Dynastes grantii
Madera Canyon, AZ County, Arizona
November 16, 2019
Size: 4.5 mm
Coordinates: 31.712605, -110.875002
Elevation: 5,438 ft
These eggs were the happy result of a male and three females captured in Madera Canyon using mercury vapor and ultraviolet lights to attract them. The beetles were kept in a terrarium for three months, where I fed them a variety of fruits; mostly ripe mangoes. The male was captured on August 10, 2020. The females were collected on August 22, 2020. Today, I noticed that the male had not eaten for the last couple of days and it was approximately a week since the last time that I saw one of the females. Thus, I emptied the terrarium to look for eggs. The male appeared to be dying and the females were all dead. There were well over a hundred eggs! Although the eggs were laid in captivity, it is appropriate to keep the original location because I have not seen a Grant’s Hercules Beetle in Nogales. The eggs varied in color and size with an average size of 4.5 mm.
Determined by Salvador Vitanza