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Species of the month

Royal Goliath Beetle

Some facts about this giant insect:

Length: 60–110 millimetres (2.4–4.3 in.) for males and 50–80 millimetres (2.0–3.1 in.) for females.
Weight of larva: 80–100 grams (2.8–3.5 oz).
Range: Western equatorial Africa: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
First discovered: In 1835 by the German entomologist Christoph Friedrich Klug.

Goliathus regius is one of the largest insects in the world. It possesses two pairs of wings, the first (called elytra) acts as protective covers for the secondary which is used for flying. Males have a Y-shaped horn on the head used in battles with other males, while females are hornless, having instead a wedge-shaped head to assist in burrowing when they lay eggs.