Titan beetle

The titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is a Neotropical longhorn beetle, the sole species in the genus Titanus, and one of the largest known beetles.

Titan beetle
Titanus giganteus
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Cerambycidae
Subfamily:
Prioninae
Genus:
Titanus

Audinet-Serville, 1832
Species:
T. giganteus
Binomial name
Titanus giganteus
(Linnaeus, 1771)
Synonyms
  • Cerambyx giganteus Linnaeus, 1771
  • Prionus giganteus
  • Percnopterus giganteus

Description

The titan beetle is one of the largest beetles, with the largest reliable measured specimen being 16.7 cm (6.6 in) in length,[1] comparable to such beetles as Xixuthrus heros (15 cm (5.9 in)) and the Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, in which giant males occasionally can grow up to 17.5 cm (6.9 in),[2] 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. The short, curved and sharp mandibles are known to snap pencils in half and cut into human flesh.[3] Adult titan beetles do not feed, searching instead for mates via pheromones while in flight.[4]

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. These beetles are also thought to feed on decaying wood below the ground. 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-sized" photograph of a putative larva of this beetle appeared in National Geographic magazine, filling an entire page,[3] but it turned out to be 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.

  • Titanus giganteus beetles for sale at international meeting of entomologists in Prague
  • Titanus giganteus male
  • Titanus giganteus at the MontrĂ©al Insectarium

See also

References
  1. Williams, David M. (2001). "Chapter 30: Largest". In Walker, T.J (ed.). University of Florida Book of Insect Records.
  2. Ratcliffe BC, Cave RD. 2015. The dynastine scarab beetles of the West Indies (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 28: l-346.
  3. Zahl, P. A. (1959): Giant insects of the Amazon. Natl. Geogr. Mag. 115 (5): 632-669.
  4. "Titan Beetle". Smithsonian. May 31, 2011.
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