South and East Asia, from northern India through southern China to Taiwan
Fine-art photographic collection
Dicronocephalus wallichii
An antler-horn beetle whose males fight with two separate weapon systems.
About this species
Dicronocephalus wallichiiHope, 1831
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Dicronocephalus wallichii is an Asian flower chafer in which males carry paired head horns and greatly elongated forelegs. Research shows that the two exaggerated structures perform different roles during contests.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Scarabaeidae · Dicronocephalus
Accepted as Dicronocephalus wallichii; the gallery title spells the genus Dicranocephalus. · checked 2026-07-15
South and East Asia, from northern India through southern China to TaiwanBroad documented range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Warm forest and woodland habitats; species-level natural history is incompletely documented.
What makes this species remarkable?
Males use the paired head horns as lifting and levering weapons, trying to prise rivals away from the substrate.
The elongated forelegs form a second weapon system used to grasp, block and control an opponent during close combat.
Horn and foreleg size scale differently with body size, evidence that the two structures are under distinct mechanical and sexual-selection pressures.
More photographs
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