Taveuni beetle

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iTaveuni beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Family: Cerambycidae
Subfamily: Prioninae
Genus: Xixuthrus
Species: X. terribilis
Binomial name
Xixuthrus terribilis
Thomson, 1877

The Taveuni beetle (Xixuthrus terribilis)) is known from the island of Taveuni in Fiji, and is one of the largest living insect species, with specimens around 14 cm long, excluding legs, antennae, or jaws. It is closely related to the giant Fijian long-horned beetle. These beetles have powerful jaws, and should be handled with care when alive. This species has been mistakenly classified under the name Xixuthrus heyrovskyi since 1945, when it was unwittingly re-described, and this name still appears in much of the scientific literature.