Polposipus herculeanus

Polposipus herculeanus
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Tenebrionidae
Genus:	Polposipus
Species:	P. herculeanus
Binomial name
Polposipus herculeanus Solier, 1848

Polposipus herculeanus, the Frégate Island giant tenebrionid beetle or Frégate beetle, is a flightless species of beetle in family Tenebrionidae. It is endemic to Frégate Island in the Seychelles. It grows to be about 20–30 mm long and has a hard, rounded abdomen covered with tubercles. There appears to be no sexual dimorphism. When in danger, chemicals will secrete from the defensive glands in the posterior of the beetle, which have a musky smell and stains the skin purple. They are largely arboreal, sheltering under the bark of trees, beneath the crooks of branches, and within bushes during the day. They are believed to be nocturnal, descending to the forest floor at night, though never travelling far. In captivity they have been noted to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, bark and cat food. There are a few captive populations, taken for conservation reasons, the largest being at London zoo. These populations are the descendants of two small populations taken from the wild several years apart. It is quite possible that it previously lived on other islands in the Seychelles, and it has been suggested that it could be reintroduced to other islands to reduce its vulnerability. In captivity they can live for around seven years. Fungal infections are a major cause of mortality in captivity.

Sources

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Polposipus herculeanus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 August 2007.
• ARKive Images
• Nature Seychelles 2005. Giant Tenebrionid Beetle. Downloaded on 10 October 2009.

Amanda Ferguson & Paul Pearce-Kelly (2004). Management guidelines for the welfare of zoo animals: The Frégate Island giant tenebrionid beetle Polposipus herculeanus