Dorcus hopei hopei, commonly known as the hopes stag beetle, is one of the longest living stag beetle in the adult form living up to 5+ years. Although it looks very similar to the Japanese giant stag (Dorcus hopei binodulosus), it has many distinct features that helps you to tell them apart. Some differences include the jaw shape, the 2 spikes at the end of the mandibles aligns almost directly on top for the hopes stag beetle, as for the Japanese stag, this feature is quite rare. Another feature that aids in distinguishing amongst these two stags are the curvature of the mandibles, and the overall thickness of the beetle. The jaws of the hopes stag curves inwards as for Japanese giant stag its straighter. On average the hopes stag is thicker than the Japanese giant stag, but due to selective breeding this isn't always the case. Due to these distinguishing features of the hopes stag, it was once told to be the giant stag with the most desirable features. To this date the hope stag and Japanese giant stag are both extremely popular species, they both have pedigrees specializing in specific qualities.