Megasoma actaeon ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Hielkema, Auke J. & Hielkema, Meindert A., 2019, An annotated checklist of the Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) of the Guianas, Insecta Mundi 732 (732), pp. 1-306 : 196-197

Megasoma actaeon ( Linnaeus, 1758)

Scarabaeus actaeon Linnaeus 1758: 345 (America)

- Megalosoma janus Felsche 1906: 352 ( Paraguay)

- Megasoma janus argentinum Höhne 1923a: 254 ( Argentina)

- Megasoma janus fujitai Nagai 2003: 39 ( Brazil)

- Megasoma ramirezorum Silvestre and Arnaud 2002: 7 ( Ecuador)

Distribution. Guyana: Erichson 1848: 560; Bodkin 1919: 214; Endrödi 1977b: 41, 1985a: 637, 642; Nagai 2003: 39 (as M. janus ramirezorum ); Ratcliffe 2003: 461. Suriname: Endrödi 1941: 69 (as M. acteon [sic]); MHCN; NZCS. French Guiana: Endrödi 1941: 69 (as M. acteon [sic]); Lachaume 1985: 34; Brûlé et al. 2011a: 191 (as M. acteon [sic]), 2014: 182 (as M. acteon [sic]); Duranton 2011: 22; Ponchel 2011: 61 (as M. acteon [sic]); Brûlé and Dalens 2012a: annex 4: 18 (as M. acteon [sic]), 2012b: 37 (as M. acteon [sic]); Dupuis 2016b: 110 (as M. acteon [sic]); MHCN. “Guianas”: Arrow 1937b: 99; Blackwelder 1944: 259. Brazil (NA): Endrödi 1977b: 41 (as M. actaeon actaeon ; as M. actaeon janus ), 1985a: 637, 642 (as M. actaeon actaeon ; as M. actaeon janus ); Lachaume 1985: 34 (as M. actaeon actaeon ; as M. actaeon janus ); Andreazze and Fonseca 1998: 62 (NA); Silvestre and Arnaud 2002: 7 (as M. janus ); Nagai 2003: 39 (as M. janus fujitai ; as M. janus janus ; as M. janus ramirezorum ); Ratcliffe 2003: 461; Morón 2005: 30 (as M. janus fujitai ; as M. janus janus ). Venezuela: Lachaume 1985: 34; Nagai 2003: 39 (as M. janus ramirezorum ). Other: Linnaeus 1758: 345 (America - as Scarabaeus actaeon ); Felsche 1906: 352 (Paraguay - as Megalosoma janus ); Höhne 1923a: 254 (Argentina - M. janus argentinum ); Arrow 1937b: 99 (Peru - as M. actaeon ; Argentina, Paraguay - as M. janus ); Endrödi 1941: 69, 70 (Peru? - as M. acteon [sic]; Argentina - as M. janus argentinum ; Paraguay - as M. janus janus ), 1977b: 41 (Colombia, Peru - as M. actaeon actaeon ; Paraguay - as M. actaeon janus ), 1985a: 637, 642 (Colombia, Peru - as M. actaeon actaeon ; Paraguay - as M. actaeon janus ); Blackwelder 1944: 259 (Peru - as M. actaeon ; Argentina, Paraguay - as M. janus ); Lachaume 1985: 34 (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru - as M. actaeon actaeon ; Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay - as M. actaeon janus ); Silvestre and Arnaud 2002: 7 (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay - as M. janus ; Colombia, Ecuador - as M. ramirezorum ); Nagai 2003: 39 (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay - as M. janus janus ; Colombia, Ecuador, Peru - as M. janus ramirezorum ); Ratcliffe 2003: 461 (Colombia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru); Morón 2005: 30 (Bolivia–Panama - as M. actaeon ; Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay - as M. janus janus ; Colombia, Ecuador - as M. janus ramirezorum ).

Note 1. Opinions vary as to whether Megasoma janus , M. janus argentinum , M. janus fujitai and M. ramirezorum are valid taxa or synonyms of M. actaeon . Because differences are subtle, we merely mention these taxa here and take no position regarding the validity of these names. See Morón (2005: 30) for a rough overview of distributions.

Note 2. Five papers ( Prandi 2016, 2018a, 2018b, 2019; Van Meenen and Schouteet 2018) on Megasoma actaeon have recently been published, all of them dealing with its purported subspecies, with some new, closely related, taxa being described. It appears these papers are partially overlapping, with at least one taxon (found outside the research area) being newly described twice. We consider the presented characteristics between all these species, subspecies and forms rather minimal given their variation within the newly defined taxonomic bounderies, especially as no genetic evidence is produced. Although the distribution of a taxon described in Prandi 2016 is within the research area, we have refrained from including it in this checklist until more solid evidence for its validity is provided.