The karyotypes of 14 species of Lucanidae, including 10 without previously published chromosome data, are reported. The specimens studied belong to Lampriminae (2 species) Syndesinae (1 species) and Lucaninae (11 species). Their karyotypes differ from each other, as the result of an active chromosomal evolution amongst which, X-autosome translocations are particularly frequent and scattered in diverse taxa. Y chromosome loss characterizes genus Odontolabis. Apparently, no chromosome change was shared by species belonging to different genera, which prevented us to propose a chromosomal phylogeny. Comparing cytogenetic data to the recently published molecular phylogeny, chromosome changes appear to be of late occurrence. The integration of literature data into the present chromosome data shows that the presumed ancestral Polyphagan karyotype (20,XY) was conserved in the basal clades (Aesalinae, Syndesinae), whereas most chromosome rearrangements accumulated, but not at random, in the different branches leading to the actual species of Lucaninae.