Cross Breeding Beetles, Is It Possible?With pictures

[johnny888]

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?

 

[johnny888]

Male Gideon beetle mating with a female Rhino beetle.

Gideon Beetle mounting at the back of female Rhino.

 

[Randolph XX()]

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

 

[johnny888]

I never intended for it to happen anyway...

 

[johnny888]

My male Gideon was very persistent.

 

[beetleman]

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

 

[bugmankeith]

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

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

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

 

[Mat]

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

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

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.

 

[DrAce]

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

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

Still, wait and see.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

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.

 

[johnny888]

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

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

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.

 

[CustomNature]

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.

 

[johnny888]

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