Japanese rhinoceros beetle: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Japanese rhinoceros beetle lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Trypoxylus dichotomus
Group	Beetles
Found in	4 countries
Continents	Asia
Class	Insect
Order	Coleoptera
Family	Scarabaeidae

Where does the Japanese rhinoceros beetle live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Japanese rhinoceros beetle in 4 countries and territories across Asia.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the Japanese rhinoceros beetle?

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) is an insect in the order Coleoptera and the family Scarabaeidae, genus Trypoxylus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Japanese rhinoceros beetle

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus), also known as the Japanese rhino beetle, the Japanese horned beetle, or by its Japanese name kabutomushi (兜虫, 甲虫 or カブトムシ), is a species of rhinoceros beetle. They are commonly found in continental Asia in countries such as China, the Korean peninsula, Japan, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, and Taiwan. In these areas, this species of beetle is often found in broad-leaved forests with tropical or sub-tropical climates. This beetle is well known for the prominent cephalic horn found on males. Male Japanese rhinoceros beetles will use this horn to fight other males for territory and access to female mating partners. Upon contact, males will attempt to flip each other onto their backs or off of their feeding tree. In response to selective pressures, smaller male T. dichotomus have adapted a "sneak-like behavior". These smaller beetles will attempt to avoid physical confrontation with larger males and try to mate with females.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Japanese rhinoceros beetle (revision 1379622479), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1334311 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).