The flat-headed hairy elephant large pocket bug (also known as the Western hairy elephant pocket bug) (Latin name:Megasoma elephus)is distributed in the northwest of Mexico (coastal areas on the west coast). It occurs in the wild from October to December. The length of the male bug is about 53-125mm, and the female bug is about 61-73mm in length.
The body of the flat-headed hairy elephant large pocket bug is covered with soil yellow to milk white hairs. The antennae of the male bug are slender, with a weak overall bending and a bifurcation at the ends. The central part of the pronotum has strong and sturdy angles, and there is a pair of outwardly protruding lateral angle processes on both sides of the anterior margin. The tibia of the foreleg is curved like a bow and the lateral spines are shorter. The punctures at the junction of the elytra and the wings are relatively sparse compared to the hand elephant large pocket bug.
"Occidentale" means west in Latin. The name of this species comes from its habitat being on the west side of the giant pocket bug (Melephas). The common name for the Western hairy elephant pocket bug also comes from this. In addition, the species was originally published with the specific name "foccidentalis", but in the Japanese journal Bekuwa70, the name was adjusted to "occidentale" according to the rules of Latin grammar and word endings.
The bug friends who love to crawl suggest keeping.
The flat-chested hairy elephant large pocket bug has a very similar appearance to the hairy elephant large pocket bug (Melephas), but this species is relatively smaller in size and has a lighter body color. At the same time, the anterior edges of the thoracic dorsal plate of the hairy elephant large pocket bug protrude diagonally forward on both sides.
Reproduction and breeding of the flat-chested hairy elephant large pocket bug are basically the same as those of the hairy elephant large pocket bug.
Keep the indoor temperature at 23 to 25°. After about 50 days, the pupa will start to hatch. This process is the last hurdle for most insects with a short hibernation period. The success or failure depends on this. The pupa skin before hatching will be very wrinkled, and the color will be golden. When touched lightly, it will make a crisp sound and melt in the mouth! During the process of the female insect hatching, the artificial pupa chamber should not be too spacious, otherwise it will be difficult for the insect to turn over, resulting in hatching failure.
Adults can be fed with low-moisture fruits such as bananas and beetle jelly. The suitable temperature is 18-30°C. The adult lifespan is relatively short, usually 4-6 months. It takes 22 months of long-term resistance from feeding the larvae to the emergence of adults, and the food materials are domestic produced soil and fermented sawdust.