Megasoma elephas elephas breeding report (care sheet)

A giant rhino beetle Megasoma elephas elephas is magnificent species from neotropical ecozone which lives in tropical forests from Southern Mexico to Venezuela. The males are one of the largest beetles in the world reaching over 13 cm in size. Considering the fact that the beetle's elytron is also quite wide, the adult beetles look and feel (when handled:) massive. In nature the adult beetles feed on sweet sap from trees and ripe fruits, whereas the larvae are found in decayed organic plant material, such as rotten wood.

Megasoma elephas elephas is one of my favourite species as these beetles are relatively easy to keep and breed. 

Larvae

Once the eggs are hatched, the larvae normally consume the egg's skin and start feeding on substrate right away. The speed of the development of the larvae depends on the temperature and nutritional value of the substrate. The temperature between 18-25C is fine for the larvae. The substrate for the new larvae should be finely mulched, preferable with some forest humus in it, which the larvae will readily consume. I noticed that my M.e.e. larvae developed quicker on the substrate composed mainly of decayed leaf litter with occasional supplement with dog food pellets,  rather than on the rotten wood or fermented rotten wood. The humidity of the substrate can be from quite moist to just moist; the larvae develop normally in both of them. The larvae of a similar size can be kept together in small containers. The only condition is that the area of the bottom of the container should be large enough for all the larvae to stay at the lower level. It is important that the box should have enough holes for a good air circulation, in order to prevent the accumulation of toxic ammonia derived compounds. The substrate can be replaced only after the most of it was consumed by the larvae. On average the L1 stage of the larvae takes from 3 to 5 weeks, the L2 stage of the larvae takes 6-9 weeks, and the L3 stage takes from 8-16 months. The larvae molt to change their head capsule, as this part does not grow, so the larvae of different stages differ by the size of the head capsule.  The good-developed female larva reaches the pupation weight at 60g+, when for the male larvae this weight is 90g+. The male larvae can be as heavy as 140g+. Once the larvae have reached this weight and  became yellowish in colour it is then transferred into the bigger box for the pupation. The larvae creates the pupation chamber which is quite big, so the volume of the substrate needs to be taken into consideration. The lower layer of the subtrate in the pupation box should be replaced with some potting or top forest soil; this will help the larvae to form sturdy pupal cells. For example, for 4 big larvae the pupation box should be at least 25-30L in volume. It takes 2-3 months for the larvae to form the chamber and pupate. During this period the larvae should not be disturbed. The larva often creates the chamber next to the wall of the container so its transformation can be observed through the translucent wall of the box. Normally after 3 months waiting I remove the pupae and transfer them into the artificial pupal chambers. 

Left- the pupal chamber constructed near the wall of the container. Middle - opened camber with a female pupa inside. Right - the male pupa.

Adults

When the pupa turns into an adult beetle it requires about several days for its elytra to harden completely. After that the beetle stays inactive for 4-6 weeks. The active adults will eat any sweet ripe fruit such as pear, but overripe banana or beetle jelly will be the best food for them. The temperature should be between 20-25C and the level of humidity in the enclosure should be high, as naturally they live in a humid tropical environment. The beetles have very long legs and are very grabby, so sometimes it takes quite an effort to take it off your hand. 
Although many breeders suggest feeding the female of a rhino beetle for about 2 weeks before mating, I did not see any significant difference in number of eggs laid between "pre-fed" and fresh females, especially if you are going to have only one pair of adults in the breeding box. The egg laying setup is similar to any rhino beetle setup; the potting soil is mixed with some mulched decayed leaves and wood and the lower layer is compressed with a hand. A few bigger chunks of wood should be placed at the top of the soil so the beetle could grab if it flips over. The eggs and the fresh larvae can be collected after about 1.5-2 months. The female may lay somewhere between 30 and 60 eggs, but sometimes more.  The most of the eggs will be laid in the compressed bottom layer of the box.

Left- freshly eclosed male, right photo - female, both with still soft elytra

Goliathus on the loose

Purely by an accident I spotted my like yesterday-still-dormant Goliathus orientalis preissi male, which apparently finally woke up from its sleep and escaped from his box. Still a bit wobbly from several month inactivity, however, he has not died instantly, which is a good sign:)

Big hopes for this specimen as he is from a different line than my females, so hopefully he will assist in production of F1 offspring!

Two first photos were taken after my 15-min struggle trying to unclench the beetle from the beam in the enclosure. Various approaches were used including spraying the goliath beetle with water, which in fact did not help at all:)))

Finally he capitulated and was transferred into an individual box!

Freshly eclosed goliathus orientalis preissi males are absolutely stunning: white, black and very dark red, please see the photo number 3

Please contact me at beetlesaspets@gmail.com regarding any related issue or availability of the larvae of these species.  

A giant rhino beetle, megasoma gyas porioni

A relatively new to my collection, Megasoma gyas porioni from Brasil.   The beetles are really magnificent, very similar to Megasoma elephas elephas species. I know that many breeders use fermented wood to raise the larvae of these species. However, because I used decayed leaf litter successfully to raise Megasoma elephas elephas larvae before, I tried the same substrate with Megasoma gyas porioni larvae, occasionally adding some dog food pellets as a protein supplement. In such substrate the larvae grow strong and healthy, so it seems that leaf litter is a good alternative for the decayed or fermented wood substrate. Interestingly, compared to M. elephas, which are quite short-lived, adult  M. gyas porioni live substantially longer; two of my males lived for 10+ months. Here is the photo-set of these beetles. The beetles have quite wide body so they feel really massive when holding them in your hand. The male is not the biggest of its kind but still pretty impressive!

Please contact me at beetlesaspets@gmail.com regarding any related issue or larvae availability.  

The rose chafer, cetonia aurata in the garden.

The underneath photo of the rose chafer, cetonia aurata, female 

Although it is considered that the rose chafer is widespread in the UK, I have never seen one in nature feeding or flying. Some photos found on internet showed the presence of these beetles in relatively close places, mainly big parks, such as Richmond Park. So I assumed that their habitat in London is mainly associated with woodland and park areas. However, about 3 or 4 years ago I left a big plastic box that I used for breeding of my beetles outside in our back garden; the box was filled with some garden soil mixed with rotten wood and leaves. The box was not covered and stayed outside for about 6 weeks. When I decided to reuse it, to my surprise, I found about 40 small larvae in the soil with a female of the rose chafer on the top the soil. This suggested that this female, which was flying in the area, found the box with substrate rich in decaying wood and leaves and decided that it is acceptable for her offspring. 

I normally remove quite a lot of the used beetle larvae substrate from my boxes and I usually "discard" it into the vegetable patch in our back garden. This used substrate apart from larvae's frass still contained a significant part of uneaten material such as rotten wood and decayed leaves. This spring I was digging soil for the tomato patch and discovered 5 larvae similar to appearance to rose chafer larvae. We have plenty of summer chafers (amphimallon solstitiale) flying in spring and summer in our garden, so automatically I assumed that these are the larvae of this species. However, I decided to keep these 5 larvae and put them in the box with some decayed leaves. About 2 month ago these larvae pupated all together and later emerged as 5 beautiful rose chafers, 2 females and 3 males, which seems almost a perfect ratio! I made and break with these species about couple years ago but it seems that I will be starting with them again.   The males of the rose chafers, as many other flower beetles, have a distinct "invagination" on their abdomen, which often appears longitudinally divided (please see the photo below)  

contact email: beetlesaspets@gmail.com

A brief (and hopefully) comprehensive guide to the substrates for rearing larvae of flower, rhino and stag beetles

When I was starting with  beetles, I had trouble with finding info about what kind of substrate is suitable for different sorts of beetles. The things were further complicated by information obtained from various beetle "keepers" enthusiasts which used different substrates to raise same species of beetles.  Since I am often being asked similar questions, I have decided to break down this information in one post. This information is mainly based on my own knowledge/experience and presented in a very shortened generalized form, and thus may not be suitable for some specific beetles. However, most likely it will suit very common groups of beetles and the post could particularly be helpful for beginners.

There are 3 most popular groups of beetles which are kept by breeders. 
These are flower beetles (family of scarab beetles, Scarabaeoidea, subfamily Cetoniinae; such as Pachnoda ssp, Dicronorrhina ssp or Mecynorrhina ssp), rhino beetles (family of scarab beetles, Scarabaeoidea, subfamily Cetoniinae, Dynastinae; such as Megasoma ssp or Dynastes ssp), and stag beetles (family Lucanidae, such as Lucanus ssp or Dorcus ssp). 
The development of larvae of all these groups in nature is usually attributed with decaying organics, mainly rotting wood.  However, in captivity many breeders often grow major adults using leaf litter or leaf litter mixed with decayed wood as the main substrate. It is also generally accepted that the simplest substrate is the one consisting of decayed leaves and wood of hardwood trees such as oak or beech. Therefore "the basic" substrates are:

1) Pure leaf litter. 

This substrate normally consists of a lower layer of partially disintegrated decayed leaves which could be mixed with some woodland top soil (humus).  The leaves should be well decayed, not freshly fallen, preferably at least 1 year old. In such substrate, hard parts of leaves are pre-digested by microorganisms. The presence of soil in such substrate could help distributing the moisture and developing of the beneficial bacteria, particularly if a container with larvae is not very deep. 
This substrate is good for any flower beetle larvae, although some species may require some additional protein supplement during their later stages, e.g. starting from the late L2-early L3. Some beetles such as goliath beetles, starting from L2 stage require mainly high protein food, and almost do not consume any other substrate. 
This substrate is also used by many breeders for raising larvae of some rhino beetles, particularly of megasoma ssp.  

2) Pure decayed (rotten) wood.
This is normally pure rotten wood from hardwood trees (oak or beech are always preferred), which ranges from soft white to brownish/black in colour and either soft or just soft, but not hard wood. The soft wood is that kind that you can easily brake and crumble it with your hands, the "just soft" wood is that kind that it is difficult to brake it with your bare hands, but it would be very easy to hammer the nail in. This wood is usually the result of part of the tree being damaged by fungi and in such wood the most of the lignin is destroyed either by fungal and/or bacterial activity. The softer wood can be used for rhino beetle substrate and for oviposition of majority stag beetles such as lucanus, although the "just soft" wood could be also good for the some other stag beetles such as dorcus or phalacrognathus. Both types of wood could be mulched and used as food for both stag and rhino beetles right away, although the majority of stag beetles may prefer the harder ("just soft") decayed wood.  Since the nutritional value of freshly decayed wood is not exceptionally high, some additives such as soy protein powder or dog food pellets are often recommended, particularly at later stages of the larvae development. The decayed wood which you can find inside of large dead oak trees and which has pure brown colour and feels like a cork is not suitable, as in such wood all nutrients such as cellulose are already disintegrated.

3) Decayed wood and leaf mixture.
This is normally the mixture of mulched decayed wood and leaf litter mixed together. Stag beetles normally do not grow well in "leafy" substrate and require decayed wood or more advanced substrate for their growth.  This substrate, however, works quite well for many rhino beetles, particularly with some additional protein supplements starting from the early L3 larvae. In my experience the early larvae of many rhino beetles grow better in decayed leaf substrate with only little wood in it; then the bigger the larvae may require more wood as they grow. I normally end up with like 40% of the wood in the substrate for the late L3 larvae. All bigger chunks of decayed wood (ideally a log) need to be placed at the bottom of the container so the larvae could easily access it, if they would require more wood.   

Advanced substrates.

1) Fermented wood (flake soil)
In this substrate the harder wood components such as lignin are pre-digested by micro fungi and bacteria. The substrate is normally made using hardwood sawdust/shaving, baking flour/bran, often larvae frass and sometimes yeasts. The yeasts develop "feeding" on carbohydrates of the additives bran/flour and products of the fermentation at the beginning of the process and it is believed they are closely associated with some fungi which digest harder components of the wood. Yeasts are not necessary if larvae's frass is added as an additional source of favourable microorganisms and nitrogen. Ultimately, the process leads to exposing cellulose of the wood and at the same time enriching of the substrate with nitrogen-rich biocompounds/microorganisms which later are assimilated by the larvae. The "indoors" process is most effective at the temperatures above 20C and in bigger volumes and requires often mixing of the substrate. At 25C using air dried oak sawdust it takes about 2 months to obtain a good substrate for stag beetle larvae  or 3-4 months for rhino beetle larvae.  The substrate can be made oudoors in well ventilated capacities, e.g. woven bags, preferably in direct contact with the soil.  It allows a massive influx of bioactive microorganisms from soil which together with efficient oxygenation provides faster wood degradation and does not normally require regular mixing, heat or addition of the yeasts. The ready substrate could be from dark brown to black in colour when moist and should not smell ammonia or alcohol but have rather "earthy" smell. As the composition and degree of wood degradation of fermented substrates obtained from different sources may vary, it is always wise not to replace the existing larvae substrate with a new one right away completely, but to introduce the new substrate gradually especially for slow eating larvae such as hercules beetle.  The advantage of such substrate is a high availability of the remaining cellulose and nitrogen-rich bacteria/components which promote the larval growth. The fermented substrate for rhino beetles can also be used for flower beetles, although I personally did not find much difference in development between flower beetles larvae growing in fermented wood flakes and in the leaf litter substrate.

"Stag beetle grade" fermented wood flake soil

"Rhino and flower beetle grade" fermented wood flake soil

2) Kinshi
Kinshi is the well developed mycelium of fungi, which is normally grown on oak or beech sawdust/woodflakes. Due to the high nutritional value kinshi represents an excellent substrate for various beetle larvae, particularly some stag beetle larvae such as dorcus or phalacrognathus. Kinshi  can also be given to rhino beetle larvae but only as a part of the substrate. The woodflakes, mixed with some additives such as baking flour, are sterilized, and the mushroom spawn is introduced. It normally takes at least 2-3 months for spawn to completely colonize the substrate. In ready to use kinshi the fungus colonizes almost all free space of the container and the substrate should have a  bright white colour. The most common fungus used for this purpose is king oyster mushroom, pleurotus eryngii,   perhaps because its mycelium develops much quicker than other similar mushrooms. This allows fast colonizing of the substrate, thus decreasing the chance of the  contamination with mold. Another fungus, which is important for the development of some stag beetles such a Allotopus ssp, is turkey tail fungus, trametes versicolor, is often used for making kinshi. The biggest challenge of the kinshi production, particularly the one at home, is a contamination of the substrate by mold which can easily put off  any breeder from making it:(    

kinshi at early stage;  various degrees of colonisation of the substrate can be seen

ready to use kinshi









You can contact me via beetlesaspets@gmail.com regarding any related issue  

Goliathus orientalis preissi broken pupal cell and artificial puaption chamber

Just before constructing a pupal cell, a goliath beetle larva enters "the wondering phase". During this time the larva comes to the top of substrate "wondering" around, and trying to escape its current container. Such larva needs to be placed into a new box containing the mixture of peat and sand, where the larva will later construct its pupal cell. Sometime ago, I placed one of my golaithus orientalis larvae into such box and forgot to label it. Then later when I thought that the box had no larvae inside I decided to use it for another wandering larva goliath beetle larvae. The result was not very nice, as the first larvae finished its cell already and I accidentally broke it while preparing the substrate in the box for the larva N2.  The larva inside of the cell was still pretty active, and I was hoping that it will have some energy to repair the cell, although the damage was massive:(.  Normally such cell damage in large flower beetles such as Mecynorrhina results in larva leaving the cell and dying eventually, as it would not have enough to build a new pupal cell. I left the larvae in the broken cell as it is, and luckily one month later I discovered that it did not leave the cell. I transferred the larvae into the artificial pupal cell made from floral foam and about 2 days ago I discovered that it turned into a gorgeous female pupa! Please see the photos below.

Identification of the larvae of common European Lucanidae

There are just a few species of the beetles of Lucanidae family found in Europe, with the biggest one being European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus cervus. The species of this family which can be found in the United Kingdom are Sinodendron cylindricum (sometimes called Least Stag Beetle), Platycerus caraboides and Dorcus parallelipipedus (Lesser Stag Beetle). Apart from the European and lesser stag beetles, the other two do not look much as stag beetles since their males do not develop impressive mandibles. Although the larvae of the Lucanus cervus is considered polyphagous and often found feeding on decaying roots of garden trees or rotting fence posts, their typical food source is normally associated with decayed wood of hardwood trees such as oak or beech. Despite the fact that the stag beetle's larvae occasionally found above the ground, e.g inside of heaps of decayed woodchips,  their larvae is usually live underground in their natural habitat. Similarly, sinodendron cylindricum larvae is also usually found in decayed oak or beech wood.  In contrast the lesser stag beetle larvae also can be found in decayed wood of various deciduous trees, often in logs above the ground and often in big numbers. In our South London area I often find these inside of decayed poplar logs above the ground, and normally adults beetles can be found in the same rotten log with the larvae. 

The least stag beetle, Sinodendron cylindricum, despite that it belongs to the lucanidae family, looks more like a rhino beetle.  The photo shows a (dead) female of the species which was found in Mitcham park in South London.

The lesser stag beetle, Dorcus parallelipipedus male looks as a smaller version of the minor male of lucanus cervus cervus.

Obviously it always interesting to know what lucanidae species is the larvae that you found.  However, because the larvae (particularly the smaller one) of all lucanidae look pretty much the same, it is very difficult to determine to which species the larvae belong to. This is particularly applicable for the dorcus parallelipipedus and lucanus cervus cervus, as the late L3 larvae of the DP could be as big as early to mid L3 larvae of the LCC. Considering the fact that DP is an abundant widespread species and normally live in the same areas as LCC this could be quite an issue.  However, apparently it is still possible to identify the larvae of the common UK's lucanidae by comparing the shape of their last (terminal) segments. Here I came across the diagram published by T.E. Leiler in 1950 which could be useful:)

The diagram below shows the caudal and ventral view of the last segments of common lucanidae larvae

Leiler, T.E. (1950) Bestimmungstabelle der schwedischen Lucanidenlarven (Coleoptera). Opuscula Entomologica, 15, 157–160. 

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