Hercules Beetle

Lore & Background

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 115 g (4.1 oz) and 11.5 cm (4.5 in). The highest confirmed weight of an adult insect is 71 g (2.5 oz) for a gravid female giant wētā, *Deinacrida heteracantha*, although it is likely that one of the elephant beetles, *Megasoma elephas* and *Megasoma actaeon*, or goliath beetles, both of which can commonly exceed 50 g (1.8 oz) and 10 cm (3.9 in), can reach a greater weight. The longest insects are the stick insects. Representatives of the extinct dragonfly-like order Meganisoptera (also known as griffenflies) 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 71 cm (28 in). Their maximum body mass is uncertain, with estimates varying between 34 g and 210 g.

In Their Own Story

The heaviest of the widespread, varied complex of insects is the Little Barrier Island giant wētā, *Deinacrida heteracantha*, of New Zealand; one specimen weighed 71 g (2.5 oz) and measured nearly 10 cm (3.9 in), giving it one of the largest insect weights ever known. These heavyweight insects can be over 9 cm (3.5 in) long. The largest (heaviest) macropredatory Orthopteran is *Sia ferox* (also known as "Riokku" or the "Giant Raspy Cricket"), from the family Stenopelmatidae. It can measure more than 9 cm (3.5 in) and weigh more than 35 g (1.2 oz). Other species of macropredatory Orthoptera can get almost as large: *Sia incisa*, *Anostostoma australasiae* and *Motuweta isolata* (all from the superfamily Stenopelmatoidea). The giant predatory katydids (family Tettigoniidae) of the genus *Saga* aren't quite as robust.

Reader's Guide

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. Female of these stick insects usually reach considerably larger sizes than males of the same species. The longest known is a currently undescribed species of *Phryganistria*, informally referred to as *Phryganistria* "chinensis", that was discovered in China in 2014. A wild collected female kept at the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu was the record holder with a total length, including extended legs, of 62.4 cm (24.6 in), and a body length of 36.1 cm (14.2 in), but it was surpassed by one of its captive bred young that reached 64 cm (25 in) in total length. Other very large species, formerly believed to be longest but now considered second longest is *Phobaeticus chani*; a specimen held in the Natural History Museum in London is 56.7 cm (22.3 in) in total length, including extended legs, and it has a body length of 35.7 cm (14.1 in).

Did You Know?

• The highest confirmed weight of an adult insect is 71 g (2.5 oz) for a gravid female giant wētā, *Deinacrida heteracantha*.
• The larval stage of the goliath beetle, *Goliathus goliatus*, has a maximum size of at least 115 g (4.1 oz) and 11.5 cm (4.5 in).
• The extinct dragonfly-like *Meganeuropsis permiana* had a wingspan of some 71 cm (28 in).
• The longest known stick insect is a currently undescribed species of *Phryganistria* with a total length of 64 cm (25 in).
• The heaviest macropredatory Orthopteran, *Sia ferox*, can weigh more than 35 g (1.2 oz).