News

New genera and species of Neotropical Rhinotragini by Larry G. Bezark, Ubirajara R. Martins, Antonio Santos-Silva & Amy Berkov

 

Did the genus Parandrocephalus Heller, 1916 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Callichromatini) cross the Wallace line? by Robert Perger

Hexamitodera (Sulcognatha) blairi
Hexamitodera (Sulcognatha) blairi

Hispaniolan Hemilophini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) by Steven W. Lingafelter

Calocosmus magnificus
Calocosmus magnificus

One new and seven newly recorded Callichromatini species from China (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae) by Eduard Vives

Morphological analysis of Mecosarthron Buquet and Xixuthrus Thomson and reevaluation of generic assignment of Xixuthrus domingoenis by Antonio Santos-Silva and Steve Lingafelter

M
orphological
analysis
of
M
ecosarthron
B
uquet
and
X
i
X
uthrus
t
ho
M
son
and
r
eevaluation
of
g
eneric
a
ssign
M
ent
of
X
i
X
uthrus
do
M
ingoensis
f
isher
(
c
oleoptera
,
c
era
MB
ycidae
,
p
rioninae
)

A new species of Novantinoe Santos-Silva & Hovore 2007

Two new tiger beetles from Tucuman Bolivian forest in the Southern Bolivian Andes by Robert Perger and Fernando Guerra

New genera and species of Neotropical Rhinotragini

New Parandrinae from Solomon Islands

The world largest beetles

Titanus giganteus and Megasoma actaeon are considered the heaviest beetles (Williams 2001), and a male specimen ofTitanus giganteus having a body length of 167 mm the longest beetle of the world (Williams 2001). 

 

Two other candidates for the longest beetles are Macrodontia cervicornis (169 mm, own observation in collection J.Sticher, Germany) and Dynastes hercules. Large males of the latter may reach a body length of 170 mm, however, there is no confirmed record in the literature.

Large males of Batocera wallacei are distinguished by with impressively long antennae (max. length incl. antennae 315 mm, Raymond Chin, pers. comm.), and of Euchirus longimanus andAcrocinus longimanus extraordinarily prolonged forelegs.


Most exaggerated morphologies (such as prolonged mandibles, horns, antennae and legs) are found in male beetles, which use these structures in intra-specific fights.

 

Larger males have larger weapons in respect to their body length and win more often in direct encounters. A smaller male loosing in competition is not able to contribute genetic information to the population’s gene pool, unless it develops a alternative tactic to reproduce. Such tactics may be the reason why we still encounter distinct small male caste in species with prolonged morphological structures. 

 

Further literature

 

Reference


Williams D. (2001) Chapter 30: Largest, The University of Florida Book of Insect Records (online)