Subject: I want to know what kind of Rhinoceros beetle
Geographic location of the bug: Bear, DE
Date: 09/26/2021
Time: 12:57 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi, I found the Rhinoceros beetles 2days in a row at my yard. But I don’t know what kind of it. I’m so curious which Rhinoceros beetle they are.
I found the first one at 9/24. It was belly up when I found it. So I thought it was dead at first. But it actually moved slowly when I poked with a mulch stick. So I took it to the tree.
This one was dark brown on the left side and there were white point on the right side and head part.
The second one had more white base and brown connected dot design.
They were both cute. Then both had the blond bangs and it was so cool.
I wanna teach my son about that beetle. But I don’t know the name. So please teach me what kind of Rhinoceros beetle.
Thank you!
How you want your letter signed: Miso-sugar
Dear Miso-sugar,
The easiest way to avoid the confusion of duplicative common names that may differ from region to region is to call insects by their accepted scientific binomial name, and in the case of your submitted Rhinoceros Beetles, they are male Dynastes tityus, a species with several different common names, though we most often call them Eastern Hercules Beetles. According to BugGuide, other common names are “Rhinoceros Beetle, Unicorn Beetle” so your initial identification is also acceptable. This species can be highly variable, and according to BugGuide they are described as: “Huge size, greenish elytra with variable amounts of dark spots. Some are nearly black. Male has massive horns projecting forward from head and pronotum.” This is the heaviest beetle in North America.
