European rhinoceros beetle is a flying beetle species, being a part of the scarab (Scarabaeidae) family and rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae) subfamily. It has a vast and extensive region, covering a significant part of Northern Europe except the British Isles, being the only one in its subfamily to inhabit that region. It even occupies parts of Western Asia and North Africa.
Size: 20 – 40 mm (0.79 – 1.57 inches); some can grow up to 47 mm (1.9 inches)
Color: They have a darkened, glazy appearance, with reddish-brown elytra and a more darkened head and pronotum. One could even spot red, long hair covering their body’s undercol3s as well as their legs.
Other Characteristic Features: When it comes to their bodily features, sexual dimorphism is prominent. The male species has long and curved horns that, however, remain absent in their female counterparts.
The larva grows to approximately 60 -100 mm (2.4 – 3.9 inches), mostly around rotten wood stumps and sawdust.
The pupa has a yellowish-brown or reddish body with a segmented appearance. It takes about 2 – 4 years for the larva to mature into an adult after passing through the pupal stage.
The small eggs, round or oval, are mostly laid in burrows in the decayed wood from where they hatch into larva
| Lifespan | 2 – 3 weeks on an average |
| Distribution | Throughout Northern Europe up to the Mediterranean Basin, Western Asia, and parts of North Africa |
| Habitat | Larvae: Rotting wooden stumps and sawdust Adults: Woody areas |
| Common Predators | Ant, rats, other beetle species; larvae are parasitized by the mammoth wasp species |
| Seasons active from | June – July |
| Host Plants | Alexandrian laurel, breadfruit, banana, sugarcane, pineapple, mango |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Decayed plant matter Adults: They do not feed |
The European rhinoceros beetle bores into the host plant’s crown damaging the tissues to a great extent.
European rhinoceros beetle is a flying beetle species, being a part of the scarab (Scarabaeidae) family and rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae) subfamily. It has a vast and extensive region, covering a significant part of Northern Europe except the British Isles, being the only one in its subfamily to inhabit that region. It even occupies parts of Western Asia and North Africa.
Size: 20 – 40 mm (0.79 – 1.57 inches); some can grow up to 47 mm (1.9 inches)
Color: They have a darkened, glazy appearance, with reddish-brown elytra and a more darkened head and pronotum. One could even spot red, long hair covering their body’s undercol3s as well as their legs.
Other Characteristic Features: When it comes to their bodily features, sexual dimorphism is prominent. The male species has long and curved horns that, however, remain absent in their female counterparts.
The larva grows to approximately 60 -100 mm (2.4 – 3.9 inches), mostly around rotten wood stumps and sawdust.
The pupa has a yellowish-brown or reddish body with a segmented appearance. It takes about 2 – 4 years for the larva to mature into an adult after passing through the pupal stage.
The small eggs, round or oval, are mostly laid in burrows in the decayed wood from where they hatch into larva
| Lifespan | 2 – 3 weeks on an average |
| Distribution | Throughout Northern Europe up to the Mediterranean Basin, Western Asia, and parts of North Africa |
| Habitat | Larvae: Rotting wooden stumps and sawdust Adults: Woody areas |
| Common Predators | Ant, rats, other beetle species; larvae are parasitized by the mammoth wasp species |
| Seasons active from | June – July |
| Host Plants | Alexandrian laurel, breadfruit, banana, sugarcane, pineapple, mango |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Decayed plant matter Adults: They do not feed |
The European rhinoceros beetle bores into the host plant’s crown damaging the tissues to a great extent.
