World's most expensive insect costs as much as top luxury car: report

New York: Among the teeming mass of insects that we know living around us one is special and it costs as much as a luxury car, NDTV reports.

The 'stag beetle' is reported to be the most expensive insect in the world as it can cost ₹ 75 lakh , not just because it is quite rare.

There is more to it than we know, because the insect is believed to be a lucky charm.

Many believe that possessing the insect can make somebody rich overnight, hence the price.

A study in the Scientific Data journal says that it is a "significant saproxylic assemblage in forest ecosystems and are noted for their enlarged mandibles and male polymorphism,"

Weighing between 2-6 grams, these insects, according to the London-based Natural History Museum, live around 3.-7 years.

The males are 35-75mm long, the females are 30-50mm in length.

Known to be used for medical purpose, they live in warm tropical environments and are sensitive to cold temperatures.

Alongside in woodlands, they can also be found in hedgerows, traditional orchards, and in parks and gardens, where dead wood is abundant.

Adult stag beetles primarily feed on tree sap and the juice from rotting fruit.

The energy reserves accumulated during their larval stage help them sustain throughout adult life.

During larval stage, they rely on dead wood, sinking their sharp jaws to extract splinters from fibrous surface.

Because of this food habit, they do not pose a threat to living trees or shrubs, and are harmless to vegetation.

The insect’s name has derived from mandibles found on the male ones, resembling an antler of stags.

During breeding season, the male stag beetles use their antler-like jaws to fight each other for the chance to mate with females.