The golden cow (lucanus cervus) and the red-headed cow (lucanus barbarossa) are the biggest beetles in Portugal. Between May and September, they walk outside, especially on hot nights, and scientists from various organizations want to know where they are.
If you see one, take a photo and support this project by visiting the site www.vacaloura.pt and recording your sighting.
O vacaloura.pt project is promoting a citizen science campaign and needs the support of all citizens to conserve the biggest beetles of the Portuguese fauna.
The biggest beetle in Portugal
The golden cow (lucanus cervus), the largest beetle of our fauna with more than 8 centimeters in length is essential in the nutrient cycle of forests by decomposing dead wood, it is a species protected by community laws and its populations are in decline all over Europe , thus being almost at risk of extinction.
In Portugal, little is known about this species, however, since 2016, a collective effort has been made to increase knowledge about this beetle.
Voluntary efforts to improve the knowledge and, consequently, the conservation status of the gilt cow have grown in Portugal with the emergence of VACALOURA.pt Project – Portuguese Network for the Monitoring of the Loud Cow (lucanus cervus).
This project, coordinated by the Bioliving Association in partnership with more than 20 national organizations, has promoted, in a multidisciplinary strategy, the conservation of the largest beetles of our fauna, especially the laurel cow and its relatives, using this as a decoy for the conservation of natural habitats and processes that are sometimes neglected in the management of forest areas and arboreal heritage, such as dead wood and its natural decomposition.
Although it has already been possible to double the known distribution area of the golden cow and its relatives in Portugal, thanks to the support of thousands of citizens, very little is known about the conservation status of the various species.
Are we going to look for the red-headed cow?
The red-headed cow (lucanus barbarossa) is a beetle with very localized populations and can be seen in its adult stage only between July and September.
This species has very dark tones, measures between 3 and 4,5 cm and only occurs in the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and North Africa, unlike the golden cow (lucanus cervus), which takes place across Europe.
The fact of having a much smaller distribution means that knowledge about the species is very limited, including whether or not it is at risk of extinction.
«In order to change this paradigm, it is intended to compile as many records as possible about the species in Portugal, an extremely important measure to assess its extinction risk», emphasize the project's promoters.
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