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Project Noah Nature School
Dynastes tityus
Adults 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,[1] 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. Dynastes tityus is therefore "among the longest and heaviest beetles in the United States". 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. Despite the size of the horns, Dynastes tityus is harmless to humans. The elytra are green, gray, or tan, usually with black mottling. The pattern of spots is unique to each individual. Beetles that are found in the soil or in rotten wood often appear very dark, with the spots on the elytra obscured. This results from moisture which the shell has absorbed; when the elytra dry out, they return to their paler color. 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.
Deciduous forests
The reference of scale an adult woman's hand.
Spotted on Nov 21, 2003
Submitted on Jan 27, 2012
7 Comments
Yes you are right, it is hard to tell from the photos even they look pritty similar. Thank you.
They do look similar but it's hard to say for certain whether they are the same. I don't think that connection can be made from our photos, unfortunately.
Goody, do you think this is the same kind?
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/869...
Unfortunately, no. :-( In hindsight, I really should have done that. I had turned them over to my old boss and he cared for them until they eclosed and could be released. I had full access to them for photos but just never got over there to shoot the changes.
Nice find Goody. You didn't take further pics of their development ?
These were unearthed when a tree was removed for a construction project at my job. There were around 6 total that were salvaged by the construction workers, and they were all set up with soil and detritus. They all continued their development and in time, all became wonderful adult beetles. It was a very happy ending for the grubs.
Now THAT is a beetle grub! I'm hoping to find an adult of this species during the summer, such a marvelous beetle. What happened to these grubs after the picture was taken?