Titan beetle
| Titan beetle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Titanus giganteus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Cerambycidae |
| Subfamily: | Prioninae |
| Genus: | Titanus |
| Species: | T. giganteus |
| Binomial name | |
| Titanus giganteus (Linnaeus, 1771) | |
The Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is a neotropical longhorn beetle, the only one in the genus Titanus, and the second-largest known beetle.
Description
Adults can grow up to 6.5 inches (16.7 cm) in length.[1] Of all known beetles, only the Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, in which giant males occasionally can grow to 7 inches (over 17.5 cm),[2] is longer than the Titan beetle, but the Hercules beetle males have an enormous horn on the pronotum or thorax making up around half of its total length. As such, the body of the Titan beetle is considerably larger than that of the Hercules beetles. It is known that the short, curved and sharp mandibles can snap pencils in half and cut into human flesh.[3] Adult titan beetles do not feed, searching instead for mates.
The larvae have never been found, but are thought to feed inside wood and may take several years to reach full size before they pupate. Boreholes thought to be created by titan beetle larvae seem to fit a grub over two inches wide and perhaps as much as one foot long. A famous "life-size" photograph of a putative larva of this beetle appeared in National Geographic magazine, filling an entire page,[3] but it was of a different species of beetle, possibly Macrodontia cervicornis.
The adults defend themselves by hissing in warning and biting, and have sharp spines as well as strong jaws.[3]
Distribution
It is known from the rain forests of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Guianas, and north-central Brazil.
Gallery
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Titanus giganteus beetles sold in international meeting of entomologists in Prague
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Titanus giganteus male
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Titanus giganteus at the Montréal Insectarium
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Titan beetle. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Titan beetle |