Atlas beetle

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This article is about the Asian beetle. For other uses, see Atlas (disambiguation).

Atlas beetle

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Chalcosoma
Species:	C. atlas

Binomial name

Chalcosoma atlas
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas, is a species of beetle found in southern Asia, especially Malaysia, remarkable for its size (25-145 mm). As common in many insect species, the male is larger than the female and usually two males will fight for a female for mating.

1 Appearance
2 Larvae
3 Origin of the name
4 Uses and allusions in pop culture
5 External links

[edit] Appearance

The Atlas beetle is, like other beetles of the genus Chalcosoma, notable for its size and the horns that is seen in its head. The Atlas beetle differs from other Chalcosoma species (such as C. caucasus) in the end of the cephalic horn of the Atlas, which is broadened.

[edit] Larvae

Larva of the Atlas beetle on the hand of a breeder

The larva of the Atlas beetle is known for its fierce behavior, including biting if touched. It's said that sometimes, larvae that live together will fight to death if there's not enough space or food.

[edit] Origin of the name

The origin of the name of the Atlas beetle may be the Greek Titan Atlas or the Atlas Mountains. The fact that other mountain name gives the name of another beetle of the same genus (C. caucasus) may be evidence that the name was given after the Atlas Mountains.