Strategus aloeus

Strategus aloeus, the ox beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the Americas.

Strategus aloeus
Male Strategus aloeus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Strategus
Species:	S. aloeus
Binomial name
Strategus aloeus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Description

The "major" males of this species have three large horns on their thoraces, resembling Triceratops. The "minor" males have horns, as well, but the two back ones are small and the frontal horn is much shorter than the horn in major males. The female ox beetle has a very short horn which has little use in fighting, but is used for digging in the ground. These beetles grow to about 1.0 to 1.5 in (2.5 to 3.8 cm) long as adults when the horns are excluded in the males.

Distribution

Although this species occurs in the southern United States, its populations are much higher in the Neotropical realm, throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and parts of South America.

Breeding

The larvae of this species feed on roots in the ground, while the adults feed on flowers and all sorts of fruit. The larvae take around four to six months to reach the pupal stage. The pupal stage can be shortened in captivity by placing the pupae in a warm area. The adults are active from May to November, and during this time both males and females try to mate. These beetles are very common near lights in the summer and can be collected in large numbers in some areas. Their larvae are sometimes considered a pest because they can damage lawns and gardens by feeding on the roots.

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  Ox beetle (male left, female right)
• 
  Adult male
• 
  Adult female

References

• Coin, Patrick and Phillip Harpootlian. "Species Strategus aloeus". Online: http://bugguide.net/node/view/6278. July 29, 2006.

External links

• Strategus aloeus photos at Beetlespace.wz.cz
• Strategus aloeus photos at BugGuide
• Strategus aloeus photos at Goliathus.com