Dynastes Pupae

[Wade]

I accidently damaged this guy's pupal cell, so I got Lindsey to snap a few pics.

D. tityus. He'll have to finish up in a fake cell.

Wade

 

[genious_gr]

Very very interesting

 

[Navaros]

Very cool Wade. I hope he hatches out.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Its huge what is it? lol... and what do you mean cell?

 

[Navaros]

It's a Dynastes tityus pupa. A type of US rhino beetle. The grubs make a cell which is a chamber around their pupa to protect it from damage and to keep proper humidity etc. It looks like a big ball of dirt but if it gets broken open, that's what's inside until the imago (adult stage) of the beetle emerges.

 

[GQ.]

Wade,

Are the pupal cells extremely delicate or can they take a bit of handling for photos? If you are able, please post some photos of the adult beetle when he emerges. I would like to see the final product. Good luck!

Gilbert

 

[MilkmanWes]

So what is the procedure for making a fake cell? Just wrap dirt around them or is there more too it than that?

 

[Alex S.]

Very nice and healthy looking pupa, Wade! D. tityus are awesome beetles.

Alex S.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Omg according to the web page I jsut found on them I've dug up several of their lava outback.. wierd.. I wonder if I can find more this year...

 

[Wade]

Malhavoc's-

You've probably found larvae of annother scarab beetle. Most scarab species have simmilar looking larvae. Some are considered pests of lawns. Not Dynastes, however, they breed in tree holes.

Milkman Wes-

It's just a matter of making an approprate shaped depression in a sutable substrate. It needs to be something that holds together well. In this case, I used frass, which is what they build it from in the first place anyway. Most keepers recomend a vertical chamber, but this cell was horizontally aligned so that's how I made the fake one. I just packed a gallon jar half full of frass/substrate and then pressed an egg shaped indention into it. The size and shape are important for the beetle to molt correctly. Ideally, it would have a top, but that's not practical, so the lid on the jar has very limited ventilation (just a few tiny holes) to maintain humidity. Check out Orin McMonigle's "The Complete Guide to Rearing Grant's Rhinocerous Beetle" for more on rearing this (rearing d. tityus is almost the same as rearing D. granti), available at www.elytraandantenna.com

GQ-

The cells are pretty delicate, but I've seen pictures of them dug up. I've dug up the cells of smaller beetles, but these big ones seem to fall apart at the slightest touch. I'll definately post some pics when he changes.

Genious, Navaros + Alex-

Thanks!

Wade

 

[Navaros]

Wade, you can scoop out the shape of a cell from a block of floral foam. Cut the block in half and use a spoon or something to make a depression in both halves. I have seen this done before, but have not gotten a chance to try it out yet.

 

[Wade]

Wade, you can scoop out the shape of a cell from a block of floral foam. Cut the block in half and use a spoon or something to make a depression in both halves. I have seen this done before, but have not gotten a chance to try it out yet.

I must have missed this when you first posted it. I thought about doing it that way, but I had a lot of beetle frass available, and it was very workable, almost like clay (I wonder if there's a market for beetle poop pottery ). I thought it would be the closesest thing to nature. Of course, with the foam idea I could make a top and bottom, but then I'd have to open it up daily to see if the beetle had changed, but in the jar I can look without disturbing the pupae. Still looking good, btw.

Wade