Hiding in the undergrowth of African tropical forests, Goliath Beetles take the top spot as the heaviest insect in the world! They weigh up to 3.5 ounces (100 g), grow to a length of 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) and are brown/black/white in colour.
Goliathus is a genus holding some of the largest beetles in the world. In the genus, there are five species in total, and Goliathus albosignatus is the smallest of the lot. Nonetheless, these beauties can still grow as big as 7cm!
These aren’t a garden pest; they tend to be restricted to woodland and sub-tropical Savanah. The grubs eat meat (mostly other grubs!), whereas the adults feed on fruits and sap flows, including the oozing gum of Sengalia trees.
Goliathus albosignatus that can range between 4.5cm and 7cm. The top of the head is white, where males have an additional black Y shaped horn. The horn is used for battling other males, who fight for food resources and females during the mating season. The pronotum is black, with contrasting white, vertical lines and margins. The elytra (wingcases) are also black with white horizontal-line patterning, borders white.
It’s not recommended to remove these beetles from the garden. The benefits they bring to the wider ecosystem outweigh the small costs they produce in plants.
These beetles are attracted to woodland and subtropical-savannah.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this post from Ideassimple. I hope you learn a lot about nature. Please leave a comment or share our article if you think it insightful and interesting. Thank you very much!
