Xixuthrus is a small genus of long-horned beetles, found primarily on Pacific islands, including Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji, and contains some of the largest living insect species, the giant Fijian long-horned beetle and the Taveuni beetle. These beetles have powerful jaws, and should be handled with care when alive. No scientists have yet seen a larva of this genus, although in Fiji, where three different species occur, the natives consider them to be a rare and special delicacy.[1]
The genus Xixuthrus is currently dividend in two subgenera: Xixuthrus s. str. and Daemonarthra Lameere, 1903.[2]
The latter differs from the former in the apically acute (rather than rounded) lobes of the third tarsal segment.
Subgenus Xixuthrus Thomson, 1864
Subgenus Daemonarthra Lameere, 1903
Xixuthrus is a small genus of long-horned beetles, found primarily on Pacific islands, including Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji, and contains some of the largest living insect species, the giant Fijian long-horned beetle and the Taveuni beetle. These beetles have powerful jaws, and should be handled with care when alive. No scientists have yet seen a larva of this genus, although in Fiji, where three different species occur, the natives consider them to be a rare and special delicacy.
