The species name actaeon derives from the name Actaeon of a famous Theban hero, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, trained by the centaur Chiron.

[3] The dorsal surfaces are glabrous (bald), matte or shiny black.

In the females the pronotum and the elytra are rugose and the horns are missing.

The heaviest Actaeon ever recorded was found in the northern regions of South America weighed 228 grams (8.0 ounces) in 2009 nearly equivalent to a female rat.

[4] This species can be found in South America, particularly in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.