Taxonomy and names ĭynastes tityus is known by a number of common names, including eastern Hercules beetle, elephant beetle and ox beetle. The grubs are eaten by mammals including skunks and raccoons, and soil-dwelling arthropods, including centipedes, ground beetles, spiders and the maggots of Mydas flies. The eggs are vulnerable to attack from a predatory mite. Predators ĭifferent predators attack different life stages of Dynastes tityus. The adults' diet is not well known, but they have been observed lapping up the sap of ash trees. They emerge in the summer and live for 6–8 months. Adults remain underground through the winter, initially remaining in their pupal cell. After 12–18 months, the larvae pupate in late summer. The larvae are large C-shaped grubs with white bodies and chewing mouthparts, which feed on decaying wood and litter within rotten trees and produce distinctive rectangular fecal pellets about 10 mm (0.39 in) long. Subsequent batches of eggs are oviposited in the same site until its resources are exhausted. grantii are very similar, and it is possible to interbreed them and produce viable hybrids. Several species are found in Mexico with Dynastes hyllus found as far north as Tamaulipas. tityus inhabits the eastern United States, Dynastes grantii (the western Hercules beetle) live at higher elevations in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Similar species ĭynastes species are restricted to the Americas and two of the eight species occur in the United States. tityus lives in the eastern and southeastern United States, from New York state, Illinois and Indiana in the north to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico in the south, with eastern Texas marking the western limit of its range. ĭynastes tityus was featured on a stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in October 1999. Occasionally, both elytra may be a uniform mahogany color, or one elytron may be pale with dark blotches, while the other is a plain mahogany color. Moisture is stored on the outer layer of the elytra, called the epicuticle, which changes the angle at which light reflects off of the underlying layer, the exocuticle, which is composed of photonic crystals. This results from moisture which the shell has absorbed when the elytra dry out, they return to their paler color. Beetles that are found in the soil or in rotten wood often appear very dark, with the spots on the elytra obscured. The pattern of spots is unique to each individual. The elytra are green, gray, or tan, usually with black mottling. Despite the size of the horns, Dynastes tityus is harmless to humans. The horns are used in battles between rival males competing for a mate the size of the horn reflects the availability of food when the beetle was growing. Dynastes tityus is therefore "among the longest and heaviest beetles in the United States". The larvae feed on decaying wood from various trees.Īdults of both sexes are 20–27 millimeters (0.8–1.1 in) wide, and males are 40–60 millimeters (1.6–2.4 in) long, including a long horn (the pronotal horn) which projects forwards from the thorax of the male a second horn (the clypeal horn) projects upwards from the head. The adult's elytra are green, gray or tan, with black markings, and the whole animal, including the male's horns, may reach 60 mm (2.4 in) in length. Dynastes tityrus Andrews, 1916 (Lapsus)ĭynastes tityus, the eastern Hercules beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the Eastern United States.Scarabaeus pennsylvanicus De Geer, 1774.PressRelease.jsp?CURSOR=116&BV_UseBVCookie=yes> I think you forgot to include the web address. I have never in my life seen a Beetle quite like him. I hope he has a very long and productive life. My husband ended up moving him the next day to a vacant field across the road because he found him on the ground in front of my barn and was afraid my horses would step on him and crush him. Here is a photo of Dynastes tityus on a postage stamp issued in the U.S. These are reportedly the most massive beetles in North America, though some Stag Beetles may be in contention for the record. Some great photos of mating couples of D. Adults are reported to feed off the sap of trees, especially from the Ash family, and to eat figs, while the grubs eat leaf litter and rotten wood. A larger species is found in the West, Dynastes granti. Sometimes they are called Unicorn Beetles or Rhinoceros Beetles depending upon the author, but our latest sources credit the common name to be Hercules, though the scientific name remains the same. We have only received photos of dead ones in the past which can be viewed on our beetle page. You have taken a beautiful photograph of a male Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus. I have been searching the web trying to identify it but haven’t had any luck. My husband found this on one of our tomato plants this weekend.
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