![]() “They are not a problem insect at all,” Zack said. Relying on fat stored from their larval stage, the adults eat very little as they move about in search of a mate. ![]() Long before the beetle grows a horn, the larvae feed on decaying logs and stumps and then emerge as adults in late spring and early summer. Another name given to some of these insects is the Hercules beetle, because they possess a strength of Herculean proportion. Most are black, gray, or greenish in color, and some are covered in soft hairs. Species from at least seven beetle families have evolved horns or horn-like structures, the authors wrote.Īnd yes, S. Description Rhinoceros beetles are herbivorous insects named for the horn-like projections on and around the males' heads. “Stag beetles and rhino beetles are from two very different beetle families,” Zack explained, adding that because so few stag beetle species possess a horn, “ours is kind of the oddball to the rule.”īeetles’ horns – which happen to come in a variety of sizes and shapes ranging from antlers and pitchforks to a horn of plenty – are a highly evolved form of weaponry, according to “Beetle horns and horned beetles,” published in the July 2012 issue of Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Developmental Biology. In fact, there’s one whose common name is the rhinoceros beetle, which isn’t even found in Washington state. rugosum isn’t the only beetle to sport a head protrusion. Only the males have one, and it’s used to do battle against rivaling males for females, somewhat like rutting elk. Adult males have large horns on their heads, hence the common name rhinoceros beetles. Adults can be nearly 3 inches long and are a tannish to greenish color with black spots. Once you do, they won’t charge at you with that prominent horn. These insects are a type of beetle in the family Scarabaeidae the same family as June beetles, Japanese beetles, and dung beetles. Even so, because they tend to keep to themselves in wood piles and among rotting logs, it can take a little work to find them. “They are one of the region’s more interesting looking beetles,” said entomologist Richard Zack of Washington State University.Īlthough they live throughout the state, they’re more common west of the Cascades, he said. Meet Sinodendron rugosum, also known as the rugose stag beetle. After all, the insect ambling across damp leaves in the forest resembles a dinosaur stalking through the movie “Jurassic Park.” If you come across a beetle sporting a rhinoceroslike horn, you’ll do a double- or triple-take.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |