📸 PhotoPhoto: W. Wing · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Formosan long-armed scarab
Cheirotonus formosanus (Formosan long-armed scarab · Formosan long-armed scarab)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum body length of 11 cm is about 2.4 cm longer than the long side of a credit card (85.6 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 The male's maximum foreleg length of 8 cm is slightly shorter than the long side of a credit card (8.56 cm) (Comparison).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Formosan long-armed scarab is a large scarab beetle (subfamily Euchirinae) endemic to Taiwan, notable for the long forelegs of the male.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is a large beetle 7–11 cm long with a black background, a metallic red dorsal thorax, and longitudinal rows of yellow spots on the elytra. Foreleg length is 6–8 cm in males and 5–5.5 cm in females.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Its habitat and ecology still need further study. In captive observations, females laid eggs from mid-July, the larval stage lasted 1 year, and after spending 7 months over winter as a pupa, it emerged as an adult. Illegal collecting and forest destruction have reduced its numbers.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • catalogueoflife.org — 5Y3DB
- • wikidata.org — Q14868827
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Cheirotonus formosanus 1846.jpg
- • subjectweb.forest.gov.tw — insect 100.htm
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Edwin Price · CC BY 4.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Hylamorpha elegans)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.