Subject: Rhinoceros Beetle
Location: Delaware Watergap NJ
November 30, 2015 6:23 am
Hi Bug Man,
I know this adorable guy was a rhinoceros beetle the moment I saw him. However, I cannot find his exact species. All the images I can find do not have the same horn, his horn has three small nodes at the end.
Any idea??
Signature: Fern
Dear Fern,
We agree that this is a Rhinoceros Beetle, most likely Xyloryctes jamaicensis, though the bifurcated horn on your individual is quite curious and no individuals posted to BugGuide possess a similar horn. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he has an opinion. Did you really see this beetle today? Was the sighting at some other time of year?
Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for the fast response! The horn certainly confused me a little, as I haven’t been able to find a match for him.
This was late summer, maybe the last week of August.
Jennifern Hippely
Artist
Eric Eaton Responds
Hi, Daniel:
Wondering if it is not just debris on the horn. I found several specimens of the western species in New Mexico, and they often had caked soil on them from having dug out of the ground.
Eric
Thanks Daniel,
I’m sorry to trouble you over this. Mine is certainly a match for the Americana Rhinoceros except for the horn anomaly! Ha ha.
I remember it had an unusual horn, and my poor quality picture even shows something there. However, I have no other clearer pictures, and I can’t see the horn. Perhaps I misinterpreted some dirt, or damage.
Thank you again for clearly identifying him.
Fern