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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles (Scarabaeoidea) » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » Rhinoceros Beetles (Dynastinae) » Dynastini » Hercules Beetles (Dynastes)

Genus Dynastes - Hercules Beetles

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus - male Larvae - Dynastes tityus ID Me Please - Dynastes tityus - female Hercules beetle larva - Dynastes tityus Dynastes tityus? - Dynastes tityus - male Eastern Hercules Beetle? - Dynastes tityus - male My Buddy - Dynastes tityus - male Western Hurcules Beetle - Dynastes granti
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles)
Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)
Subfamily Dynastinae (Rhinoceros Beetles)
Tribe Dynastini
Genus Dynastes (Hercules Beetles)
Other Common Names
Unicorn Beetles
Explanation of Names
Author of genus is Kirby, 1825.
Dynastes is Latin, originally from Greek dunastes (δυναστης), lord or ruler (1).
Numbers
There are two species in temperate North America: D tityus (Eastern Hercules Beetle), and D. granti (Southwestern Hercules Beetle)--Nearctica.com and Arnett (2).
Size
40-140 mm (latter including tropical members of genus)
Identification
Huge, robust beetles. Males with prominent horns.
Range
New world tropics, into temperate North America.
Habitat
Forests
Life Cycle
Larvae bore in rotting wood. Adults of Dynastes are nocturnal and are attracted to lights.
Print References
The Century Dictionary--entry for Dynastes (1)
Internet References
This page describes D. granti:
page at http://www.naturalworlds.org/
This page on
West Indian Dynastinae discusses D. hercules, the largest in the genus, length up to 140 mm. It is found in parts of the West Indes and Central America.
Works Cited
1.The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language
2.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
Contributed by Cotinis on 21 March, 2004 - 10:30pm
Additional contributions by Phillip Harpootlian
Last updated 17 July, 2008 - 7:17pm

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