Largest Insects in the World
Hercules Beetle Named after the famous hero of Greek mythology, this enormous species of rhinoceros beetle hails from the rainforests of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean islands. The most prominent characteristic is the huge horn that extends from the thorax (as well as a second horn that emerges from the head) of the male beetle. The female completely lacks this unique accouterment.
Titan Beetle Measuring up to 6.5 inches long, the titan beetle is endemic to the Amazon rainforests. Although technically smaller than the Hercules beetle, this species actually has a much bigger body, since it completely lacks a horn of any kind.
Stick Insects The stick insects (also known by many other names, including walking sticks, leaf insects, and ghost insects) are a vast order of insects that consists of than 3,000 species, almost all of them characterized by a spindly, flat, tube-like appearance.
Goliath Beetles The goliath beetle is a genus of five currently recognized species that inhabit the tropical rainforests of Africa. The most prominent physical characteristics are the striking and unusual patterns and markings on their back. While these beetles only measure about 3 to 4.5 inches long, they easily make up for it with their impressive bulk.
Moths Moths belong on this list on account of their huge wingspans. While there are many impressive species, the atlas moth, which hails from the tropical forests and shrublands of Asia, is probably the largest of its kind. It features a wingspan of up to 11 inches and a wing surface of about 25 square inches.
Giant Weta The weta, which actually means “god of ugly things” in the indigenous language of Maori, is completely endemic to New Zealand and its surrounding offshore islands. These large flightless crickets grow up to 4 inches long and weigh about 2.5 ounces.
Butterflies There are many examples of massive butterflies, including the Jamaican swallowtail, Miranada birdwing, and Rippon’s birdwing, but the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing stands above the rest. Named in honor of Queen Alexandra, who was at the time the wife of King Edward VII of Britain.
Tropidacris Grasshoppers Tropidacris is a genus of grasshoppers that contains three different species. This genus doesn’t have a standard name, so instead, it merely goes by the scientific name of Tropidacris. Found scattered across Central and South America, these grasshoppers are among the largest of their kind with a body measuring up to 5 inches.
Tarantula Hawks The runner-up in our quest for the largest bug in the world is the tarantula hawk, which belongs to a group of several spider wasp species. Their names are derived for their tendency to consume tarantulas, which can make for quite a gruesome process. The wasp will immobilize the spider with its sting and then bring back the unfortunate creature to the nest. The newly hatched larva will then consume the tarantula whole.
Mydas Flies The mydas is a large family of flies that contains nearly 500 separate species. Most of these are endemic to arid or semiarid regions all over the world. As their main means of defense, some species have evolved the ability to mimic the more dangerous stinging wasps and bees. This is intended to trick predators into avoiding them.