Goliathus goliatus

Goliathus goliatus is a very large species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae, native to tropical Africa.^[2]

Goliathus goliatus
Goliathus goliatus, flying position
Dorsal view of Goliathus goliatus at the Montreal Insectarium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Scarabaeiformia
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Goliathus
Species:	G. goliatus
Binomial name
Goliathus goliatus (Linnaeus, 1771)
Synonyms
List (list includes synonyms of meleagris, sometimes treated as a subspecies[1]) Scarabaeus goliatus Linnaeus, 1771 Scarabaeus goliath Sulzer, 1776 (Missp.) Scarabaeus goliathus Goeze, 1777 (Emend.) Goliathus africanus Lamarck, 1801 Goliathus giganteus Lamarck, 1817 Goliathus imperialis Klug, 1835 Goliathus magnus Duncan, 1835 Goliathus drurii Macleay, 1838 Goliathus giganteus conspersus Kraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus marginatus Kraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus marginifer Kraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus quadrimaculatus Kraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus apicalis Kraatz, 1895 Goliathus intermedius Kraatz, 1895 Goliathus giganteus nigripes Kraatz, 1895 Goliathus giganteus albatus Kraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus confluens Kraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus interruptus Kraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus undulatus Kraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus conjunctivittis Kraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus curtivittis Kraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus longivittis Kraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus connectens Csiki, 1904 Goliathus giganteus grandis Veen, 1904 Goliathus meleagris Sjöstedt, 1927 Goliathus meleagris conjugatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris divergens Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris maculatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris niveus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris nyassae Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris oculatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris partitus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris pustulatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris pustuliferus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris quadrangulatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris varians Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus adspersus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus confluens albovariegatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus hieroglyphicus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus confluens striatus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus undulus Sjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus albipennis Endrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus guttatus Endrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus palmatus Endrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus trivittatus Endrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus vittiger Endrödi, 1960

Description

Goliathus goliatus is one of the largest species in the genus Goliathus and one of the largest insects in general, males having a body length of 50–110 millimetres (2.0–4.3 in) and females having a body length of 54–80 millimetres (2.1–3.1 in). The pronotum (thoracic shield) is mainly black, with whitish longitudinal stripes, while the elytra are mostly dark brown in the typical form. The color of the elytra may differ greatly in some other forms, with varying amounts and patterns of brown, white and black. The elytra are mostly white in the "quadrimaculatus" form, which (along with various intermediate forms that have been named "albatus", "apicalis", "conspersus", "hieroglyphicus" and "undulatus") occur together with the more common brown typical form in Benin, eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon.^[2]

This species possess a large and membranous secondary pair of wings actually used for flying. When not in use, they are kept completely folded beneath the elytra. The head is whitish, with a black Y-shaped horn in males, used as a pry bar in battles with other males over feeding sites or mates. These beetles feed primarily on tree sap and fruits.

• 
  Goliathus goliatus male, at the Montreal Insectarium
• 
  Goliathus goliatus male, dorsal side
• 
  Goliathus goliatus male, ventral side
• 
  Goliathus goliatus, male, with spread wings
• 
  Goliathus goliatus form "apicalis"
• 
  Goliathus goliatus form "conspersus"
• 
  Goliathus goliatus form "quadrimaculatus"

Distribution

This species is widespread from western to eastern equatorial Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Western Kenya and Northwestern Tanzania).

Habitat

Goliathus goliatus is mainly present in the equatorial forests and in the sub-equatorial savannah.

Exhibited in 1959 at New York City museum

On January 1, 1959, a species from Gabon, believed to be the first such beetle seen alive in the United States, went on display at the American Museum of Natural History.^[3]

See also

• List of largest insects