Here’s where you can get a cyclommatus stag in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
A new month brings new bugs. July has seen a serious uptick in stag beetles, including the miyama and saw stags, but the cyclommatus stag is the one that you should really aim to catch. Not only does it have the largest horns of all the new stag beetles, but it’s also the one that will net you the most Bells when you sell it.
That high price is thanks to the cyclommatus stag’s rarity. It only spawns on palm trees, so you can only find cyclommatus stag beetles around the beach. Once located, you’ll have to carefully sneak up on it just as you would with other stag beetles. If you’re spotted, the cyclommatus stag will fly away.
The cyclommatus stag spawns in July and August in the Northern Hemisphere, and in January and February in the Southern Hemisphere. You can sell it for 8,000 Bells to the Nook brothers, or donate it to Blathers’ museum to take part in the stag beetle fight club there.
If you really want to make catching this beetle worth your while, wait for Flick to arrive on your island and sell it to him for a 50% bonus.
Cyclommatus stag beetles are actually a full genus with 136 defined species, although only one is represented in New Horizons. They all have similar metallic shells with male beetles having enlarged jaws that resemble “horns,” hence the “stag” beetle name. Also like stags, these beetle will use those horns to fight over mating rights by flipping rival males off of trees and branches.
Cyclommatus are often kept as pets in Southeast Asia due to their easy-going temperaments and low maintenance costs. Cyclommatus stags can live for up to one year if properly cared for by feeding them rotten wood as larva and fruits as an adult. Each species of cyclommatus has its preferred fruit, so make sure you know just what species you have before designing its menu.
