Common name: Arabian Rhinoceros Beetle
Scientific name: Oryctes agamemnon arabicus
Family: Scarabaeidae (Subfamily: Dynastinae)

Size:
Body length: 25–45 mm

Identification:
A large, robust rhinoceros beetle with a glossy dark brown to black exoskeleton. Males possess a prominent curved horn on the head used in combat with rival males, while females have only a small bump or rudimentary horn. The body is oval, heavily armored, and the forelegs are adapted for digging.

Habitat:
Date palm plantations, oases, agricultural land, gardens, and desert areas where palms occur. The larvae develop in decaying palm trunks, rotting roots, and organic debris.

Status in the UAE:
Native resident and widespread in suitable habitats across the UAE. It is particularly associated with cultivated date palms.

Diet:
Larvae feed on decaying palm material and on the roots and lower trunk tissue of living date palms. Adults feed on sap and soft tissue, boring into frond bases and the trunk.

Behavior:
A nocturnal beetle attracted to artificial lights. Adults emerge mainly during the warmer months and are powerful fliers despite their heavy appearance. Males use their horns to wrestle rivals for access to females. The species spends most of its life as a larva underground or inside decaying palm material.

Importance:
The larvae feed on the roots and lower trunk of living date palms and adults bore into frond bases, making the species one of the main insect pests of date palms in the UAE.

Conservation Status:
Not Evaluated (NE)