| Re: Rhino-beetle far from home |
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Group: sci.bio.entomology.misc · Group Profile
Author: Desert GuyDesert Guy Date: Jun 30, 2008 17:47
> I am not an entomologist by any means, so forgive my general ignorance
> of terms. Today I found my dog chewing on the head of a horned
> beetle. I found the body nearby easily because it was huge. Looking
> at the horns on its head, I thought it might be a rhino beetle. A
> quick google search and I found that it's probably a Strategus
> surinamensis, but I was surprised to learn that it is an exclusively
> South American insect. I live in Central Texas, and this isn't the
> first one I've seen. How did it get here? Did I identify it
> correctly?
I live in Arizona and am not familiar with Texas species, but rhinoceros
beetles are common here in the southwest, and there are several species
native to Texas.
As J. B. S. Haldane is reputed to have said, the creator must have had an
inordinate fondness for beetles, and indeed approximately one third of all
animal species on the planet are beetles. I'm not even going to try to
identify your specimen, but I suspect it's one of the common rhinoceros
beetles of Texas. A little Googling and careful comparing of photos should
help you pin it down.
I suppose it's possible that one of your neighbors is raising exotic species
and this one escaped, but I would give that explanation low probability. Of
course I might be wrong.
Desert Guy
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