Source: Wikimedia Commons
Porter's Golofa Beetle
IntermediateGolofa porteri
The best-known Golofa, from the mountains of the Andes. Males are ochre with long sickle-shaped head and thoracic horns, while females are dark. The beetles gather on the shoots of tall grasses, and the BE-KUWA captive record stands at 106.8 mm.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
Adults 4-8 months
Size
70-80 mm (Spanish Wikipedia; male horns 35-40 mm) / captive record for males 106.8 mm (BE-KUWA FY2025 edition)
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Shoots and sap of grasses; beetle jelly
About
Golofa porteri was described by Hope in 1837. Males are ochre to pale yellow while females are dark, a marked difference. GBIF records come overwhelmingly from Colombia, followed by Venezuela and Ecuador. The beetle avoids the coast, the plains and dense Amazonian forest, keeping instead to the mountain country of the Andes, where it depends on medium-sized grasses and drinks the sap of their shoots. Females lay in organic matter on the ground among the same grasses and the larvae feed on humus in the soil. The BE-KUWA FY2025 edition lists a captive record of 106.8 mm set by 菅原勝義 in 2010, with a projected maximum of 110 mm.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Lifespan of the Porter's Golofa Beetle
The Porter's Golofa Beetle lives Adults 4-8 months.
Size of the Porter's Golofa Beetle
The Porter's Golofa Beetle grows to 70-80 mm (Spanish Wikipedia; male horns 35-40 mm) / captive record for males 106.8 mm (BE-KUWA FY2025 edition).
The Spanish Wikipedia gives a body length of 70-80 mm with male horns of 35-40 mm; the horns curve like sickles and carry two rows of fine hairs underneath.
Basic Info
Origin
Latin America (chiefly Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, with records from Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua)
Lifespan
Adults 4-8 months
Size
70-80 mm (Spanish Wikipedia; male horns 35-40 mm) / captive record for males 106.8 mm (BE-KUWA FY2025 edition)
Care Specifications
SolitaryBreeding: Moderate
Sources: Golofa porteri - Wikipedia (ES; 70-80 mm body, horn lengths, range, life on grasses) / GBIF species page for Golofa porteri (distribution and occurrence records by country) / Golofa - Wikipedia (JA; Neotropical range, thoracic horn, the long forelegs behind the alternative Japanese name) / Golofa - Wikipedia (EN; species list; the male head and thoracic horns curving toward each other) / Takuneko blog - Golofa claviger (rearing at 23-25C, size, lifespan, egg-laying set, larval period, bottle size, JA) / BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Breeding Records & Localities
Captive record (♂)
106.8 mm
Record source: BE-KUWA 2025 edition (Golofa porteri, captive 106.8 mm, 菅原勝義 2010; projected maximum 110 mm)
Notable localities
ColombiaVenezuelaEcuador
The captive record dates from 2010 and has not been updated since. The rhinoceros-beetle table carries no wild-record column, so no wild figure is given.
Generation codes
- WD
- Wild-caught
- WF1
- Offspring of a wild-caught female
- F1〜
- Captive generations (same locality)
- CBF1
- Cross-locality captive-bred (reset)
Sources: BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
References & Sources
Edited & verified by: BreederDirect editorial team
The taxonomic, regulatory, and husbandry data on this page are compiled and verified against the authoritative primary sources below.
Primary sources
- Wikipedia
- Ministry of the Environment, Invasive Species Act: "Guidance for Those Importing Live Insects in Scarabaeoidea"
- CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
- GBIF species page for Golofa porteri (distribution and occurrence records by country)
- Golofa - Wikipedia (JA; Neotropical range, thoracic horn, the long forelegs behind the alternative Japanese name)
- Golofa - Wikipedia (EN; species list; the male head and thoracic horns curving toward each other)
- Takuneko blog - Golofa claviger (rearing at 23-25C, size, lifespan, egg-laying set, larval period, bottle size, JA)
- BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Golofa porteri Hope, 1837
Authority databases: GBIF
Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.
Regulations & Conservation Status
Not CITES-listed
Plant Protection Act: When importing live specimens of Scarabaeoidea (including rhinoceros beetles, stag beetles, flower beetles, etc.), a species identification certificate issued by the exporting country government agency or equivalent must be attached in accordance with the Invasive Species Act (import ports are limited to Narita, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima airports). This species itself is not a designated invasive species, and import is possible upon submission of the certificate.
Sources: Ministry of the Environment, Invasive Species Act: "Guidance for Those Importing Live Insects in Scarabaeoidea" / CITES Appendix (checklist.cites.org)
Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.
Porter's Golofa Beetle Listings
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