Dorcus brevis (Say, 1825)
.....Lucanus brevis Say, 1825: 202. (orig. comb.)
.....Dorcus caucasicus Ganglbauer, 1886: 81 (synonym).
.....Dorcus nanus Casey, 1909: 278 (synonym).

	D. brevis, minor male.
D. brevis Say, major male. Photos by M.J. Paulsen
D. brevis Say, minor male showing mandibles.	Approximate distribution of D. brevis.

Distribution: North America: Eastern US. Specimens are known from FL, IL, NC, NJ, SC, TN, and VA.

Revision or Synopsis:

Benesh, B. 1937. Some notes on boreal American Dorcinae (Coleoptera: Lucanidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 63: 1-16 + pl. I-III.

Paulsen, MJ. 2010. Stag beetles of the genus Dorcus MacLeay in North America (Coleoptera, Lucanidae). In: Ratcliffe B, Krell F-T (Eds) Current advances in Scarabaeoidea research. ZooKeys 34: 199–207. Download.

Remarks:

This species and D. parallelus are often confused, but in D. brevis the sides of the elytra are more notably rounded. Major males are rare, but they are larger and smoother than males of D. parallelus. The minor male of D. brevis has two single small internal teeth on the mandibles, and the mandibles are abruptly bent inwards. The male genitalia of the two species are distinct. Females of the two species are best distinguished by the body shape.