largest insect

Insects, which are a type of arthropod, are the most numerous group of multicellular organisms on the planet, with over a million species identified so far. The title of heaviest insect in the world has many contenders, the most frequently crowned of which is the larval stage of the goliath beetle, '' Goliathus goliatus'', the maximum size of which is at least and . The highest confirmed weight of an adult insect is for a giant weta, '' Deinacrida heteracantha'', although it is likely one of the elephant beetles, ''Megasoma elephas'' and '' Megasoma actaeon'', or goliath beetles, both of which can commonly exceed and , can reach a greater weight.

The longest insects are the stick insects, see below.

Representatives of the extinct dragonfly-like order Meganisoptera (also known as griffinflies) such as the Carboniferous '' Meganeura monyi'' and the Permian ''Meganeuropsis permiana'' are the largest insect species ever known. These creatures had a wingspan of some . Their maximum body mass is uncertain, with estimates varying between 34 g and 240 g.

Dragonflies and damselflies (

Odonata)

The largest living species of odonate (the order that includes dragonflies and damselflies) is '' Megaloprepus caerulatus'', attaining a size of as much as 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) long, '' Tetracanthagyna plagiata'' of Southeast Asia is bulkier and heavier than '' Megaloprepus'' at up to across the wings and a body length of over .
* See also the extinct genera '' Meganeuropsis'' and ''Meganeura'', although they are not certain to be included in the modern dragonfly order.

Mayflies ( Ephemeroptera)

The largest mayflies are members of the genus '' Proboscidoplocia'' from Madagascar. These insects can reach a length of .

Palaeodictyoptera (extinct)

The largest insect of the Palaeodictyoptera order, '' Mazothairos enormis'' from the Carboniferous period reached a wingspan of about 56 centimeters (22 in).

Grasshoppers, crickets, and relatives (

Orthoptera)

'' Arachnacris'' katydids and ''Tropidacris'' grasshoppers reach up to in length and in wingspan, making them the largest by these measurements. The largest ''Saga'' and ''Pseudophyllus'' bush crickets are only a few centimeters smaller.

The heaviest of this widespread, varied complex of insects is the Little Barrier Island giant weta, '' Deinacrida heteracantha'', of New Zealand; one specimen weighed and measured nearly , giving it one of the largest insects weights ever known. These heavyweight insects can be over long. The largest grasshopper species is often considered to be the Australian giant grasshopper ('' Valanga irregularis''), which ranges up to in length. The American eastern lubber grasshopper ('' Romalea guttata'') can allegedly range up to in length. However, the greatest grasshopper sizes known, to , have been cited in the South American giant grasshopper ('' Tropidacris violaceus''). The longest members of this order (although much lighter than the giant wetas) is the katydid '' Macrolyristes corporalis'' of Southeast Asia which can range up to with its long legs extended and can have a wingspan of .

Titanopterans (Titanoptera) (extinct)

Related to modern orthopterans, Triassic insects of the extinct suborder of Titanoptera surpassed them in size. The wingspan of '' Gigatitan vulgaris'' was as large as of 40 centimetres (16 in). '' Clatrotitan andersoni'' also reached a huge size, having a forewing of 13.8 centimetres (5.4 in) long.

Earwigs (

Dermaptera)

The largest of the earwigs is the Saint Helena earwig (''Labidura herculeana''), which is up to in length. There are no recent records of this species and it is generally considered extinct. The largest certainly living species is the Australian giant earwig (''Titanolabis colossea''), which is about long.

Scorpionflies (

Mecoptera)

The largest scorpionfly, the common scorpionfly (''Panorpa communis''), can reach a body length of about .UK Safari
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Alderflies and allies (

Megaloptera)

This relatively small insect order includes some rather large species, many of which are noticeable for their elongated, imposing mandibles. The dobsonflies reach the greatest sizes of the order and can range up to in length.

Stick insects (

Phasmatodea)

The longest known stick insects are also the longest known insects, notably species in the tribe Pharnaciini, but they are generally relatively lightweight because of their slender shape. The longest is an unnamed species of ''Phryganistria'' discovered in China in 2016, where a specimen held at the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu has a total length of . The second-longest species is the Australian '' Ctenomorpha gargantua'', females of which have been measured at over in total length. Other very large species, formerly believed to be longest but now considered third longest is '' Sadyattes chani''; a specimen held in the Natural History Museum in London has a total length of . These measurements are, however, with the front legs fully extended; it has a body length measuring . Another very large species is ''Phobaeticus kirbyi'' where the total length (including extended legs) is up to and the body alone up to .Brock, P.D. 1999. ''The amazing world of stick and leaf-insects''. Cravitz Printing Co., Essex, England. Another of the longest insect in terms of total length is ''Phobaeticus serratipes'' of Malaysia and Singapore, measuring up to . Another extremely long stick insect is ''Pharnacia maxima'', which measured with its legs extended. The spiny stick insect (''Heteropteryx dilatata'') of Malaysia does not reach the extreme lengths of its cousins, the body reaching up to long, but it is much bulkier. The largest '' Heteropteryx'' weighed about and was wide across the thickest part of the body.

Cockroaches and termites (

Blattodea)

The largest cockroach in length and wingspan is the South and Central American '' Megaloblatta'', at up to and , respectively. Another contender for longest is '' Blaberus giganteus'', which is found in the same general region and may reach a length of up to , depending on source. The heaviest is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach (''Macropanesthia rhinoceros''), which can attain a length of and a weight of .

Termites

The largest of the termites is the African species ''Macrotermes bellicosus''. The queen of this species can attain a length of and breadth of ; other adults, however, are about a third of this size.

Praying

mantises (Mantodea)

Giant shield mantises of the genus ''Rhombodera'' (of which '' Rhombodera fratricida'' is the largest known) can reach lengths of nearly and are more robust than comparably sized mantises of other genera (''Tenodera'', ''Macromantis'', ''Hierodula'', ''Idolomantis'', '' Sphodromantis'', '' Deroplatys'', '' Plistospilota'', ''Titanodula'' and '' Tauromantis''). Some larger species have been known to capture and consume frogs, lizards, mice, small birds, and even snakes. The giant stick mantises ''Toxodera maxima'' and '' Ischnomantis gigas'' can reach lengths of over 17 cm, but are more gracile in build than other large mantises. Other species of (''Toxodera'' and '' Ischnomantis'') and other genera of stick mantises ('' Heterochaeta'' and '' Solygia'') can attain lengths almost as large.

True bugs ( Hemiptera)

The largest species of this diverse, huge order are the giant water bugs ''Lethocerus grandis'' and ''L. maximus''. These can surpass a length of , although they are more slender and less heavy than most other insects of this size (principally the huge beetles). The largest cicada is ''Megapomponia imperatoria'', which has a head-body length of about and a wingspan of . The cicadas of the genus '' Tacua'' can also grow to comparably large sizes. The largest type of aphid is the giant oak aphid (''Stomaphis quercus''), which can reach an overall length of . The biggest species of leafhopper is '' Ledromorpha planirostris'', which can reach a length of .

Dobsonflies and relatives (

Megaloptera)

Megaloptera includes dobsonflies, alderflies and relatives. The largest is the dobsonfly ''Acanthacorydalis fruhstorferi'', which can have a wingspan of up to , making it the largest aquatic insect in the world by this measurement. This species is native to China and Vietnam, and its body can be up to long.

Net-winged insects (

Neuroptera)

These flying insects reach their largest size in '' Palparellus voeltzkowi'', which can have a wingspan over . The largest lacewing is the Australian "blue eyes lacewing" (''Nymphes myrmeleonides''), which can measure up to in length and span across the wings. Some forms of this ancient order could grow extremely large during the Jurassic period and may have ranked among the largest insects ever. Found in the Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, ''Makarkinia adamsi'' had wings nearly in length.

Lice (

Phthiraptera)

These parasitic insects are typically modest in size. The largest known species is the hog louse, '' Haematopinus suis'', a sucking louse that lives on large livestock like pigs and cattle. It can range up to in length.

Stoneflies (

Plecoptera)

The largest species of stonefly is '' Pteronarcys californica'' of western North America, a species favored by fishermen as lures. This species can attain a length of and a wingspan of over .

Beetles (

Coleoptera)

Beetles constitute the most diverse order of organisms on earth, with about 400,000 species identified to this day. The most massive of them belong to the genera '' Goliathus'', '' Megasoma'', '' Chalcosoma'', ''Titanus'', '' Macrodontia'', and '' Xixuthrus''. The longest is the Hercules beetle, ''Dynastes hercules'', with a maximum overall length of at least including the very long pronotal horn. The longest overall beetle is a species of longhorn beetle, '' Batocera wallacei'', from New Guinea, which can attain a length of , about of which is comprised by the long antennae.

Icebugs (

Grylloblattodea)

The largest icebug species, ''Grylloblatta campodeiformis'', long, excluding ovipositors and cerci, and are fairly elongate, wingless insects. They are a uniform honey-yellow in colour and covered with very short hair. Unlike some other species of grylloblatid, ''G. campodeiformis'' has eyes which have roughly 70 facets. The head is fairly flat and rounded. The thorax is elongate and over a third of the body length. The abdomen is composed of 10 segments and over half the body length. The legs are long and narrow (cursorial) with stout coxae and long femora. Their antennae are long ~ and thread-like. In adults, the number of antennal subsegments is variable, ranging from 24 to 27.

Ants, bees, and wasps ( Hymenoptera)

The largest of ants, and the heaviest species of the family, are the females of '' Dorylus helvolus'', reaching a length of . The ant that averages the largest for the mean size of the whole colony is ''Dinoponera gigantea'', averaging up to . Another ant that is native to Australia, ''Myrmecia brevinoda'', workers are reported to be on average and queens are more than in length.Wood, Gerald ''The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats'' (1983)

The largest of bees is ''Megachile pluto'', the females of which can be long, with a 6.3-cm (2.5-in) wingspan.

The largest wasp is probably the so-called tarantula hawk species ''Pepsis pulszkyi'', measuring up to in length and in wingspan, although many other ''Pepsis'' species approach a similar size. The giant scoliid wasp ''Megascolia procer'' may rival the tarantula hawks in weight, if not length and wingspan. The largest known social wasps are queens of the Asian giant hornet (''Vespa mandarinia''), which can reach a body length exceeding 5 cm long with a wingspan.

Butterflies and moths ( Lepidoptera)

The largest lepidopteran species overall is often claimed to be either the Queen Alexandra's birdwing (''Ornithoptera alexandrae''), a butterfly from Papua New Guinea, or the Atlas moth (''Attacus atlas''), a moth from Southeast Asia. Both of these species can reach a length of , a wingspan of and a weight of . One Atlas moth allegedly had a wingspan of but this measurement was not verified. The larvae in the previous species can weigh up to , respectively. However, the white witch of Central and South America, ''Thysania agrippina'', has the widest recorded wingspan of the order, and indeed of any living insect, at up to . The verified record-sized ''Thysania'' spanned across the wings, although specimens have been reported to .The largest moth in terms of body mass is the giant wood moth '' Endoxyla cinereus''. Despite having a smaller wingspan than the other species, it has a mass of about and outweighs them all. The Hercules moth (''Coscinocera hercules''), in the family Saturniidae, is endemic to New Guinea and northern Australia, and its wings have the largest documented surface area (300 square centimeters) of any living insect, and a maximum wingspan which is confirmed to while unconfirmed specimens have spanned up to .

True flies ( Diptera)

The largest species of this huge order is ''Gauromydas heros'', which can reach a length of and a wingspan of . The largest species of crane fly (which are much thinner than ''Gauromydas'') is ''Holorusia brobdignagius''. It can attain about the same head-and-body length and wingspan, but if the legs are extended in front of and behind the body, then an overall length of makes it the longest true fly.

Booklice (

Psocoptera)

The largest of this order of very small insects is the barklouse of the genus '' Psocus'', the top size of which is about .

Fleas (

Siphonaptera)

The largest species of flea is ''Hystrichopsylla schefferi''. This parasite, known exclusively from the fur of the mountain beaver, can reach a length of .

Thrips (

Thysanoptera)

Members of the genus '' Phasmothrips'' are the largest thrips. The maximum size of these species is about .

Caddisflies (

Trichoptera)

The largest of the small, moth-like caddisflies is '' Eubasilissa maclachlani''. This species can range up to across the wings.

Silverfishes and allies (

Thysanura)

These insects, known to feed on human household objects, are up to in length. One 350 million-year-old form grew up to long.

Angel insects (

Zoraptera)

The largest angel insect species, Hubbard's angel insect (''Zorotypus hubbardi''), grows up to in length.

References

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Largest insects
Insects
Lists of largest organisms