Hercules Beetle

Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus, 1758) is a rhinoceros beetle in Scarabaeidae, subfamily Dynastinae. Huang’s 2017 revision recognizes the Guadeloupe and Dominica populations as this species and separates several former subspecies as distinct species. [1][2]

Males have a black head and thorax, with olive-toned wing covers interrupted by a black midline and scattered dark spots. A forward-projecting thoracic horn opposes the horn rising from the head. Females lack both horns and have coarsely punctured wing covers that are usually black. [2]

Dynastes hercules occurs in forested regions of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. The closely related Dynastes reidi occupies Martinique and Saint Lucia. [1]

Guadeloupe larval records include decaying trunks of Licania ternatensis, Amanoa caribaea and Inga ingoides. The larvae develop inside deteriorating timber. [2]

The name dates to Linnaeus’s 1758 description. Historical Dominican names include Dynastes lagaii and Dynastes vulcan; the regional checklist treats them within the nominal Hercules beetle. [3]

Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.