Sizing up the Titan Beetle

The Titan Beetle (Titanus Giganteus) is the subject of this month's blog. A type of neotropical longhorn beetle, it is classified into its family by its long antennae (Wikipedia). One of the largest known insects, it can grow up to 6.7 inches. Despite its size, it has distinctively short hind wings which are only present in males. Therefore, it is incapable of flight, unless it climbs up trees and launches itself off (Wikipedia). It is among the heaviest insects known to man. Like many insects, this species has the compound eye trait which consists of many smaller hexagonal visual units over the central area of the eye and the surrounding portion covered by pentagonal and square units (Wikipedia).

The reproductive systems of the Titan Beetle are pupal testis comprising of 12 to 25 lobes each containing 15 follicles. The larger the follicles are, the higher the rate of spermatogenesis (Wikipedia). Their size depends on how much air can be received through their respiratory system (Wikipedia). Unlike mammals the gas exchange of this species' respiratory system utilizes tracheal tubes, not blood, to deliver oxygen directly to the tissues throughout the beetle's body (Wikipedia).

The size is limited to the amount of oxygen that can get to the tissues; in some of the larger specimens, some tissues don't get any oxygen at all (Wikipedia).

The habitat of these supersized critters is tropical rainforests - specifically, the rainforests of South America. However, they have been found in other locations based on ecological compatibility (Wikipedia). Their known locations include Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Guianas, and North Central Brazil. However, the Titan Beetle is mostly associated with the Amazon Rainforest. Primarily found in old-growth forests, it is rare due to certain behaviors (Wikipedia).

It prefers forests with an abundance of rotting wood which is their main food source. But it doesn't eat that much as an adult. In its larvae stage, it feeds on rotting wood infested with fungi, this embryonic caloric is supposed to last their entire lifetime (Wikipedia). Boreholes in trees are thought to have hosted larvae of the Titan Beetle. During this period of constant eating, the larvae is constantly recycling material back into the ecosystem by eating dead plant material and returning it to the soil as a natural (Fact Animal).

It uses its antennae to collect information about their surroundings. The antennae have sensilla where specific ones react to specific forms of stimuli (Wikipedia). The species is equipped with sharp spines and powerful jaws to defend against predators. These features are very powerful - its mandibles can crunch right through a human finger. Its predators include birds, lizards, and larger organisms. Titan Beetles are capable of emitting a screech that is purposed to deter potential predators (Fact Animal).

The Titan Beetle's mating patterns are still very cryptic to humans. But what is known is that it uses pheromones to seek and attract mates (Wikipedia). The life cycle is also obscure since the larvae are difficult to find in the field making the entire process yet to be observed. However, researchers hypothesized that the larvae must be larger than the adult (Fact Animal).

Due to it being quite rare, the Titan Beetle has little known effect on humanity and not much is known about its impact on other areas. What is known is that the Titan Beetle is good for the environment because it returns nutrients to the soil of their ecosystem (Fact Animal).

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_beetle

• https://factanimal.com/titan-beetle/