LIBRARY

COLEOPTERA· 585
Family DYNASTIDJE MacLeay 1B19 (Dy-nas'ti-dre, from the Greek liuva.u'T7)s,
lord, master, ruler; referring to the regal appearance of these large beetles).
Medium-sized to among the largest known insects, elongated and somewhat
cylindrical, smooth and shining or dull, rugose or sculptured: metallic or brit-
FIG. 199. The Hercules beetle, Dynasies hercules (Linn.), a huge and highly-prized beetle
inhabiting tropical North and South America. It is one of the largest inaects. Slightly en·
larged.
liant in coloration; head and pronotum armed or unarmed with crests and
tubercles in either or both sexes; labrum membranous, fused to head; mandibles
visible from above, bent foliate, and sometimes notched; prosternum produced
forward as a lobe; fore coxre transverse; hind tibire two-spurred; tarsi short or
long.
This family is best developed in North and South America, but is also well
represented in Africa and Australia and poorly represented in Europe and
Asia. In it belongs the remarkable Hercules beetIe, Dynaste$ hercules (Linn,),
of tropical North and South America, in which the female is dull brown, punctured,
and with a small obscure tubercle on the head and 65 mm. long, whereas
the male is shining black with spotted dull-green elytra, has a long.toothed
upcurved hom on the head 40 rom. long, and the pronotum produced into a
long downcurved hom, with two large dentides and lined with fine amber..:
colored hairs, which, with the prothorax, is 95 mm. long. The rest of the body
is 45 mm. long. It is highly prized by collectors .. D. tityus (Linn.) also of tropical
America and ranging into the United States is a beautiful enameled green·