Xylotrupes Gideon Beetle

Widespread across the southeast Asian tropics is Xylotrupes gideon, a very common rhinoceros beetle that is completely black in color, and bears a very shiny texture.  The horn design of Xylotrupes is extremely similar to that of the genus Dynastes of North and South America.  One major difference however, is that the cephalic horn is bifurcated at the tip, whereas that of Dynastes is not.  Along with Augosoma centaurus of western Africa, X. gideon can be said to represent a case of parallel evolution, as all three of these genera have developed very similar horn and body shapes... more