Zip ties on Mandibles?

maxwellc

maxwellc

L1
Hey, I just saw a post on instagram of a Japanese beetle breeder who for some reason which I can’t figure out, had like 3 zip ties on the mandibles of a dorcus beetle of some kind. The guy seems like he knows what he’s doing based on his other posts but I have no clue why he would do that to his beetle.. perhaps there’s a reason? Any ideas? Also worth mentioning that it didn’t seem like the zip ties were holding the mandibles together as one would to lobster claws with a rubber band

 
Some species in genus Dorcus are tend to be very aggressive, and potentially kill females, like Dorcus titanus sspp., Dorcus alcides, etc. so some breeders close and lock male mandibles by force (using zip ties) to create safer mating environment for females.

 
I've seen this done to prevent the male from crushing the female with his mandibles before, during, or after pairing.  The males of some stag beetle genera (such as large Dorcus spp.) can sometimes get overexcited around females and can't decide whether they want to mate or fight (or both)!  It can also be done in order to keep multiple males in the same enclosure without them causing injury to each other.  It's usually only used as a temporary protective measure though.  Males that have been "muzzled" for a time will sometimes loose the ability to move their jaws after the ties are removed, but this effect is only temporary, and they regain movement, after a short while.

 
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