# Cross Breeding Beetles, Is It Possible?With pictures



## johnny888 (Sep 23, 2007)

I was cleaning my beetle containers this morning so I put my Gideons and Rhinos in one container but I forgot to put one Gideon back because it was hidden under the substrate.

By noon, I've heard some noise coming from the Rhinos container and I saw one male Gideon mounting at the back of a Rhino.I picked them up to separate them thinking that they're having some territorial dispute, but then I noticed they were not fighting, they were mating.

Is it possible to produce a new breed of beetle from two separate species?


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## johnny888 (Sep 23, 2007)

Male Gideon beetle mating with a female Rhino beetle.

Gideon Beetle mounting at the back of female Rhino.


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## Randolph XX() (Sep 23, 2007)

between subspecies, of course it is possible, but it will be such a waste
subspecies bewteen Dorcus grandis and D.hercules for example
some of them are highly rare, such as D.g.grandis, or D.hercules spp from island reigion

this would just be a waste


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## johnny888 (Sep 23, 2007)

I never intended for it to happen anyway...


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## johnny888 (Sep 23, 2007)

My male Gideon was very persistent.


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## beetleman (Sep 23, 2007)

:clap: oh yeah,and he was not planning to let go either


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## bugmankeith (Sep 23, 2007)

Well there's nothing you can do about it now, so just enjoy any offspring you get.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Sep 23, 2007)

Oryctes and Allomyrhina are pretty distant. No more likely than sheep men (satyrs) or  mermaids.


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## Mat (Sep 24, 2007)

I've seen similar things in some of my tanks between unrelated species.  I once was given a couple of male Stag Beetles ( _Lucaus cervus_), so I put one into my _Chellorhina polyphemus _tank overnight as a temporary measure.  The male stag tried to pair with everything in sight, though without success.  I think after a certain point, the mating cues cease to be scent and just rely on sight - anything big enough and of the appropriate shape will prove attractive to the males.

It is unlikely you will get any offspring from this pairing, looking at the photos I'm not sure he actually managed to 'connect' anyway.  If they were in the same genus you might get something, but the shapes of the appropriate bits (can we say genetalia on here?    ) are likely to be to different between genera.  In addition, if you have had your Rhinos in with males of the same species already, there is a good chance she wil have already mated with the right male.

Matt


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## Elytra and Antenna (Sep 24, 2007)

I recall a show where they mentioned that a certain species of large buprestid was at risk because the males were more strongly attracted to discarded beer bottles than real females since they were about the right color and seemed like a 'super female'. I'm pretty sure there were no beer bottle beetle grubs from those pairings either.


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## DrAce (Sep 24, 2007)

Still, isolate the female, and see what comes of it.

My prediction, nothing.  We've had these debates regarding tarantulas.

Still, wait and see.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Sep 24, 2007)

DrAce said:


> Still, isolate the female, and see what comes of it.
> 
> My prediction, nothing.  We've had these debates regarding tarantulas.
> 
> Still, wait and see.


Funniest part is I never really looked that close at the photos. That's a male Oryctes.


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## johnny888 (Sep 24, 2007)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> Funniest part is I never really looked that close at the photos. That's a male Oryctes.


That is actually a female Oryctes. 

Male Oryctes







Female Oryctes


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## Elytra and Antenna (Sep 25, 2007)

You may want to look at your mating and sexing photos again. Your mating photos show what appears to be a visible lack of setae on the pygidium of your so called 'female'. Excessive setae on that segment is the most prominent characteristic of a female of that species as well as an enlarged final ventral segment.


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## CustomNature (Sep 28, 2007)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> I recall a show where they mentioned that a certain species of large buprestid was at risk because the males were more strongly attracted to discarded beer bottles than real females since they were about the right color and seemed like a 'super female'. I'm pretty sure there were no beer bottle beetle grubs from those pairings either.



 LOL  Oh man, that's some funny stuff.  Thanks for the laugh.  Secondly.. I too thought it looked like some male-on-male action.


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## johnny888 (Sep 28, 2007)

The truth is all my seven Rhinos are female and I don't have a single male.


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