Japanese rhinoceros beetle
Encyclopedia
The Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Japanese horned beetle, or , Allomyrina dichotoma, is a species of rhinoceros beetle
found in Japan
, Korea
, Taiwan
and China
. It is sold as a pet in department stores in many countries of Asia (in Japan, even in vending machine
s), where it is also frequently depicted in popular media as a common cartoon character for various uses, for example much as cartoon bear
s, lion
s, or alligator
s are seen in advertisements and product labels in the United States.
and cricket fights. In the most popular game, two different male beetles are placed on a log. The two beetles will battle each other, trying to push each other off the log, the one to stay on the log is the winner. This is a huge source and loss of money to many people, especially in the Ryukyu Islands
.
Japanese rhinoceros beetles are very popular in anime
, tokusatsu
, advertisements, televisions, and films in Japan, including:
The Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle is popular in complex origami, known as the Samurai Helmet Beetle
The pairing of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle with the stag beetle
is also popular.
Often, they are linked to the element of lightning. It is probably due to their horns somewhat resembling a Lightning Rod
.
OWI manufactures a robot kit
called kabuto-mushi that can grasp a pen in its jaws and write with it.
The Monster Rancher
series also includes a giant rhinoceros beetle called Beaclon. This monster is reported to be high in physical strength but low in intelligence.
" is Japanese for helmet. So, literally, it means helmet-bug.
Rhinoceros beetle
The Rhinoceros Beetles or Rhino Beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family . Other common names – some for particular groups of rhino beetles – are for example Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles...
found in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is sold as a pet in department stores in many countries of Asia (in Japan, even in vending machine
Vending machine
A vending machine is a machine which dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, consumer products and even gold and gems to customers automatically, after the customer inserts currency or credit into the machine....
s), where it is also frequently depicted in popular media as a common cartoon character for various uses, for example much as cartoon bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, or alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
s are seen in advertisements and product labels in the United States.
List of subspecies
- Allomyrina dichotoma dichotoma
- Allomyrina dichotoma inchachina
- Allomyrina dichotoma septentrionalis
- Allomyrina dichotoma takarai
- Allomyrina dichotoma tunobosonis
Gambling
Kabutomushi are a very popular subject in gambling, like Siamese fighting fishSiamese fighting fish
The Siamese fighting fish , also known as the betta , is a popular species of freshwater aquarium fish. The name of the genus is derived from ikan bettah, taken from a local dialect of Malay...
and cricket fights. In the most popular game, two different male beetles are placed on a log. The two beetles will battle each other, trying to push each other off the log, the one to stay on the log is the winner. This is a huge source and loss of money to many people, especially in the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
.
Pets and breeding
Many children in Japan buy or catch these bugs and breed them. Male and female insects will cost about 500-1000 yen (approximately five to ten US dollars). Male beetles normally die in the fall after mating many times, where as female beetles normally die after laying eggs. The eggs themselves are laid directly in the ground. The eggs then hatch into larva, which usually mature in a year. Japanese scientists are trying to find supplements to make the Japanese rhinoceros beetle mature faster and grow to a larger size. Disturbing the beetle during its pupa stage is known to cause deformations in the beetle's physiology and possibly cause the beetle to die of shock. Touching the Japanese rhinoceros beetle too suddenly, even after it has metamorphosed, may also cause the beetle to die of shock.Popular culture
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
, advertisements, televisions, and films in Japan, including:
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(called "dynastid beetle in the English translation of the game, derived from the subfamily "dynastinæ")
The Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle is popular in complex origami, known as the Samurai Helmet Beetle
The pairing of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle with the stag beetle
Stag beetle
Stag beetles are a group of about 1,200 species of beetle in the family Lucanidae, presently classified in four subfamilies Some species grow up to over 12 cm , but most are about 5 cm .-Overview:...
is also popular.
Often, they are linked to the element of lightning. It is probably due to their horns somewhat resembling a Lightning Rod
Lightning rod
A lightning rod or lightning conductor is a metal rod or conductor mounted on top of a building and electrically connected to the ground through a wire, to protect the building in the event of lightning...
.
OWI manufactures a robot kit
Robot kit
A robot kit is a special construction kit for building robots, especially autonomous mobile robots.Toy robot kits are also supplied by several companies...
called kabuto-mushi that can grasp a pen in its jaws and write with it.
The Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher, known in Japan as , is a series of life simulation role-playing video games created by Tecmo . The series currently consists of fourteen games across different video game platforms, and future titles are planned...
series also includes a giant rhinoceros beetle called Beaclon. This monster is reported to be high in physical strength but low in intelligence.
Lifespan
The kabutomushi will live most of its life underground, for it only lives about 4 months as an actual beetle. The earliest beetles will come out of the ground in late spring, they will usually die around middle September to early October. They usually will die after mating and laying eggs.Etymology
In Japanese, rhinoceros beetles are called . "Mushi" is Japanese for bug, and "kabutoKabuto
A kabuto is a helmet used with traditional Japanese armour as worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan....
" is Japanese for helmet. So, literally, it means helmet-bug.