Dynastes
granti
Range: southwestern
United States, primarily Arizona
Size: 35 to 70 mm
The western counterpart of the Eastern
Hercules beetle is Dynastes granti, the Western
Hercules beetle. This species is rather limited in distribution,
as it occurs mainly in Arizona, USA. The primary differences between
D.
granti and D. tityus are in their colouration and horn development.
Whereas the background colour of D. tityus is olive green to grey-green,
D.
granti is of a blue-grey hue. Also, the western Hercules has
horns that are proportionately much longer than those of the eastern species.
The two species are quite similar in body size, although D. granti
is longer due to the difference in horn structure. D. granti
is somewhat like a miniature version of the far larger D. hercules
of the American tropics, although the pronotum of D. granti is mostly
of a pale grey colour, rather than solidly black as in D. hercules. |