T. 22-punctata
         C. 7-punctata
         C. tenebrionis
         O. nasicornis
         C. aurata
         C. aeruginosa
         E. pareyssei
         E. faber
         C. cordigera

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) :: 2002/08/10 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) :: 2002/08/10 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis), Close-up Shot :: 2002/08/10 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos No image! No image!

Rhinoceros Beetle

Oryctes nasicornis

One of the largest European beetles, Oryctes nasicorns, can grow up to 40mm (1 3/5 in) in length. It is predominantly a nocturnal insect and is frequently attracted by lights.

There is a pronounced difference between males and females, known as dimorphism; the long, curved, rhino-like horn borne by males is greatly reduced to a small point in females.

The Rhino Beetle breeds in rotting wood and leaves, and also in piles of sawdust at sawmills. The  larva, which is up to 12 cm (4 3/4 in) in length, is the largest European beetle larva and can take anywhere between 3 and 5 years to develop.

The specimen depicted above was found dead, in Horto, Pelion.

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Fact Sheet

Food
N/A

Active
May - August, probably other months.

Habitat
Freqents old sawmills.

Distribution
Most of Europe, North Africa, and part of Central Asia.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Neoptera; Order: Coleoptera; Family: Scarabaeidae; Genus: Oryctes; Species: nasicornis

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