Anyway, it is something usually inside the beetle body, that is VERY unusually coming out of the body. It is actually quite difficult to pull it out intentionally if you are not an expert in dissection of beetles. I have no clue what to do when I see that on alive specimen. It is so soft, and weak to use forceps to just push it in........ :(  

 
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Extremely informative as always, thanks so much!

But yeah wow, he was just kinda sitting there like that, with it totally out and unfurled. It was much, much longer, but I snapped it when I was trying to pull it out because I thought it was simply a hair stuck in his parameres. Does it typically eject so cleanly and fully upon death???

 
ruislerez said:
Does it typically eject so cleanly and fully upon death???
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Nope, it rarely ever comes out when it is alive, or freshly died. It is actually even difficult to cleanly (perfectly) dissect it out, unless you are an expert. Parameres is good key to identification, but endophalus is also a good key used in these days. Many new species description in these days discuss about endophalus as well. Rarely happen in scarabs, but often in Lucanidae.

 
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