Horned-beetles

Guides

• Dynastes

  Hercules beetles

  Dynastes is a genus of large scarab beetles in the subfamily Dynastinae, commonly known as Hercules beetles. Males are distinguished by prominent cephalic and pronotal horns used in combat, while females lack horns. The genus exhibits remarkable hygrochromic color change, with elytra shifting between black and yellow-green depending on humidity levels. Eight species are currently recognized, distributed from the United States through Central America to South America. Larvae develop in rotting wood, with some species reaching exceptional sizes.

  scarab-beetleshorned-beetlessexual-dimorphismstructural-colorationforest-insectsdecomposerslight-pollution-sensitive

• Dynastinae

  Rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles, horn beetles

  Dynastinae is a subfamily of Scarabaeidae containing over 1,500 species across 225 genera, commonly known as rhinoceros beetles. Members are characterized by prominent horns on males of most species, used in combat for mating access. The subfamily includes some of the largest beetles, with species reaching over 15 cm in length. Despite their formidable appearance, they are harmless to humans.

  Scarabaeidaehorned-beetlessap-feederswood-decomposerssexual-selectioncombat-behaviortropical-beetles

• Dynastini

  True Rhinoceros Beetles

  Dynastini is a tribe of large scarab beetles commonly known as true rhinoceros beetles. The group includes some of the largest and most iconic beetles in the world, with males typically bearing prominent horns on the head and pronotum used in combat. Notable genera include Dynastes (Hercules beetles), Megasoma, and Golofa. Members are primarily tropical and subtropical in distribution, with some species reaching temperate regions of North America.

  scarabaeidaedynastinaerhinoceros-beetleshorned-beetleslarge-beetlessap-feederswood-decomposerssexual-dimorphismcombat-behaviortropical-beetlesnearcticneotropical

• Hemiphileurus

  Hemiphileurus is a genus of rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae) in the family Scarabaeidae, established by Kolbe in 1910. The genus comprises at least 60 described species distributed across the Neotropical region. Members are characterized by the typical dynastine morphology including horns or tubercles, though often less dramatically developed than in some related genera. The genus is part of the tribe Phileurini, which includes other horned scarabs with primarily tropical distributions.

  Dynastinaerhinoceros-beetlesNeotropicalScarabaeidaePhileurinihorned-beetles