''Augosoma centaurus'', the centaurus beetle, is a species of

rhinoceros beetle Dynastinae or rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names – some for particular groups of rhinoceros beetles – include Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles. Over 1 ...

found in tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, which measures about 40–90 mm. As common in many insect species, the male is larger than the female and usually two males will fight for a female for mating.

Appearance

The centaurus beetle's adult morphology is strikingly similar to that of beetles from the genus ''Dynastes'' which originate from tropical

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, which led to its initial classification to that genus. Eventually, it was moved to its present genus to avoid confusion as even the genus ''Xylotrupes'' from the southeast

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n tropics have a similar form. The male has large horns and is considerably bigger than the female, which has no horns as well.

Larvae

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

of the centaurus beetle has a dark row of spots which is visible along the side of its body, known as the spiracles. These are openings leading to its tracheal network, which is the insect equivalent of the vertebrate lung. The spiracles could be considered as the insect version of nostrils. Spiracles are also present in the adult beetle and located along the sides of the abdomen; however, they have no distinct color and quite unnoticeable.

Origin of the name

The origin of the name of the Centaurus beetle may be the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...

External links

Family Scarabidae - ''Augosoma centaurus'' (Centaurus beetle) specs and pics
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5059057 Dynastinae Beetles of Africa Beetles described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius