The Atlas beetle (''Chalcosoma atlas'') is a very large species of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

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 classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...

, found in Southeast Asia. Males have three prominent horns. The species is named for

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geograp ...

, the giant of

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

who supported the skies.

Description

''Chalcosoma atlas'', like other beetles of the genus '' Chalcosoma'', is remarkable for its size. As is common in the

, males are larger than the females, reaching a length of about ; females are about . Males have specialised horns on their head and

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

that they use to fight with each other, to gain mating rights with females. The Atlas beetle differs from other ''Chalcosoma'' species (such as '' C. caucasus'') by the broader end of the cephalic (head) horn.

Larvae

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

of the Atlas beetle is known for its fierce behavior, including biting if touched. Unverified reports exist of larvae that live together fighting to the death if they have insufficient space or food.

Distribution

''Chalcosoma atlas'' is found in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

Parasitoids

The species is the host of a parasitoid, the giant scoliid wasp ''

Megascolia procer ''Megascolia procer'', the giant scoliid wasp, is a solitary wasp in the family Scoliidae found across the Oriental region. It is one of the largest wasps in the world, with a wingspan of 11.6 cm. Measurement scale on Figure 1. Descriptio ...

'', which has a paralysing venom.

Subspecies

*''Chalcosoma atlas atlas'' (Linnaeus, 1758)- Sulawesi *''Chalcosoma atlas butonensis'' Nagai, 2004- Buton island *''Chalcosoma atlas keyboh'' Nagai, 2004- Malaysia and Sumatra *''Chalcosoma atlas mantetsu'' Nagai, 2004- Thailand and Vietnam *''Chalcosoma atlas simeuluensis'' Nagai, 2004- Simeule island *''Chalcosoma atlas sintae'' Nagai, 2004- Peleng islands *''Chalcosoma atlas hesperus'' (Erichson, 1834)- Philippines

Gallery

File:Descent of Man - Figure 16.jpg, Sexual dimorphism in ''Chalcosoma atlas''. From Darwin's ''The Descent of Man'', 2nd edn. 1882. File:Chalcosomaatlas3.JPG, Male of ''Chalcosoma atlas'' File:Scarabaeidae - Chalcosoma atlas.JPG, Males of ''Chalcosoma atlas'' File:Scarabaeidae - Chalcosoma atlas-1.JPG, Females of ''Chalcosoma atlas'' File:Chalcosoma atlas (13476479993).jpg, Male, showing broadened cephalic horn

References

External links

* *
Biolib
*Kazuo Kawan
Character Displacement in Giant Rhinoceros Beetles
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1340892 Dynastinae Beetles described in 1758 Beetles of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus