Rhinoceros Beetle - Xylotrupes gideon - at Mycoblitz at Tinaroo Dam (FAMILY SCARABAEIDAE)

            One person at the fungi mycoblitz was an entomologist and one night, he found a pair of mating rhinoceros beetles outside which he brought inside to the table where I photographed them.  We left them on the table for some time where another male (single photo) tried to get in on the act.  Later they were taken outside and were still at it over an hour later.  Here is an article I found on this beetle:-

The rhinoceros beetles also commonly known as Elephant Beetles.  They belong to the Scarab family. Scarab beetles have special antennae with fans on their tips. The rhinoceros beetle is the largest of all beetles and is named that because the males generally have notable horns on the front end of the body.

This beetle can be found in south-east Asia, the islands of Indonesia, the Solomons and Australia. It is often found in suburban areas of Queensland's coastal towns. They can be seen lying under street lights during summer months in southern Queensland but can be found at any time of the year in the tropical north. Rhinoceros beetles are also seen in large groups on Poinciana trees.

The rhinoceros beetle is 60mm in length and is recognised by the large horns on its front. This black beetle uses its horns to try to knock other males off a tree when they smell a female. They also make hissing squeaks when disturbed. These hissing sounds are made by rubbing the abdomen against the wing covers. Rhinoceros beetles are actually quite harmless; as long as you avoid the sharp claws on the end of their legs. Only males have horns. Females are quite plain and seen less often. It is also thought that the large gatherings on the Poinciana trees are part of the beetles mating behaviour

The rhinoceros beetle larvae (grub) hatches from eggs and develop into pupae and the pupae eventually develop into a beetle. A female lays about 50 white eggs in decaying vegetable matter. The eggs take about three weeks to hatch and when the larvae has hatched it feeds on the decaying vegetable matter. It could take this beetle up to two years to grow into the full size. The rhinoceros beetle's larvae is easily recognised by its transparent grey, its fine reddish down, its dark brown head and its enormous size-almost filling the palm of an hand. When the larvae is full grown, it forms a cell in the soil and lines it with faeces which solidifies into a waterproof layer. The adult beetle hatches out and digs its way to the surface after about a month. The adult lives for about 2-4 months.

For those living in south-east Queensland there is a very large Rhinoceros Beetle is in Oxenford, the way to Tamborine National Park. A sculpture I saw on the Internet.
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This is another article that explains more facts:-

Adult
Elephant beetles are large black scaraboid beetles in which the male has two large
projections on the head and another on the prothorax. By appropriate movements
they can to some extent move the ends together like tweezers. The beetles are
30-40 mm in length with the male being the larger.

Immature stages
The female lays her eggs in rotting organic matter. They hatch into small white C shaped larvae (called white grubs) with a dark-brown head and six small legs.

Life history
The egg stage takes 3 weeks, the larval stage 29 weeks and the pupal stage 5
weeks at about 26 degrees C.

Distribution
They occur throughout coastal Queensland.

Host range
The adults feed on pineapple, longan and lychee fruit and the bark of trees such as
poinciana.

Management

Importance
Elephant beetle can be a major, though sporadic pest, especially in north
Queensland. It is especially a problem of Wai Chee, Bengal and other later
maturing varieties.

Damage
Whole fruit and some times whole panicles of fruit are damaged by their chewing
activity. Subsequent spoilage of undamaged fruit occurs because of staining
caused by dripping juice from damaged fruit. The larvae may be a problem in
many species of container grown plants where the potting mixture has a high
proportion of organic matter. Organic matter attracts the females, which then lay
their eggs in that area. Larvae feed on the organic matter in the soil and in the
process may cut off roots. Adults feed on bark of poinsettia and other trees.

Action level
Examine 20 trees widely spaced throughout the crop. Economic losses will occur if
more than 30 beetles are found.

Control methods

Cultural
Beetles can be excluded with netting of a suitable mesh size eg. 20 mm mesh or
less.

Biological
Manual removal from trees is sometimes undertaken.
Larvae feed on rotting organic matter. Heavy mulching will attract beetles to lay
their eggs in this material. This will increase the problem in subsequent seasons.

Chemical
There is no chemical control for this pest.
   

Taken on: February 24, 2009

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Rhinoceros Beetle

Xylotrupes gideon

beetle

SCARABAEIDAE

black

mating

horns

male

female

queensland

australia

SX1-IS

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Sets appears in: • TOP 500 PHOTOS • Beetles and Bugs more » • Photos from the MYCOBLITZ Feb 2009 « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX1 IS, f/8.0, 1 sec, 5mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	1
Focal Length:	5mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh
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