About Phileurus truncatus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1806)
Adult Phileurus truncatus range in length from 32 to 38 millimeters. Both adult males and females have large, distinct horns on their heads. Males have thicker, more blunt horns that curve more aggressively toward the body, while females have thinner, straighter, pointier horns. A divot runs down the center of the prothorax, dividing it into two sides, with a very small bump located just before the divot. When disturbed, individuals of this species produce stridulations. Phileurus truncatus is similar in appearance to Hemiphileurus illatus, but is 7 to 13 millimeters longer, and lacks the distinct speckled divots found across the body of Hemiphileurus illatus. As grubs, Phileurus truncatus live inside rotting tree trunks, with oak being a common host tree, and feed on rotting wood under tree bark. After pupating into adults, they eat the grubs of other beetles and other insects when they have the opportunity. They have also been recorded eating fruit, though this occurs less often. This species is distributed from Virginia south to Florida, and west to Tennessee and southeastern Arizona.
