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| Dear Yahoo!: |
| What is the largest insect in the world? |
Linda
Benton, Arkansas |
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| Dear Linda: |
We quickly learned from our search for the largest insect in the world that the answer depends on how you define "largest." We had to decide if we were looking for the largest in weight, length, wingspan, or bulk. But rather than arbitrarily deciding on the definition of "largest," we decided to present five generally acknowledged giants of the insect world: - Megasoma acteon. South America's male Acteon Beetle is one of the bulkiest of the abundant order of beetles, and it is often considered the "largest" in the world. The males can grow to be 3.5" long by 2" wide by 1.5" thick.
- Deinacrida
heteracantha. The heaviest insect on record was a pregnant Giant Weta, a rare and endangered New Zealand species that weighed in at 71 grams (just over 2 ounces).
- Titanus giganteus. The extremely rare South American Longhorn Beetle checks in from time to time at lengths greater 6" long. In his 1874 work, Insects Abroad, the Reverend J.G. Wood reports on a 9" long Titanus specimen. Could it be that this legendary, but undocumented beetle was measured with antennae extended? Average Titanus specimens check in well over 5" on average.
- Megasoma elephas, Goliathus goliatus, and Goliathus regius.
These gargantuan scarabs, the Goliath beetles, have the greatest visible body mass. A Megasoma has been observed in captivity to consume an entire avocado in one day, but much of the comparative weight data gathered by entomologists comes from the dry weight of beetle exoskeletons.
- Pharnacia kirbyi or Pharnacia serritypes. The female of the species of this Borneo stick-insect can be over 14" long, but she's thin as a rail.
For the big picture on BIG insects, don't miss the University of Florida Book of Insect Records. The Entomology
for Kids page taught us that the fossil dragonfly Meganeura, which lived about 250 million years ago, was larger than today's pesky pigeon -- its wingspan was over 2 feet! Today, the largest moth on the planet checks in with a frightening 18" wingspan, and the largest butterfly, the endangered Queen Alexandra's Birdwing from New Guinea, sports a 11" wingspan.
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