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Species Dynastes tityus - Eastern Hercules Beetle

Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus - male Eastern Hercules Beetle - Dynastes tityus - male Dynastes tityus - male 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 Hercules beetle larva - Dynastes tityus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, 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)
Species tityus (Eastern Hercules Beetle)
Other Common Names
Rhinoceros Beetle, Unicorn Beetle
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Dynastes tityus (Linnaeus)
Orig. Comb: Scarabaeus tityus Linnaeus 1763
Explanation of Names
tityus (or tityos) is a giant of Greek mythology (Wikipedia--Tityos).
The 'true' Hercules beetle is Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus) which ranges as far n. as Veracruz, Mexico
Numbers
2 spp. n. of Mex. (1) (6 spp. in New World)
Size
Adult 40-60 mm long (including the "horns" of the male) and 20 to 27 mm wide (2)
Identification
Huge size, greenish elytra with variable amounts of dark spots. Some are nearly black. Male has massive horns projecting forward from head and pronotum.
Variations:
Range
se US (TX-FL-MD-MO) (BG data)
Habitat
Deciduous forests.
Season
Mostly: Jun-Aug (BG data)
Food
Adults feed on rotting fruit, sap, to some extent.
Life Cycle
Larvae live in rotting heartwood of logs and stumps, particularly hardwoods, but sometimes pine. Adults sometimes gather on logs (mating sites) (3). Males fight over breeding sites, such as cavities in oaks (4). Pupation occurs in late summer. Adults hibernate in pupal cells in decaying wood. Eggs laid following summer. Large larvae overwinter suggesting a two year life cycle. (2)
Remarks
This is the heaviest North American beetle, reportedly.
at high risk of endangerment due to the EAB (5)
See Also
Dynastes granti Horn - Grant's Hercules Beetle (Western)
- Range: AZ-NM, UT / Mex.
Ritcher's (1966) key to separating larvae:
Claws bearing 2 setae (Fig. 332) --- Dynastes
Claws bearing 3 or 4 setae (Figs. 333 and 334) --- Strategus (2)
Print References
Glaser, J. 1976. The Biology of Dynastes tityus (Linn.) in Maryland (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Coleopterists Bulletin 30(2): 133-138.
Arnett, p. 179, fig. 438 (6)
Arnett, p. 421 (3)
Brimley, p. 207 lists for "whole season" in North Carolina. (7)
Dillon p. 551, plate LIV #1, 2 (8)
Harpootlian, p. 114, fig. 228 (9)
Papp, p. 192, figs. 655-656 (10)
White, p. 147, plate 8 (11)
Internet References
Generic Guide to New World Scarabs - Matthew R. Moore, 2006
Hercules beetle - Blake Newton, Dept of Ento, Univ of KY, 2004
Texas Entomology - Mike Quinn, 2008
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.White Grubs and Their Allies, a Study of North American Scarabaeoid Larvae
Paul O. Ritcher. 1966. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 219 pp.
3.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
4.Florida's Fabulous Insects
Mark Deyrup, Brian Kenney, Thomas C. Emmel. 2000. World Publications.
5.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.
6.How to Know the Beetles
Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques. 1980. Wm. C. Brown Publishers.
7.Insects of North Carolina
C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
8.A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company.
9.Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of South Carolina
Phillip J. Harpootlian. 2001. Clemson University Public Service.
10.Introduction to North American Beetles
Charles S. Papp. 1984. Entomography Pubns.
11.Peterson Field Guides: Beetles
Richard E. White. 1983. Houghton Mifflin Company.