COLEOPTERA. 563 



thorax. These beetles are of medium or large size ; in 

 fact, the largest beetles known belong to this group. As 

 with the flower-beetles, the claws of the tarsi are of 

 equal size, but the fore coxae are transverse, and not promi- 

 nent. 



One of the largest of our rhinoceros-beetles is Dynastes 

 tityrus (Dy-nas'tes tit'y-rus). This is of a greenish-gray 

 color, with scattered black spots on the wing-covers, or, if 

 only recently transformed, of a uniform dark brown. The 



FIG. 682. 



male (Fig. 682) bears a prominent horn on the top of his 

 head, and a large one and two small ones on his prothorax. 

 The female has only a tubercle on the head. This insect is 

 found in the Southern States ; the larva lives in rotten 

 wood. In the far West there is a closely allied species, 

 Dynastes grantii (D. gran'ti-i), in which the large horn on 

 the thorax is twice as long as in D. tityrus. In the West 

 Indies there occurs a species, Dynastes Jiercides (D. her'cu-les), 

 which measures six inches in length. 



& 



Several other genera occur in this country, in some of 

 which the males have prominent horns ; in others the horns 

 are represented by tubercles, or are wanting. The following 

 species represents the latter type. 



The Sugar-cane Beetle, Ligyrus rugiccps (Lig'y-rus 

 ru'gi-ceps). This beetle is a serious pest in the cane-fields 

 of Louisiana, and it sometimes injures corn. Figure 683 

 represents the adult, and its method of attacking a 

 plant. 



