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Ramirez's elephant beetle
AdvancedMegasoma ramirezorum
A large elephant beetle recorded from Ecuador and Colombia in northwestern South America to Panama. It belongs to the M. actaeon group, and the BE-KUWA captive record reaches 118.6mm.
Difficulty
Advanced
Temperature
20〜28℃
Lifespan
Little data
Size
Captive record 118.6mm
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
Adults take sap, fruit juice or beetle jelly; larvae eat fermented substrate (tree roots in the wild)
About
Megasoma ramirezorum Silvestre & Arnaud, 2002 is a large elephant beetle (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) described in 2002 as a new South American species. Its rank is disputed: the 2005 Zootaxa checklist of the genus treats it as a subspecies of M. janus, M. janus ramirezorum, and GBIF carries both the species and the subspecies names. It belongs to the group around M. actaeon and M. janus whose classification has been revised repeatedly. iNaturalist observations come from northwestern Ecuador (Esmeraldas, Pichincha and nearby), Colombia (Chocó, Santander and others) and Panama. Megasoma larvae feed on the roots of trees and shrubs, and adults drink sap or fruit juice; adults are nocturnal, come to lights and are often seen resting in trees. The BE-KUWA 2025 captive record is 118.6mm (expected maximum 127mm), large even for the genus. In Japan specialist shops handle it as one of the elephant beetles, though not in large numbers.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Size of the Ramirez's elephant beetle
The Ramirez's elephant beetle grows to Captive record 118.6mm.
Basic Info
Origin
Northwestern Ecuador, Colombia and Panama
Lifespan
Little data
Size
Captive record 118.6mm
Temperature
20〜28℃
Humidity
60〜80%
Diet
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
- Plant Protection Station: Importing Scarabaeoidea (JA)
- Plant Protection Station: Importing live insects (JA)
- Ministry of the Environment: List of invasive alien species (JA)
- Species+ CITES query (no listing)
- Megasoma - Wikipedia (JA), species list
- BE-KUWA Certified Breeding Records (Mushi-sha, FY2025 edition PDF, JA)
- Zootaxa 1037 (2005): Megasoma checklist listing M. janus ramirezorum
- iNaturalist: Megasoma janus ramirezorum observations
Taxonomy & Authority
Accepted name: Megasoma ramirezorum Silvestre & Arnaud, 2002
Synonyms: Megasoma janus ramirezorum
Authority databases: GBIF · GBIF · GBIF（M. janus ramirezorum）
Nomenclature follows global taxonomic authority databases.
Regulations & Conservation Status
Not CITES-listed
Many live foreign Scarabaeoidea (stag beetles, rhinoceros beetles, flower chafers and relatives) are quarantine pests whose import is banned under Japan's Plant Protection Act, and even importable species require a species-name certificate from a foreign government body under the Invasive Alien Species Act (entry only via designated airports, never by international post). Whether a species may enter must be checked with the Plant Protection Station in advance, so choose domestically bred stock and never release captive beetles.
Sources: Plant Protection Station: Importing Scarabaeoidea (JA) / Plant Protection Station: Importing live insects (JA) / Ministry of the Environment: List of invasive alien species (JA) / Species+ CITES query (no listing)
Regulations may change. Always verify the latest information with the relevant authorities.
Ramirez's elephant beetle Listings
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