Goliathus goliatus

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 goliatusLinnaeus, 1771 Scarabaeus goliathSulzer, 1776 (Missp.) Scarabaeus goliathusGoeze, 1777 (Emend.) Goliathus africanusLamarck, 1801 Goliathus giganteusLamarck, 1817 Goliathus imperialisKlug, 1835 Goliathus magnusDuncan, 1835 Goliathus druriiMacleay, 1838 Goliathus giganteus conspersusKraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus marginatusKraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus marginiferKraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus quadrimaculatusKraatz, 1889 Goliathus giganteus apicalisKraatz, 1895 Goliathus intermediusKraatz, 1895 Goliathus giganteus nigripesKraatz, 1895 Goliathus giganteus albatusKraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus confluensKraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus interruptusKraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus undulatusKraatz, 1897 Goliathus giganteus conjunctivittisKraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus curtivittisKraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus longivittisKraatz, 1898 Goliathus giganteus connectensCsiki, 1904 Goliathus giganteus grandisVeen, 1904 Goliathus meleagrisSjöstedt, 1927 Goliathus meleagris conjugatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris divergensSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris maculatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris niveusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris nyassaeSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris oculatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris partitusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris pustulatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris pustuliferusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris quadrangulatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus meleagris variansSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus adspersusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus confluens albovariegatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus hieroglyphicusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus confluens striatusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus undulusSjöstedt, 1928 Goliathus goliathus albipennisEndrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus guttatusEndrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus palmatusEndrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus trivittatusEndrödi, 1960 Goliathus goliathus vittigerEndrödi, 1960

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

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

References

1. Michele De Palma, Hitoshi Takano, Philippe Leonard, Thierry Bouyer (2020) Barcoding analysis and taxonomic revision of Goliathus Lamarck, 1802 (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae). Entomologia Africana 25(1):11-32
2. Dendi, D.; Ajong, S.N.; Amori, G.; Luiselli, L. (2021). "Decline of the commercially attractive white morph in goliath beetle polymorphic populations". Diversity. 13 (8): 338. Bibcode:2021Diver..13..388D. doi: 10.3390/d13080388 .
3. Schumach, Murray (January 1, 1959). "Museum to Show World's Biggest Insect; Beetle From Africa Peels Own Bananas". The New York Times . Retrieved November 20, 2019.

External links

• Natural World
• Goliathus
• Beetle Space