- Who
- actaeon beetle larva Megasoma actaeon
- What
- 228 gram(s)
- Where
- Peru ()
- When
The heaviest insect larva is the full-grown larva of the actaeon beetle Megasoma actaeon, which is native to the northern regions of South America. The heaviest full-grown specimen on record for this beetle's larva was a male that was bred in Japan in 2009 and which weighed 228 g (almost as heavy as an adult female common rat!). Its mother had been collected in Satipo, Peru. This spectacular species is a rhinoceros beetle belonging to the scarab beetle family, and in the adult form the male bears a sizeable horn upon its head, terminating in a tooth-like structure.
The species is named after the tragic hero Actaeon from Greek mythology, who inadvertently chanced upon the virgin huntress goddess Artemis while she was bathing, and was fatally punished by the enraged goddess, who transformed him into a deer that was then torn apart by his own pack of hunting hounds.
