Dynastes Tityus size

I have a bunch of L2 Dynastes Tityus larvae and I want to know if they will be big. Which one matters the most? The genes from the adult parent, or the space and temperature. Do you have to have a lot of space to get a big beetle? What if the parents are very long and big and the larvae that got produced is kept in a small container? Will come out as a big beetle? The male was 64mm and the female was 46mm. 

Thanks, D

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Above all else, the quality of your substrate is what matters most.  As compared to the substrate, the other factors are less relevant.  A tiny pair of adults can produce gigantic offspring, if rearing conditions are ideal.

 
The quality of the substrate does indeed matter a lot. I do believe that the size of the parents also matter(if you are trying to aim for the maximum size). 

https://www.aru-na.net/post-312/1 This page talks about D.hercules but it should apply to other beetles too.

 
Having large parents to begin with is always a plus, though interestingly, I've had many instances in which very large offspring were produced by quite small parents.  One would assume that a very small female would correspondingly produce smaller than normal eggs, but surprisingly, it seems that even larvae hatched from small eggs still have the potential to be giants, if the substrate and other factors (temperature, humidity, genetics) are optimal.

 
I don't have any substrate right now because my last batch failed. I just use some substrate from last month when I went beetle larvae hunting. There were 18 D.Tityus larvae in the cavity of a tree. 

 
Back
Top