Dynastes tityus

[livingplanet3]

Two males from my latest generation of Dynastes tityus, which are now emerging -



This tityus culture has consistently produced beetles of very nice size across the generations. Of course, it's not just a matter of genetics - nutritional and environmental factors are very important as well.

[exoticimports]

All I see is a long term commitment!

Seriously they are beautiful. I got a bunch of megasoma from a guy who was breeding them and then found himself with a bunch of papered specimens. I guess over time they add up!

Chuck

[livingplanet3]

Feb 9, 2022 18:28:56 GMT -8 exoticimports said:

All I see is a long term commitment!

Seriously they are beautiful. I got a bunch of megasoma from a guy who was breeding them and then found himself with a bunch of papered specimens. I guess over time they add up!

Chuck

True, they do take some commitment, but in my experience, D. tityus is actually one of the more easily reared beetles because there's nothing particularly complicated about their requirements. Mostly, it's just a matter of time, with the life cycle from egg to adult taking around a year.

[trehopr1]

The males still remain a collector's "prize" should you be fortunate enough to wild collect one. For me, it still remains the highlight of any trip that I take to the far southern counties of my state (ILL.)

That region is the most northerly reach of the species here. Of course, it helps immensely that the Shawnee National Forest takes up a fair amount of the area.

Found several under various gas station lights during the 1990s and early 2000s. However, around 2005 the gas stations all switched to LED and halogen lighting thus killing off any prospects of ever finding them there again !

[trehopr1]

I really have a particular fondness for this
grand species; the largest beetle this side of
Arizona.

When I first saw it pictured (as a youngster) of
8 yrs. in my 1st (Zim)/Book of Insects -- my eyes
boggled !



Your thread here was just the "spur" I needed to reflect
upon my several occasions at capturing, admiring, and
keeping alive this species on a diet of peaches.


The last 2 which I collected was back on June.29.2018
I picked up two males and a female all in the same night
and within my first 15 minutes at a location I check for 
moths.

Here are the two males (just after capture).



And here is one of them with his legs sprawled-out
on a sheet of paper...



These fellows are just plain FUN to hold and admire.
They are quite strong and can really hold-on to your
fingers. They are also a little pungent and if they feel
bothered or threatened  they seem to force air out of
their spiracles (enough to be audible).

They are credible and quite capable fliers as I have
personally seen one come in for a landing ! Their
flight is surprisingly quiet as opposed to other beetles
which arrive "buzzing-in".

In fact, I've only observed just that one (male) in flight;
everyone else I've ever found just "appeared" seemingly
out of nowhere.


 

[vabrou]

Though my interest is primarily in lepidoptera, recently I published on some larger beetles of Louisiana. We published on the genus strategus in Louisiana, also Dynastes tityus, and the genus Lucanus. Though we included all available records we could find, the bulk of our published records were gleaned my personal captures over the past half century obtained mostly using UV light traps. Here is a freely accessible link: www.academia.edu/40595123/Dynastes_tityus_Linnaeus_1763_Coleoptera_Scarabaeidae_Dynastinae_in_Louisiana. I have never reared any coleoptera, so I only have wild-captured adults.

[vabrou]

Here is our freely accessible pdf on the genus Strategus in Louisiana. Here is a male Strategus anteus. Link: www.academia.edu/37938943/THE_GENUS_STRATEGUS_KIRBY_COLEOPTERA_SCARABAEIDAE_DYNASTINAE_IN_LOUISIANA

[livingplanet3]

Feb 9, 2022 23:04:51 GMT -8 trehopr1 said:

I really have a particular fondness for this
grand species; the largest beetle this side of
Arizona.

When I first saw it pictured (as a youngster) of
8 yrs. in my 1st (Zim)/Book of Insects -- my eyes
boggled !...

...Your thread here was just the "spur" I needed to reflect
upon my several occasions at capturing, admiring, and
keeping alive this species on a diet of peaches.

The last 2 which I collected was back on June.29.2018
I picked up two males and a female all in the same night
and within my first 15 minutes at a location I check for 
moths.

Here are the two males (just after capture)...

...And here is one of them with his legs sprawled-out
on a sheet of paper...

...These fellows are just plain FUN to hold and admire.
They are quite strong and can really hold-on to your
fingers. They are also a little pungent and if they feel
bothered or threatened  they seem to force air out of
their spiracles (enough to be audible).

They are credible and quite capable fliers as I have
personally seen one come in for a landing ! Their
flight is surprisingly quiet as opposed to other beetles
which arrive "buzzing-in".

In fact, I've only observed just that one (male) in flight;
everyone else I've ever found just "appeared" seemingly
out of nowhere.

 

My experience was the same - Zim's book almost certainly provided my first introduction to Dynastes tityus. For years following that, I hoped to find one. But, to this day, I've still never actually encountered one in the wild; in regard to live specimens, I've only ever seen captive-bred examples. I've reared many hundreds of them over the past 20 years. Surprisingly, my culture shows no signs whatsoever of health issues, despite having been inbred for two decades, with no introduction of new genetic stock.

[evra]

Nice beetles. D. granti isn’t really any bigger, it just has a longer thoractic horn. Unlike D. tityus, granti is really abundant in the right habitat at the right time. Last year I had so many on my sheet one night that the weight of the beetles congregating at the top caused it to sag. Like Chrysina gloriosa, it is strongly associated with alligator juniper.