Mighty Titan Beetle

The Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) is the second-longest known beetle in the Amazon rainforest and one of the longest beetle species in the world. It is from the family Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles). The titan beetle is the only member of its own genus. It is known from the rain forests of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Guianas, and north-central Brazil, where it is most commonly collected by the use of mercury-vapor lamps, to which the males are attracted. There is a local ‘cottage industry’ in French Guiana of leading tours specifically to collect specimens of this beetle. Dried beetles are commonly available to collectors, but the very large specimens, in particular, are sought after and routinely command high prices, running into hundreds of US$. For instance, a 150 mm male secimen was sold on the internet auction site eBay in March 2012 for US$540.