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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » Rhinoceros Beetles (Dynastinae) » Dynastini » Hercules Beetles (Dynastes) » Eastern Hercules Beetle (Dynastes tityus)

Species Dynastes tityus - Eastern Hercules Beetle

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus - male

Eastern Hercules Beetle, dark form female - Dynastes tityus - female

Strange bugs in East Tennessee (aliens maybe lol) - Dynastes tityus - male - female

Dynastes tityus pupa - Dynastes tityus - male

One male and 4 females - Dynastes tityus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

Superfamily Scarabaeoidea

Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)

Subfamily Dynastinae (Rhinoceros Beetles)

Tribe Dynastini

Genus Dynastes (Hercules Beetles)

Species tityus (Eastern Hercules Beetle)

Other Common Names

Rhinoceros Beetle, Unicorn Beetle

Explanation of Names

Dynastes tityus (Linnaeus 1763)

after Tityos, a giant of Greek mythology

Size

40-60 mm, including male "horns"(1)

Identification

Huge size, greenish elytra with variable dark spots. Some are nearly black. Male has massive horns on head and pronotum.

Coloration may vary strongly with humidity levels (possibly correlated with temperature changes) and can change fairly rapidly, see notes here:

Habitat

Deciduous forests.

Food

Adults feed on rotting fruit, sap

Life Cycle

Larvae in rotting heartwood of logs/stumps of hardwoods, sometimes pine. Adults sometimes gather on logs (mating sites)(2). Males fight over breeding sites, such as cavities in oaks(3). Pupation in late summer. Adults hibernate in pupal cells in decaying wood. Eggs laid following summer. Large larvae overwinter suggesting a 2-yr life cycle(1)

Remarks

at high risk due to the EAB(4)

Print References

Glaser J. (1976) The biology of Dynastes tityus (Linn.) in Maryland (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Col. Bull. 30: 133-138. (BHL link)

Internet References

Texas Entomology (Quinn 2008)

Works Cited

1.	White Grubs and Their Allies, a Study of North American Scarabaeoid Larvae Paul O. Ritcher. 1966. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 219 pp.

2.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

3.	Florida's Fabulous Insects Mark Deyrup, Brian Kenney, Thomas C. Emmel. 2000. World Publications.

4.	Ecological impacts of the emerald ash borer. Pp. 15-62. In: R.G. Van Driesche (ed.), Biology and Control of Emerald Ash Borer. Wagner, D.L. and K. Todd. 2015. USDA Technical Bulletin FHTET-2014-09. Morgantown, WV.

Contributed by Cotinis on 21 March, 2004 - 10:39pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Phillip Harpootlian, Mike Quinn, v belov, Edward Ruden
Last updated 15 August, 2024 - 11:50am

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