airbugs

http://insectforum.no-ip.org/gods/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=1&topic=19983&start=24&show=0 some other artificial hybrid examples in the above link. People have tried crossing Dynastes hercules with D. hyllus and also Dynastes grantii with D. hercules. The offspring were viable and had successfully reached adulthood. In general, hybridization between Dynastes beetle species can be done under artificial condition.

it depends. the most extreme case in Dynastes beetles was between D. hercules and D. neptunus. see the link below: http://insectforum.no-ip.org/gods/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?forum=2&topic=20521 the same progeny successfully produced F2 and F3. That is, the hybrid offspring are viable and also fertile. However, the viability did decrease, where many larvae died soon after hatching. If you are friend with the breeder in Facebook, you can find the image of the F1, F2, and F3 adults from the link: I am breeding D. maya x D. grantii in my lab. the idea is to create F1 and F2 offspring and use them for associate mapping to figure out the genes associated with different body coloration. So far the egg production is nice, but will need more time to find out if they hatch and the percentage of larvae that can reach adulthood.

I think this one is a Megasoma occidntalis. The known distribution of M. elephas does not cover Puerto Vallarta, but M. occidentalis does. I believe that the male beetle shown in the video is a M. occidentalis too, because of the angle/direction of how the thoracic horns protrudes. These two species are very similar.

It is X. siamensis according to Rowland 2011: http://journals.fcla.edu/mundi/article/view/76247 (Full text is free). There is only on species found in that Area (Indo-China). However, there are two male forms, one with male horn dimorphism (those that have both long horn and short horn types; siamensis type) while the other one short and strong horn type for major male (tonkinensis type). Silvestre (2003) "The Xylotrupes beetles from continental Asia" has some illustrations about the horn shape and genital morphology for Xylotrupes species from this region. But in Silvestre 2003 X. siamensis (siamensis types) is recognized as X. socrates socrates, individuals collected from ChiangMai or Chiang Rai Thailand all the way west to India; whereas the eastern tonkinensis type (samples collected from Vietnam, Laos, and Southern China that do not have long horned males) is recognized as X. socrates tonkinensis. All these things have very similar genital morphology (they are all from the same species), but very different horn shape for big males. Your collections from N.E. Thailand should be very close to those from Laos and thus should be X. siamensis/X. socrates tonkinensis or even X. gideon tonkinensis (used by many insect dealer).

Thanks Orin! So they are Lucanus placidus, not L. elaphus!? Great!

Found in a camping site @ Missouri!! one female and a small minor male~~ female male 1st meet mating