}

''Goliathus albosignatus'' is a 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 ...

of 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 ...

, described by Boheman in 1857. It is one of several species of Goliath beetles that inhabit Africa, but it is the only one exclusively found in subtropical sections of the continent.

Description

''Goliathus albosignatus'' can reach a length of about 45–70 mm (1.8–2.8 in) in males, of about 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) in females.Beetlespace
/ref> There are distinctive nonuniform bands of black that stretch horizontally across their elytra and differentiate it from other species. While Goliath beetles are among the largest beetles on Earth, this is the smallest of the species in this genus and not as commonly found as the others. Sexually dimorphic traits are also present in Goliath beetles and include males having a Y shaped horn protruding from their head to assist with confrontation between males, while in females the horn is absent and their wedge-shaped head is fit for digging the burrows where eggs are to be laid.

Biology

Development of ''Goliathus albosignatus'' is carried out in

Hyrax Hyraxes (), also called dassies, are small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails. Typically, they measure between long and weigh between . They are superficially simil ...

dung which is a trait shared with ''Fornasinius'' species, but not among any other Goliath beetles. Their diet consists of high protein as larvae, but after pupating into adulthood, they have been known to feed on sap from ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

''. Other behaviour of note is they will gather specifically on '' marula'' trees.

Taxonomy

''Goliathus albosignatus'' is taxonomically separated from the other species in ''Goliathus'' according to barcoding analysis results that were published in ''Entomologia Africana'' in January 2020. Characteristics differentiating ''Goliathus albosignatus'' that are mentioned include "hammer-shaped post-clypeal horns of the male, the elongated tarsi, and the presence of cretaceous marks on the pygidium".

The tree resulting from the analysis is listed below:

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies: * ''Goliathus albosignatus albosignatus'' Boheman 1857 * ''Goliathus albosignatus kirkianus'' Gray, 1864

Subspecies distributions and sizes

* ''Goliathus albosignatus albosignatus:'' Distribution: Middle to South

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

and North-Eastern

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

; Size: ♂ 40 – 68 mm; ♀ 45 – 52 mm. *''Goliathus albosignatus kirkianus'': Distribution:

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

; Size: ♂ 40 – 71 mm; ♀ 45 – 55 mm.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q11972343 Cetoniinae Beetles described in 1857