''Megasoma'' is a genus of

rhinoceros beetle Dynastinae or rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names – some for particular groups of rhinoceros beetles – include Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles. Over ...

s. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America.

Appearance

''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indicated by the name, which is "large body" in Greek). As a group, the genus contains some of the largest beetle species known. However, there are small species of this genus as well. The largest can be up to 135 mm, while small ones like ''Megasoma punctulatum'' can be around 20 mm. Many ''Megasoma'' species (''Megasoma elephas'', ''Megasoma thersites'', ''Megasoma gyas'', ''Megasoma cedrosa'', ''Megasoma anubis'', ''Megasoma occidentale'', ''Megasoma joergenseni'', ''Megasoma vogti'') have thin microscopic hairs (setae) covering nearly their entire bodies, giving the appearance of being pale or orange. Males of most species have large horns that they use to wrestle with other males. Females do not have horns.

Diet

Larvae feed on tree or shrub roots. Adults usually drink tree sap or suck juice from fruit.

Behavior and habitat

Adult ''Megasoma'' are nocturnal and are attracted to lights, and are often seen resting in trees.

Species list

*''

Megasoma actaeon Actaeon beetle (''Megasoma actaeon'') is a rhinoceros beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. Etymology The species name ''actaeon'' derives from the name Actaeon of a famous Theban hero, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeoti ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) *''

Megasoma anubis ''Megasoma anubis'' is a species of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. Description ''Megasoma anubis'' can reach a length of about (including horn). These large and heavy beetles are black but they have a soft, velvety surface, as t ...

'' (Chevrolat, 1836) *''

Megasoma bollei ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' (Dechambre, 2006) *''

Megasoma cedrosa ''Megasoma cedrosa'' is a species of rhinoceros beetle. It is endemic to Mexico and described originally from Cedros Island. The name is often misspelled as "cedrosum" or "cedros" but the original spelling (as ''cedrosa'') is retained under ...

'' Hardy, 1972 *''

Megasoma elephas The elephant beetle (''Megasoma elephas'') is a member of the family Scarabaeidae and the subfamily Dynastinae. They are Neotropical rhinoceros beetles. Appearance Elephant beetles are black in color and covered with a coat of fine microscopic ...

'' (Fabricius, 1775) *''

Megasoma gyas ''Megasoma gyas'' is a species of large Neotropical rhinoceros beetles. There are no recognized subspecies.M. Prandi, P. Grossi, F. Vaz-de-Mello (2020) Revision of the ''Megasoma (Megasoma) gyas'' (Jablonsky in Herbst, 1785) species group (Coleop ...

'' (Herbst, 1785) *''

Megasoma hermes ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indi ...

'' Prandi, 2016 *''

Megasoma hyperion ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indi ...

'' Prandi, Grossi & Vaz-de-Mello, 2020 *''

Megasoma joergenseni ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indi ...

'' Bruch, 1910 *''

Megasoma lecontei ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indi ...

'' Hardy, 1972 *'' Megasoma mars'' (Reiche, 1852) *''

Megasoma nogueirai ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indi ...

'' Morón, 2005 *''

Megasoma occidentale ''Megasoma occidentale'' is a species of scarab beetle. It is endemic to Mexico and is known from the Oaxaca and Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 3 ...

'' Bolivar, Pieltain, Jimenez-asua & Martinez, 1963 *''

Megasoma pachecoi ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' Cartwright, 1963 *''

Megasoma punctulatum ''Megasoma punctulatum'' is a species of rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The cl ...

'' Cartwright, 1952 *''

Megasoma rex ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' Prandi, 2018* (considered a likely synonym of ''M. actaeon'' - seeHielkema, Auke J., Hielkema, Meindert A. (2019): An annotated checklist of the Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) of the Guianas. Insecta Mundi 732 (732): 1-306, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3678492) *''

Megasoma sleeperi ''Megasoma sleeperi'' is a species of rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is endemic to the Algodones Dunes The Algodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, or erg, located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Californi ...

'' Hardy, 1972 *''

Megasoma svobodaorum ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' Krajcik, 2009 *''

Megasoma thersites ''Megasoma thersites'' is a species of scarab beetle. It is endemic to Baja California, Mexico. Adults are attracted by light and feed on the cambium of palo verde (''Parkinsonia florida ''Parkinsonia florida'', the blue palo verde ( syn. ''Ce ...

'' LeConte, 1861 *''

Megasoma typhon ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' (Olivier, 1789) *''

Megasoma vazdemelloi ''Megasoma'' is a genus of rhinoceros beetles. Commonly known as the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma'' species are found from the southern half of North America to most of South America. Appearance ''Megasoma'' are generally large in size (as indic ...

'' Prandi, 2018 *''

Megasoma vogti ''Megasoma vogti'', known generally as the Texas elephant beetle or Texas megasoma, is a species of rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwi ...

'' Cartwright, 1963

References

* Kirby, W. 1825. A description of such genera and species of insects, as alluded to in the "Introduction to Entomology" of Messrs. Kirby and Spence, as appear not to have been before sufficiently noticed or described. ''Transactions of the Linnean Society of London'', 14: 563–572
Internet Archive
riginal description: p. 566*Schoolmeesters P. 2017. Scarabs: World Scarabaeidae Database (version Jul 2016). In: Roskov Y., Abucay L., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., De Wever A., Nieukerken E. van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds. 2017. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 30 January 2017. Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/col. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-8858. Reference page. *2019 winter Bekuwa No.70 Megasoma group * * Dynastinae Scarabaeidae genera Taxa named by William Kirby (entomologist) {{Dynastinae-stub

Appearance

Diet

Behavior and habitat

Species list

See also

References