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The giant Fijian long-horned beetle (''Xixuthrus '') is native to the island of 
In fact, ''X. '' is considered common in the highlands of Viti Levu where the forest is intact; natives in remote villages continue to consume the larvae. Adults commonly come to lights near the nursing college near Suva. A scientific study in 2001/2002 determined that there are, in fact, two distinct species which had been identified as ', one of them true ', the other being ''X. ganglbaueri''.
''Xixuthrus heros'' pictures
In Russian but excellent images of several members of this genus including ''X. heros''. Locality information in English. Prioninae Insects of Fiji Endemic fauna of Fiji Beetles described in 1868 {{Prioninae-stub
Viti Levu
Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian P ...
in Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, and is one of the largest living insect species, with specimens around 15 cm long, excluding legs
A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ...
, antennae, or jaws. It is closely related to the Taveuni beetle
The Taveuni beetle (''Xixuthrus terribilis'') is known from the island of Taveuni in the Fiji, and is one of the largest living insect species, with specimens around 14 cm long, excluding legs, antennae, or mandibles.
It is closely related ...
, which is only marginally smaller. These beetles have powerful jaws, and should be handled with care when alive—when threatened, they produce a loud and fearsome hissing noise by squeezing air out from under their elytra
An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...
. Various websites and other resources incorrectly indicate that this species is extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
; it is not, though the forest habitat on its home island is somewhat limited, so the beetle is potentially quite vulnerable.
In fact, ''X. '' is considered common in the highlands of Viti Levu where the forest is intact; natives in remote villages continue to consume the larvae. Adults commonly come to lights near the nursing college near Suva. A scientific study in 2001/2002 determined that there are, in fact, two distinct species which had been identified as ', one of them true ', the other being ''X. ganglbaueri''.
References
External links
* *''Xixuthrus heros'' pictures
In Russian but excellent images of several members of this genus including ''X. heros''. Locality information in English. Prioninae Insects of Fiji Endemic fauna of Fiji Beetles described in 1868 {{Prioninae-stub