Eastern Hercules Beetle

20 February 2008
SFC Dodd found this beetle today in front of our office building located in Anniston, Alabama. We had no idea what this was and after some initial research found your website. She found out that this was a male and was not indiginous to the area. I just thought this was an interesting find!

… sazyjessy, 20 February, 2008 - 3:07pm

Is indigenous to Alabama

Good find--I've only found them in the summer in North Carolina. There are indigenous to Alabama, being found all over the east, west to Texas.

… Cotinis, 20 February, 2008 - 5:45pm

eastern hercules beetle

I searched the internet today and found this site. I unlocked the door at my work today and encountered one of these beautiful beetles. I took pics with my camera phone. I am trying to upload them. He was huge(about 2 1/4" long). I am in Conroe, Texas and never seen them here before. Tell me more about them if you have more info. It would be greatly appreciated

… ahmcmahan, 14 July, 2006 - 7:17pm

July 2007 Charlotte, NC

i just found one today in charlotte, nc. he was crawling around the parking lot during the day. i picked him up with a stick a put him under an oak tree. he was about 31/2 inches and had the spotted wings.

… hanleyk, 5 July, 2007 - 2:10pm

More info on beetle

More information is on the guide page for this species.

… Cotinis, 14 July, 2006 - 9:25pm

Excellent find Mr Coin! I hop

Excellent find Mr Coin! I hope to collect a couple of this species in the future for photography and possibly to establish a breeding population. Your specimen looks almost identical to one I found in the early 90s further west in Rutherford County, NC

… Malkavian, 14 May, 2005 - 11:13pm

America's Biggest...

Beautiful shots of a magnificent creature Patrick,

If I am not mistaken,this is the largest beetle in the US...isn't it?

I've tried locating it's relative, the Ox Beetle (also a biggie), while here in Florida, but to no avail...

great shots!
-Tony

… Tony DiTerlizzi, 30 June, 2004 - 1:14pm

Thaks, Ox beetle, on my list too

Thanks for compliments on photos. I'm getting better at beetles. The shininess is real tricky--you end up just photographing glare. The polarizer helps. Oddly, my camera overexposes with it--I don't know why. Maybe the meter is adjusted to always have some glare.

Unfortunatley, most of the Hercules I find are dead--they hit lighted walls real hard, I guess. I just found a dead male and female today at the same site I found the live male a few days ago. (They were below the very same wall, in fact--all of them have been at the same spot!)

Ox Beetle--Strategus aloeus. It's not here in NC, though we do have Strategus antaeus and Strategus splendens, according to the NCSU entomology collection. I guess those are similar. I didn't know we had those--will have to be on the lookout. Sounds like coastal plain species, according to Scarab Beetles of South Carolina. Now I have a new beetle to long for.

I have seen the related Xyloryctes jamaciensis--a couple of live females, and one freshly dead male. All found at lights. I think the photos are here on bugguide.

Patrick Coin
Durham, North Carolina

… Cotinis, 30 June, 2004 - 2:34pm

Live Hercules at Imagination Station in Wilson, NC

We just found a beautiful male Hercules beetle in our yard. We thought he was so unusual. We took him to the local Museum (Imagination Station )where they have exhibits of live beetles. They were thrilled. He was about 2 inches long. Your photos helped us identify him.
Thanks,
AABD
Wilson, NC

… Hercules, 13 August, 2004 - 2:57pm

Ox Beetles

I love the males with the 3 long horns, I used to see them quite a bit when I was growing up here. Usually they are seen after rain as (I believe) they burrow in the sand.

The Hercules Beetles don't make it to South Florida (and not up in Mass. either) so I'll hafta come visit if I wanna see a live one:)

… Tony DiTerlizzi, 30 June, 2004 - 4:02pm