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!
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