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Rainbow Stag Beetle Color Breeding Guide

Phalacrognathus muelleri — A comprehensive guide to breeding and developing color variations by JRN BEETLE

Explore Color Variations ▾

Color Morphs

All color lines originate from the Normal morph — the wild-type red-green iridescent form. Through selective breeding over generations, breeders have developed distinct color lines, each with their own progression path.

Normal rainbow stag beetle with white eyes Normal (White Eyes specimen)
ORIGIN — ALL LINES START HERE

Normal

The wild-type coloration. Red and green iridescent colors appear simultaneously across the elytra in roughly equal proportion. This is the base form from which all selective color lines are developed.

Elytra Red-green balanced mix
Chest Golden
Trait Strength Strongest — appears most when crossbreeding unknown lines
🔴

Red Line

Normal → Red → Super Red → Amber

Chest Color: Golden

Red rainbow stag beetle Red
STAGE 1

Red

Like the Normal form but with red showing up more than green on the elytra. The first step in the red line development.

Elytra Red dominant, green still visible
Chest Golden
Selective Breeding
Super Red rainbow stag beetle with white eyes Super Red (White Eyes)
STAGE 2

Super Red

Deep red color covers most of the body — including the head, rim of the chest, lower body, and legs. Very low amount of green remains anywhere on the body.

Elytra Deep red, minimal green
Head Red
Legs Red
Chest Rim Red
Further Selection
Amber rainbow stag beetle with white eyes Amber (White Eyes)
STAGE 3 — HIGHEST

Amber

Also called "Red Wine" or "Dark Red." The color shifts to a dark brown-red or red-brown tone, resembling the color of red wine. Appearance can vary between dark brown and red-brown tones.

Elytra Dark red-brown / wine color
Also Known As Red Wine, Dark Red
🟢

Green Line

Normal → Green → Super Green → Special Green (Glaze)

Chest Color: Green

Super Green Pikal rainbow stag beetle Green line specimen (Super Green Pikal)
STAGE 1

Green

Like the Normal form but with green showing more than red on the elytra. The starting point for the green line.

Elytra Green dominant, red still visible
Chest Green
Selective Breeding
Super Green rainbow stag beetle with red eyes Super Green (Red Eyes — by Takuma)
STAGE 2

Super Green

Same concept as Super Red — green color dominates almost the entire body with very little red remaining. A key stepping stone toward the rarest green morphs.

Elytra Deep green, minimal red
Full Body Green dominant
Further Selection
Glaze (Special Green) with white eyes Glaze (White Eyes)
STAGE 3 — HIGHEST

Special Green (Glaze)

The pinnacle of the green line comes in two styles:

Purple-Green Mix
Blue-Green Mix
Taiwan Name "Glaze"
Key Role Parent stock for Aurora breeding
🟣

Purple Line

Developed from Green Line → Purple → Navy Blue Purple → Blue

Chest Color: Black or Dark Green

Purple rainbow stag beetle with red eyes Purple (Red Eyes)
STAGE 1

Purple

A single-color morph — the entire body displays purple coloration. Developed originally from the green line through selective breeding.

Elytra Full purple, single color
Chest Black or dark green
Origin Developed from green line
Selective Breeding
Navy Blue Purple high grade Navy Blue Purple (High Grade)
STAGE 2

Navy Blue Purple

Both navy blue and purple appear on the head and body simultaneously. The higher the grade, the more navy blue covers the body. A key parent for Aurora breeding.

Elytra Navy blue + purple mix
Grading More navy = higher grade
Key Role Parent stock for Aurora
Selective Breeding
Blue — highest grade purple line Blue (Highest Grade)
STAGE 3 — HIGHEST

Blue

The ultimate form of the purple line. Through continued selective breeding of Navy Blue Purple, the blue takes over entirely — producing a deep, full blue coloration across the body.

Elytra Full deep blue
Origin Highest grade of purple line
Key Role Parent stock for Aurora
🔵

Blue Crest

One of the longest development timelines

Chest Color: Matte Golden

Blue Crest high grade (Lapis) Blue Crest — High Grade (Lapis)
RARE — LONG DEVELOPMENT

Blue Crest (Lapis)

A deep, dark blue coloration that takes one of the longest times to develop through selective breeding. Japanese breeders call the highest grade of this color "Lapis" — named after the precious stone lapis lazuli. Features a distinctive matte golden chest.

Elytra Deep dark blue
Chest Matte golden (not shiny)
Highest Grade "Lapis" (JP breeders)
Difficulty ★★★★★
Blue Crest half color form Blue Crest — Half Color Form
VARIANT

Blue Crest — Half Color Form

A variation of Blue Crest where the blue coloration is partially expressed, showing a transitional stage in color development.

✨

Aurora

Cross: High-Grade Green (Glaze/Super Green) × Navy Blue Purple

Super Green / Glaze
×
Navy Blue Purple
=
Aurora
Aurora with pink eyes Aurora (Pink Eyes) — JRN BEETLE
CROSS-BRED — 3 COLORS REQUIRED

Aurora

The Aurora must display three colors simultaneously on its body:

Green
Purple / Pink
Blue / Navy Blue
Requirement All 3 colors present on body
Parents High-grade green × Navy blue purple
Stability Note Even when stable, offspring may show ~3 variations
Aurora pink eyes male close up Aurora Pink Eyes ♂ Close-up
Aurora pink eyes female close up Aurora Pink Eyes ♀ Close-up
💎

Pikal (Shiny Chest)

First developed by Japanese breeder RTN

Pikal is a special trait — a shiny, metallic chest — that can be combined with almost any color line. Named by their chest color, not their elytra color. Every color variation can potentially have the Pikal trait, except Blue Crest which has not yet been observed with Pikal.

3 Basic Pikal Lines

Gold Pikal

Normal or red color pattern body with a shiny golden chest

Developed by RTN 🇯🇵

Green Pikal

Green line body with a shiny green chest

Developed by RTN 🇯🇵

Purple Pikal

Purple line body with a shiny purple chest

Developed by Takuma 🇯🇵

Pikal in Other Color Lines

Pikal can appear in any color variation through selective breeding. Here are some examples:

Navy Blue Purple Pikal

Navy Blue Purple Pikal

Super Green Pikal

Super Green Pikal

Aurora Pikal

Aurora Pikal

Red Pikal White Eyes Female

Red Pikal (White Eyes ♀)

Navy Blue Purple Pikal White Eyes

Navy Blue Purple Pikal (White Eyes)

Blue Pikal

Blue Pikal

Highest grade of the Navy Blue Purple Pikal line

⚠ Note: Blue Crest Pikal has not appeared yet in any known breeding line. It remains one of the undiscovered combinations.

Special Eye Colors

Rare genetic abnormalities can produce special eye colors. These traits are extremely rare and highly valued, especially when combined with rare body colors.

White Eyes

Rarity

The least rare of the special eye colors, but still uncommon. Value increases dramatically when combined with rare body colors — for example, a white-eyed highest-grade Blue Crest (Lapis) would be extremely difficult to find.

Normal White Eyes Glaze White Eyes Super Red White Eyes

Pink Eyes

Rarity

The most rare eye color for rainbow stag beetles. Breeding methods include crossing white eyes × red eyes, or long-term inbreeding of white eye lines.

Known color combinations: Navy Blue Purple Amber Aurora ⭐ (Rarest!)
Aurora Pink Eyes
JRN BEETLE has the Aurora + Pink Eyes — one of the rarest combinations in existence!

Red Eyes

Rarity

Equally rare as pink eyes. Difficult to see with the naked eye under normal lighting — you need to photograph them under bright light to confirm the red eye color.

Known color combinations: Blue Crest Navy Blue Purple Super Green ⭐ (by Takuma)
Purple Red Eyes Super Green Red Eyes

Special Forms

Beyond color and eye variations, rainbow stag beetles can also exhibit rare physical form mutations that affect their body shape. These are separate from color traits and can appear in any color line.

Thick horn form Navy Blue Purple Pikal — Thick Horn
Thick horn close up Thick Horn — Close Up
SPECIAL FORM — RARE

Thick Horn

A special physical trait where the mandibles (horns) of the male beetle grow noticeably thicker than normal. Developed through selective breeding — breeders pick the thickest-horned males each generation and keep breeding them, gradually increasing horn thickness over multiple generations.

Trait Type Physical form — selective breeding
Affected Part Male mandibles — thicker than standard
Method Select thickest male each generation and breed forward
Combinable Can appear in any color + pikal + eye combination

Complete Evolution Tree

Interactive map showing how all color lines branch from Normal and connect to each other. Click any node to jump to its section.

Normal
Red
Super Red
Amber
Green
Super Green
Glaze
Purple
Navy Blue Purple
Blue Crest
Aurora
Cross: Glaze × Navy Purple

Breeding Strategy

🧬

Same Line = High Success

Breeding within the same color line gives a very high percentage of offspring matching the parent color — even across different bloodlines. This is the safest approach.

Purple ♂ × Purple ♀
→ ~100% Purple
⚠️

Cross Line = Normal Reversion

Crossing different color lines (e.g., Red × Purple) will produce a high percentage of Normal offspring in F1. But if you continue breeding to CBF2-3, the F0 colors will reappear.

Red ♂ × Purple ♀
→ F1: Mostly Normal
→ F2-3: Red Purple colors return
⚖️

Both Parents Matter Equally

Male and female contribute equally to offspring color. Neither sex has more influence — bloodline quality matters far more than which parent is which sex.

📊

Stabilization Timeline

2-3 generations to stabilize a color line (depends on bloodline compatibility). A line is considered starting to stabilize at 50-60% offspring matching target color.

F1
F2
F3+
Low match Stabilizing Stable

Note: Multi-color morphs like Aurora may always produce ~3 variations even when stable.

🌡️

Environment Matters (A Little)

Temperature, humidity, and substrate can shift colors slightly since rainbow stag beetle coloration is structural (not pigment-based). However, genetics and bloodline are by far the primary factors.

How I Raise Larvae

Individual Raising
L1–L2: 1 larva in 120 ml cup, or 2–3 larvae in 300–350 ml container

L3: 1 larva in 800–1,200 ml container. Change substrate every 80 days (about 3 months). For potential ones, use 1,200–1,400 ml

Pre-pupation: When they're nearly ready to pupate, move to 500 ml with compact flake soil substrate

Substrate: Kinshi (mushroom bottle) or stag beetle flake soil
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