A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Beetle approx. 3cm long
Pending ID 'Dasygnathus trituberculatus'
On Dasygnathus trituberculatus there are 3 tubercles next to each other on the middle of pronotum. Sometimes it is a bit hard to see on minor males, like the one I believe is on this photo. The females have virtually no armature on the pronotum therefore one can not identify them based on photos. The species is one of the, if not THE, most common rhinoceros beetle in Victoria. When Carne published his monograph on the Australian Rhinoceros beetles, stated that he examined nearly 500 specimens of Dasignathus trituberculatus specimens from ACT, NSW, Vic. and SA yet only 84 Pimelopus nothus all across from the Southern States. Bu, of course, you are aware that identification based on photographs (apart from a few hundred exceptions across the board) are almost always educated guess only.
Thanks Andras2. Can you tell us which features identify this and why is it not Pimelopus nothus? I'm not good with these.. especially with such dimporphism.
It is definitely a native rhinoceros beetle, most likely Dasygnathus trituberculatus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). The other, very similar Dasygnathus species occurring in Queensland.
Spotted on Feb 8, 2015
Submitted on Feb 8, 2015
+1
