Goliath Beetle

• GeneralOne of the heaviest insects in the world: its larvae reach 100 grams.
• récordIt is among the heaviest insects in the world as an adult, and its larvae can take up to a year to finish developing before metamorphosis.
• Unlike almost all beetle larvae, its larvae need protein-rich food to complete their development.
• Despite its weight it flies easily, with the elytra closed and the wings extended through a notch at the side, like the other flower chafers.
• Males have a Y-shaped structure on the head that they use as a lever in fights over females.
• The larva weighs almost twice as much as the adult: between 80 and 100 g against the 40-60 g of the fully formed beetle, which makes it one of the heaviest larvae in the world.
• Unlike almost every other beetle in its family, the larvae need a lot of protein: in captivity they are reared on dog or cat food, and they sometimes cannibalise one another.
• The adult feeds mainly on sap and fruit.
• Males have a forked horn on the head with which they fight for access to food and to females; females have none and use their wedge-shaped head for digging.

Habitat and environment

Tropical rainforest and gallery forest

Sources consulted: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia (Goliathus)