Lamprima aurata

Adults are active above ground during warm months, commonly visiting tree sap flows, fermenting fruit and flowers for food; they are also attracted to lights at night. Males defend feeding sites and perch sites, using their mandibles in pushing or wrestling contests with rival males; adults are capable fliers and move between trees and fallen timber.

Females lay eggs in decaying hardwood or in rich humus near rotten logs; larvae are wood-feeding (xylophagous) grubs that consume decomposing timber for an extended larval period (often many months to a year or more, depending on climate and food quality). Pupation occurs within the wood or soil, and adults emerge seasonally; adults typically live for several months, long enough to mate and disperse.

The species is notable for its metallic iridescence (golden, green, blue hues) and a robust, convex body typical of stag beetles. Sizes vary by sex and locality, with adults usually in the small-to-moderate stag beetle range; males exhibit enlarged mandibles used in rival interactions, while females have smaller, functional mandibles.

Lamprima aurata is native to Australia (and adjacent Australasian islands), long recognized by collectors and naturalists for its striking metallic colors. It has been included in entomological collections and the insect pet/collector trade, which contributed to scientific interest in its ecology and geographic variation.

The Golden Stag Beetle is not widely listed as globally threatened and remains locally common where suitable forest and deadwood resources persist. Main pressures are habitat loss (removal of native woodland and loss of deadwood), fragmentation, and localized over-collecting; conservation success depends on retaining mature trees, fallen timber, and native forest patches.