Augosoma centaurus (Ghana)

[Trehopr1]

So as not to be a stranger to the beetle enthusiasts
here I present a wonderful and endearing species of
the subfamily Dynastinae from Ghana, Africa.

I have ALWAYS appreciated dynastine beetles of all kinds
and this one has always been a consumate favorite. Found
in the tropical "belt" of central Africa; the species is well
known in the hobby and can boast of having impressive
sized males.

Below, my male of 90mm is a large and well developed
"wild collected" specimen from Ghana, Africa nr. Kumasi
1990.

The shape and incredible "arch" of the horns on this beastie
firmly places it amongst the "great" beetle species known
from Africa.

[KKarns]

All right...beetles! Nice specimen and taking up a whole "B" tray is even better.

[Cabintom]

[58chevy]

Is that a gecko wrapped around the horn?

[Chuck]

Is that a gecko wrapped around the horn?

chameleon

[Cabintom]

Either a giant Dynastes or a tiny Chameleon or maybe a bit of both? (I may have staged the photo...)

[kevinkk]

Either a giant Dynastes or a tiny Chameleon or maybe a bit of both? (I may have staged the photo...)

You could probably get a good story going, like they used to do on "Wild Kingdom".

[Eleodes]

It's worth mentioning that while this species resembles the genus Dynastes in form, it actually belongs in the genus Augosoma along with one other species (A. hippocrates). There seems to be no record of either species being formally known as a Dynastes species.

[Trehopr1]

Thank you for that correction Eleodes !

I am more of a lepidopterist than a coleopterist so details of generic names (or changes) are sometimes overlooked by me. I would swear that I have seen the genus name Dynastes applied to this species in a couple of my older books.

However, if there is no such record then I am simply mistaken and I appreciate the update.

I will change the title of my post to reflect this species proper name.

[livingplanet3]

...I would swear that I have seen the genus name Dynastes applied to this species in a couple of my older books...

I have often seen the name "Dynastes centaurus", but as Eleodes mentioned, "There seems to be no record of either (Augosoma) species being formally known as a Dynastes species". It appears that Augosoma centaurus must have been classified under Dynastes at some point however, even if only informally. The name Dynastes centaurus appears in Dru Drury's Illustrations of Exotic Entomology (1837) -

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... y_I_36.jpg

Note that Xylotrupes gideon also, was formerly referred to as a species of Dynastes, and prior to that, Scarabaeus (Linnaeus, 1767).

A more recent example is Bowden (1959) -

https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520 ... 28789_2767

Some further digging through the literature might possibly reveal when and how Augosoma (and Xylotrupes) came to be placed under Dynastes, but in any case, it must have happened sometime after MacLeay (1819), as that was the origin of the genus name.

[Chuck]

I have a specimen from the 1970s labeled Dynastes (Augosoma) centaurus. And, I can remember it being listed as such in a catalog, can't recall which, and I'm sure I don't have the catalog anymore. Whether in the 1970s it was labeled as Dynastes because that was the trend, or because it made the species more marketable, I can't say.