Talk:Hercules beetle

Review

I think dividing the article into several brief sections with descriptive headings allowed the authors to pack a lot of information into the article while still keeping it digestible and interesting. I enjoyed the background information on the size, taxonomy, appearance, and habitat of the Hercules beetle that the authors included before jumping into descriptions of behavior. The authors covered a lot of key topics that I think should be included in a behavioral description (feeding/ foraging habits, nocturnal activity, combat, mating), but the article does feel incomplete in the sense that they could have included more categories here—perhaps on familial interactions predator-prey behavior, or any migration patterns. Geluck.t

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 14 January 2020 and 8 May 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Katylady1007. Peer reviewers: Lindsey.Goldsby, MeganBodine.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 23:22, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Length ranking

This is the longest beetle. Guinness has credited a length of 19 cm (7.48 in) for D. hercules, and 18 cm (7.09 in) for D. neptunus – though the latter seems rather generous, as most sources seem to put the maximum at 15.8–16.0 cm (6.22–6.30 in) for this species. The longest Titan beetle was a mere 16.7 cm, as can be seen from University of Flordia Book of Insect Records; this specimen was collected from French Guiana in 1989. I've also seen a weight of 34 g (1.2 oz) for D. hercules, which is very impressive indeed, as no adult non-gravid insect has been documented at over 50 g (1.76 oz) – despite contrary claims for the Goliath beetle. --Anshelm '77 18:33, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

marisela y elena —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.206.113.221 (talk) 23:34, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Useful sections to include

The first general category that would be useful to include is familial interactions in Hercules beetles. While the entry talks about the life cycle, it does not talk about whether Hercules larvae receive parental care or if they interact with siblings. The entry mentions that the beetle is native to rainforests and has variable horn size, so it would also be informative to include whether the beetle has any evolved traits that make it accustomed to its habitat. The last topic I would have liked to see in the entry is predator-prey interaction. The author mentions that these beetles can create a “huffing” sound to warn against predators, but it is unclear whether these beetles group for protection or if they fend off predators alone, as well as who their predators would be. — Preceding unsigned comment added by BreannaY77 (talk • contribs) 07:11, 15 February 2024 (UTC)

Chri Ye (talk) 04:17, 16 February 2024 (UTC)Three categories that are worth discussing include parental care, social behavior, and enemies. The description of how eggs develop into adults under the parents’ help would be informative to researchers. Since the beetle is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, social behavior and cooperation with other individuals may help to save the species. The information about enemies can also provide insight into the evolutionary advantage for the beetle’s survival.

Wingless???

I reverted a claim that they are wingless; at the very least it needs citation and detail. For one thing they visibly do have elytra -- forewings. I can well believe them to be flightless and to have non-functional or reduced hind-wings, but even if this is true it needs citation, and being flightless with reduced wings is not the same as "wingless". Furthermore, it was stated that this sets them apart from other beetles; it does nothing of the kind; there are thousands of flightless species of flightless beetles, many of which actually are wingless. JonRichfield (talk) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

File:Dynastes hercules ecuatorianus MHNT.jpg to appear as POTD

Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Dynastes hercules ecuatorianus MHNT.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on January 13, 2014. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2014-01-13. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! — Crisco 1492 (talk) 00:57, 2 January 2014 (UTC)

Picture of the day

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) is the largest of the rhinoceros beetles. Able to lift almost 850 times their own weight, these South and Central American beetles can measure 17 cm (6.75 inches) in length.Photograph: Didier Descouens

The caption is updated. --Archaeodontosaurus (talk) 10:50, 2 January 2014 (UTC)

Useful video for external link

Hi

There's a Youtube video showing the lifetime of a Dynastes Hercules Rhinoceros Beetle here that would be useful for the external links section.

Thanks

--John Cummings (talk) 16:13, 19 May 2017 (UTC)

• Can you provide evidence that this video is not copyrighted in any way? Dyanega (talk) 18:02, 19 May 2017 (UTC)

Hi Dyanega, external links can link to copyrighted material. --John Cummings (talk) 22:36, 19 May 2017 (UTC)

I will ask you again to read the official WP policy statement on this; if you haven't read it I'll cut and paste it here, and please note the phrase that says 'without exception", and the explicit sentence referring to YouTube:

For policy or technical reasons, editors are restricted from linking to the following, without exception:

1. Policy: material that violates the copyrights of others per contributors' rights and obligations should not be linked, whether in an external-links section or in a citation. External links to websites that display copyrighted works are acceptable as long as the website is manifestly run, maintained or owned by the copyright owner; the website has licensed the work from the owner; or it uses the work in a way compliant with fair use. Knowingly directing others to material that violates copyright might be considered contributory copyright infringement. If there is reason to believe that a website has a copy of a work in violation of its copyright, do not link to it. Linking to a page that illegally distributes someone else's work casts a bad light on Wikipedia and its editors. This is particularly relevant when linking to sites such as Scribd or YouTube, where due care should be taken to avoid linking to material that violates copyright.
2. Technical: sites that match the Wikipedia-specific or multi-site blacklist without being whitelisted. MediaWiki's code will automatically block any edits that contain such links.

After discussing this with an Admin, here's the core of the matter: this particular video has lots of different copies circulating, some of them authorized (clearly put where they are by the person who produced the video), and other copies which are NOT authorized. If you want to include it, the expectation is that you will use due diligence to ensure that the copy being linked here is one that was shared online by the actual originator. If you are confident you have the genuine source, then go ahead and add the link. Sound fair? Dyanega (talk) 06:51, 22 May 2017 (UTC)

Beneficial insect

This beetle is described as a beneficial contributor to the ecosystem. Which insect isn't? Is this not anthropomorphism? Mdubash (talk) 13:20, 28 June 2021 (UTC)

Don't know if this is drastic but I feel like the section should be removed, since it doesn't provide any info that hasn't already been mentioned earlier in the article (e.g. saproxylophagy in D. hercules larvae) or is of any substance Atlas2432015 (talk) 18:30, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Invertebrate Zoology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 29 August 2022 and 12 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Troyhupper (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Jpyle02, Kayleehussey.

— Assignment last updated by GrillinBubbles (talk) 14:55, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

Comments on Article

This article provides an overview of the Hercules beetle with sections dedicated to its etymology, taxonomy, description, distribution and habitat, life cycle, diet and behavior, relationship to humans, and its relationship to the environment.

A strength of the article is that it provides great visual aids throughout with images depicting the sexual dimorphism between females and males, illustrated images of Hercules beetles from hundreds of years ago, and an image puts the massive size of Hercules beetle larvae into perspective against the backdrop of someone’s hand. If possible, I would incorporate an image or video demonstrating the combat behavior between male Hercules beetles given that this is the primary usage of the large horns for which Hercules beetles are known for.

Another strength of the article is its organization. No section or subsection contains more than two paragraphs of uninterrupted text with longer sections broken up by subsections or images. The organization of the page visually breaks down the page into a manner that is easily navigable and readable. However, I would argue that some of the sections are too short. The etymology, distribution and habitat, and relationship to the environment sections are only a few sentences and comprise entire sections.

What I found most interesting to learn about was that the larval stage of the Hercules beetle can last up to two years and produces the largest larvae of any insect. Learning that Hercules beetle larvae can grow up to 4.5 inches in length and weigh more than 100 grams alongside an image of a Hercules beetle sitting comfortably in the palm of a person’s hand was quite shocking.

Though I think the organization of the page through its use of sections and subsections is good, I would still advocate for the addition of certain sections. Though the article discusses combat behavior between males as a means to obtaining mating rights to a female, I would advocate for the addition of a subsection dedicated to mating overall. The combat behavior subsection ends by saying the beetles remain polygynandrous despite the successful male winning mating rights with the female. A section about mating could help to explain how Hercules beetles remain polygynandrous when they fight so aggressively for mating rights.

I would also add an additional section or subsection relating to genetics in regards to evolution. Given the extreme sexual dimorphism and distinct combat behavior exhibited by Hercules beetles, a section describing the development of such a unique trait would be meaningful. Details regarding how a large horn evolutionarily benefits or costs Hercules beetles could prove meaningful. Such a section could also help to explain why Hercules beetle larvae grow to be so much larger than larvae of other insect species.

A section regarding captivity could also be added under the relationship to humans section. Mentions of captivity in observations regarding life cycle, food source, combat behavior, and pet use are dispersed throughout the article. A dedicated section discussion the captivity could provide further details about how Hercules beetles behave outside of their natural environment and can be scientifically studied, especially in regards to the already included descriptions of enzymes that have been extracted and cloned from larvae fecal matter that lack further elaboration.

I have noticed that the comments in the talk section of the page appear relatively formal and productive, generally offering possible revisions and inclusion to the discussion. I am surprised to see that the article is rated start-class given its well-written and well-organized nature. The extent of writing and breath of sections is relatively thorough, though I could understand that the limited information provided in certain sections could pose a limiting factor.

I do, however, agree with the Hercules beetle’s assignment of mid-importance in regards to beetles and insects. It seems to me that Hercules beetles are relatively well-known, especially by individuals interested in animal ecology, though they have limited cultural and ecological impact, which would justify their ranking of mid-importance. Owen Guo (talk) 05:48, 16 February 2024 (UTC)