Most are black, gray, or greenish in color, and some are covered in soft hairs. These estimates suggest their inter-continental divergences occurred by overseas sweepstakes dispersal, rather than by vicariances of the population caused by the Pangean breakup. A pair of thick wings lie atop another set of membranous wings underneath, allowing the rhinoceros beetle to fly, although not very efficiently, owing to its. Rhinoceros beetles are herbivorous insects named for the horn-like projections on and around the males heads. The inter-continental divergence events among the clades were estimated to have occurred about 99 Ma (Asian clade and others) and 78 Ma (American clade and African clade), both of which are after the Pangean breakup. In this study, we estimated their divergence times based on molecular data, using several combinations of fossil calibration sets, and obtained robust estimates. Moreover, there is a long chronological gap between the timing of the Pangean breakup (Cretaceous: 110-148 Ma) and the emergence of the oldest fossil record (Oligocene: 33 Ma). The males use these horns to fight each other for territory and for possession of females. Although a correlation between their evolution and the continental drift during the Pangean breakup was suggested, there is no accurate divergence time estimation among the three clades based on molecular data. South Africans will be most familiar with the large, shiny, rhino beetle males that possess an impressive horn. It is a stout beetle, about 3.5 to 5 cm long, shiny dark brown to black in colour with a curved horn on the head, hence its common name. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed that the giant rhinoceros beetles can be divided into three clades representing Asia, America and Africa. African rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes monoceros) Minor Pest Description. They are c-shaped, white grubs with fine reddish hairs and a brown head. It can be also found in betelnut (Areca catchu), Pandanus species, banana, pineapple, and sugarcane. Only the males have horns they use them to fight with other males to win the attention of their favourite females. The rhinoceros beetle is considered a major pest of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) and African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). The giant rhinoceros beetles (Dynastini, Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera) are distributed in tropical and temperate regions in Asia, America and Africa. At 7cm in length the shiny black Rhinoceros Beetle or Rhino Beetle ( Xylotrupes ulysses) is Australia’s largest beetle.
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