The thorax and abdomen armor is a rich brown color with golden bands. The head is shiny black. Distinguishing between the males and females is very easy. Males brandish large black horns just behind the head and exhibit hairy antennae. Females, on the other hand, have small bumps and relatively hairless antennae.
Males are aggressive when it comes to protecting their territory and vying for females.
Using their horns and bodies, they participate in ramming and shoving matches. As the males fight, they produce a hissing sound by forcibly pushing air out of spiracles or breathing tubes found on their abdomen. Hissing is used to broadcast the animal's size and intimidate its opponent. After the battles, the winners seem to tout their superiority by hissing more than the losers. Hissing is also used to tell the difference between familiar cockroaches and strangers and to seduce females.