WTB Large Scarabs for Neuroengineering Project

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pannaking22

Fresh Imago
So I have been contacted about finding a large scarab beetle for research purposes and I was wondering if anyone here would want to help out with this? I don't have any large scarabs right now, so I can't help her out to much. Her email is below. If you want to help out with this project, message me here on Beetle Forum and I'll give you her email so you can talk things over. Thanks for looking!

"Hello,

I'm a neuroengineer here at UIUC, and I was hoping you could help me find where to acquire a Goliath Beetle ( Goliathus giganteus, though any similarly large, protein-focused Scarabaeidae which I could feed dog/cat food pellets would likely work ) for a project I'm working on.
My goal is to replicate, and improve on the controls driving, Berkley's Maharbiz Lab's work which demonstrated assuming electrical control of a flower beetle's flight via direct-to-flight-muscle stimulation from a payload chip carried by the beetle. The ultimate goal is to incorporate an additional sensor and common mapping algorithms to allow for more abstract control of the beetle- to specify a location in the environment and have the beetle move there, rather than drive it as one would a plane.
[SIZE=12.370400428772px]In addition, any advice on how to best care for a Goliath beetle would be appreciated."[/SIZE]
 
just as a clarification, goliath beetles DO NOT cost 475USD. they may cost you 20-50$ per larvae if you look around

 
adult pair usually cost 180-350 USD

I've never seen pairs over 475 USD..

 
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I am surprised that no one is intrigued by the researcher's decision to go with Goliathus beetles as her model organism. Any other big cetoniinae (Like Mecynorhina, Chelorrhina, Megalorrhina) can be used for the same purpose, and would be much cheaper, easier to obtain, and less demanding in keeping. I feel like this requirement for goliathus beetles is only for the "cool" factor of the research.
Also, I find the term "protein-focused Scarabaeidae" a bit amusing. Might juat as well use Phileurus truncatus for this study.

 
Sorry, for the delay in commenting, field work got me busy and I forgot about this thread. I was having the same thoughts as wizentrop and Satanas. Smaller beetles would likely yield the same results and it would be much easier on everyone involved. I'll let her know that other beetles would work just as well. If anyone has some beetles they would be willing to sell for this project though, please let me know!

 
Pannaking22, they're in my previous comment at the end. Two .pdf URLs. You'll find more if you search the researchers' names. Check out the pictures in the second link.

 
@pannaking22 You're welcome!
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