European rhinoceros beetle

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European rhinoceros beetle

Oryctes nasicornis. Male, side view

Dorsal view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Subfamily:	Dynastinae
Genus:	Oryctes
Species:	O. nasicornis
Binomial name
*Oryctes nasicornis* (Linnaeus, 1758)

The European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) is a large flying beetle belonging to the family Dynastinae.

Subspecies

Oryctes nasicornis afghanistanicus Endrödi, 1938
Oryctes nasicornis chersonensis Minck, 1915
Oryctes nasicornis corniculatus Villa & Villa, 1833
Oryctes nasicornis edithae Endrödi, 1938
Oryctes nasicornis grypus (Illiger, 1803)
Oryctes nasicornis hindenburgi Minck, 1915
Oryctes nasicornis holdhausi Minck, 1914
Oryctes nasicornis illigeri Minck, 1915
Oryctes nasicornis kuntzeni Minck, 1914
Oryctes nasicornis latipennis Motschulsky, 1845
Oryctes nasicornis mariei (Bourgin, 1949)
Oryctes nasicornis nasicornis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Oryctes nasicornis ondrejanus Minck, 1916
Oryctes nasicornis polonicus Minck, 1916
Oryctes nasicornis przevalskii Semenow & Medvedev, 1932
Oryctes nasicornis punctipennis Motschulsky, 1860
Oryctes nasicornis shiraticus Endrödi & Petrovitz, 1974
Oryctes nasicornis transcaspicus Endrödi, 1938
Oryctes nasicornis turkestanicus Minck, 1915

Description

Oryctes nasicornis reach a length of 20–40 millimetres (0.79–1.57 in), with a maximum of 60 millimetres (2.4 in). It one of the largest beetles found in Europe. Elytra are reddish brown with a glazed appearance, while head and pronotum are slightly darker. The underside of the body and the legs are covered with long red hair. It is a sexually dimorphic species. The male's head is topped by a long curved horn (hence its common name), while the females have no horns.

Dim, the beetle from the Disney and Pixar film, A Bug's Life, is a European rhinoceros beetle.

Distribution

Oryctes nasicornis inhabits the Palaearctic region, excluding the British Isles. It is the only representative of the Dynastinae family found in Northern Europe. It is widespread in the Mediterranean basin up to Pakistan, the Near East and North Africa.

Habitat

The rhinoceros beetle lives on wood, and the large larvae can be found in rotting wood stumps and around sawdust. At the margin of its distribution, the beetle is often found in connection with sawmills and horse racing tracks.

Life cycle

The larvae grow in decaying plants feeding on woody debris (xylophagy), generally non-resinous. They can reach a length of 60–100 millimetres (2.4–3.9 in). The development period lasts 2 to 3 or 4 years. The adult size can be influenced by the quality and abundance of food.

The mammoth wasp (Megascolia maculata) is a parasite of European rhinoceros beetle larvae. A female wasp lays one egg inside the beetle larva; when the egg hatches, the wasp larva will feed on the beetle larva.

The adult beetle emerges at the end of March, April or May, and lives several months until autumn. It occurs mainly during the months of June and July and it is very active, flying at dusk and by night, attracted by the lights. These beetles do not feed, consuming during the few weeks of adult life reserves accumulated during the larval stages.