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Post by wollastoni on Apr 29, 2013 9:28:59 GMT -8
Hi
As most of you know, I am a lepidopterist and not really a coleopterist. I have been recently amazed by the HUGE price some big Callipogon or Macrodontia can reach (with 4 digits !!!). Goliathus and Dynastes are also expensive.
Are those the most expensive genera or are there other "expensive" genera like those ?
Why are coleoptera more expensive than lepidoptera ? Because of the size criteria ? Because of Japanese collectors ?
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Post by simosg on Apr 29, 2013 10:11:15 GMT -8
Xixuthrus is a very expensive genera, I think there is no xixuthrus species to get for less money.
Are Coleoptera really more expensive than Lepidoptera? Look at Prepona, Agrias, Ornithoptera, Papilio, etc.
By the way, I would like to see some drawers of Xixuthrus (in another thread of course).
Hannes
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Post by albatus on Apr 29, 2013 11:06:53 GMT -8
Top Goliathus are very expensive also  |
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Joon
Full Member
Macrotomini
Posts: 141
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Post by Joon on Apr 29, 2013 11:39:25 GMT -8
I remember one guy selling +120MM Callipogon relictus for $20,000
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Post by lucanidae25 on Apr 29, 2013 17:45:48 GMT -8
I think it's very hard for a lepidopterist to understand the difficulty coleopterists are facing when collect their coleoptera. For start there're so much more stuffs to bring to collect coleoptera: generator, lights, cords, light sheets, very long nets, battery........... They are just so much more heavier than a few nets (for me to collect overseas it's about 28kg front and back packs). 2nd lepidoptera is active during the day but coleoptera are active both day and night. Coleoptera collectors can't rest at night but only with very few hours of sleep, unlike lepidopterist can rest at night. 3rd there are a lot more costs like paying someone to climb trees and labour goes into collecting coleoptera and the time for packaging.......................
It would be still cheaper to pay that money than try and catch them yourself, plus there's no guarantee that you will find what you want even if you have the money to travel...............
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Post by Chris Grinter on Apr 29, 2013 20:39:36 GMT -8
I think it's very hard for a lepidopterist to understand the difficulty coleopterists are facing to collect their coleoptera. For start there're so much more stuffs to bring to collect coleoptera: generator, lights, cords, light sheets, very long nets, battery........... They are just so much more heavier than a few nets (for me to collect overseas it's about 28kg front and back packs). 2nd lepidoptera is active during the day but coleoptera are active both day and night. Coleoptera collectors can't rast at night but only with very few hours of sleep, unlike lepidopterist can rest at night. 3rd there are a lot more costs like paying someone to climb trees and labour goes into collecting coleoptera and the time for packaging....................... It would be still cheaper to pay that money than try and catch them yourself, plus there's no guarantee that you will find what you want even if you have the money to travel............... You mean butterfly collectors - because 90% of the diversity of Lepidoptera is moths! I do all of what you say, plus painstakingly spreading each specimen. Microlepidopterists probably have the coleopterists beat in time consuming trapping and preparation. |
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Post by lucanidae25 on Apr 29, 2013 20:59:11 GMT -8
Yes, when I say lepidoptera I mean butterfly because that's what most people talk about here. Just looks at "Show Your Favorite Specimen" it's mostly butterfly.
It's so much cheaper to buy my beetles from Japan than try and catch them myself from overseas. Just take the Cheirotonus terunumai and Lucanus dongi I got last year for eg. I can get both sp under 500us each from Japan but costs me 20 times more for me to find my own L. dongi with all the costs: airfair, traveling, accommodations, drivers, food, generators etc.......All together 5 years in a roll before I get my 1st one. I came home with no Cheirotonus terunumai last year and end up spending 6 times more than I would if I buy from them Japan. I still end up buying one from Japan because it's still cheaper than for me to go back and collect in Tibet.
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Post by bichos on Apr 30, 2013 3:05:22 GMT -8
Easy, beetles are better, that's why they're worth more  |
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Post by Bugman on Apr 30, 2013 4:28:04 GMT -8
Good Point! ;D Unfortunately not many on this forum think so  There are many expensive species of Rutelidae but also very rare Lucanidae like Macrocrates sp. are sold for very high prices! It also depends a lot on the size of the specimens. I saw an Odontolabis femoralis drawer one time on the insect fair in Frankfurt am Main where a 93 mm cost 180€ and a 94 mm 250€. So 1 mm more means much. Also there are some beetles with color variations or body aberations which are much more expensive than ordinary specimens. |
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Post by lucanidae25 on Apr 30, 2013 15:03:27 GMT -8
Butterfly never interests me because they're too easy to catch. Beetles are better, all the conditions have to right before they will fly at night: moon, rain, temperatures, wind, locations, timing......... and with a bit of luck. Most nights are just moth night, beetle night is very far and few in between.  |
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Post by bichos on May 1, 2013 4:48:28 GMT -8
Too right. At least with stag beetles size dictates the price of the specimen.
You can pay a few bucks for a small specimen of a common species or several hundred for a large specimen of the same species. Size makes the specimen...
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Post by Zacatak on May 3, 2013 14:59:09 GMT -8
I have a nice big female Xixuthrus that i was going to let go as im not much of a beetle collector, but wasnt sure what price they sell for so i never bothered listing it up for auction. i would have to check what species it is. any idea what prices they demand?
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Post by lucanidae25 on May 3, 2013 15:16:14 GMT -8
I think you need to find out the sp 1st but everyone wants males more than females, so males will alway worth more than females. unless it's X. heros. ;D
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