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
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Cerambycidae
Subfamily: Prioninae
Tribe: Prionini
Genus: Titanus
Audinet-Serville, 1832
Species:
T. giganteus
Binomial name
Titanus giganteus
(Linnaeus, 1771)
Synonyms

(Genus)

  • Percnopterus Gistel, 1848

(Species)

  • 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. The adult beetles central nervous system structure shown that the cephalic ganglion is composed of the central brain and optic lobes that connect to the sub esophageal ganglion (SOG). This is a common structure for diurnal insects. The size of the size sensory integration were larger complex eyes that have structured large optic and antennal lobes.[5] [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 beetles for sale at international meeting of entomologists in Prague
  • Titanus giganteus male
    Titanus giganteus male
  • Titanus giganteus at the Montréal Insectarium
    Titanus giganteus at the Montréal 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.
  5. Dvořáček, Jiří; Sehadová, Hana; Weyda, František; Tomčala, Aleš; Hejníková, Markéta; Kodrík, Dalibor (2020). "First Comprehensive Study of a Giant among the Insects, Titanus giganteus: Basic Facts from Its Biochemistry, Physiology, and Anatomy". Insects. 11 (2): 120. doi:10.3390/insects11020120. PMC 7073837. PMID 32059419.
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