Hercules beetle

American  

noun

1. a large Neotropical rhinoceros beetle, Dynastes hercules.

---

hercules beetle British  

noun

1. a very large tropical American scarabaeid beetle, Dynastes hercules: the male has two large anterior curved horns

---

Etymology

Origin of Hercules beetle

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Where else in Manhattan can you encounter a Hercules beetle or poison dart frogs?

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2023

Similarly, timber operations have reduced Hercules beetle habitats in both North and South America.

From National Geographic • May 11, 2018

The time-lapse video above, shot by insect hobbyist Hirofumi Kawano, provides a glimpse into the jaw-dropping journey each Hercules beetle embarks upon from grub to giant.

From National Geographic • May 11, 2018

With more than a dozen species and subspecies of Hercules beetle in the Western Hemisphere, the animals aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.

From National Geographic • May 11, 2018

The Hercules beetle, which lives on the mamma Americana, attains a length of five and sometimes six inches.

From The Western World Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North and South America by Kingston, William Henry Giles