Download June 24, 2008

Do you have a science question about southeastern Idaho that you have been wanting to
ask, but haven't? Well, what are you waiting for!? E-mail your questions to us at
[email protected] and a local scientist will answer them for you in the Ask A
Scientist column or on the Ask A Scientist website.
Today’s Question by:
Q: What is the largest insect?
Mrs. Hall’s Class
A: In order to answer this question, you really need to specify what you mean
6th Grade
by “biggest”. There are a number of ways to defend an insect as being the
White
Pines
Charter School
“biggest”, so let’s examine a few.
Answered
by:
If length is what you are interested in then you can't beat a female Giant
Dr.
Heath
Ogden
Walking Stick (Phobaeticus serratipes). This stick insect belongs to the
Department of Biological
order Phamatodea and is found in Malaysia and Singapore. In the wild it
Sciences
can be perfectly camouflaged among the twigs and branches where it
crawls about. I think that the longest
Idaho State University
Giant Walking Stick
specimen on record measure something
like 21.8 inches. These insects can be raised as pets. So there you have it,
the longest living insect currently described on the planet today.
Although the Giant Walking Stick wins for length, for sheer weight you'll
have to turn to the giant wetas (Deinacrida heteracantha) of New Zealand.
A pregnant female can top the scales at over 2 ounces!
Of course many argue that beetles are the most massive insects taking
into account size and weight. The South American Longhorn Beetle
(Titanus giganteus) of French
Longhorn Beetle
Guyana makes perhaps the most
impressive showing with a body
length over 6.5 inches.
However, if you are going to take
into account the wings, then you can
measure the wingspan or surface area. By these standards,
lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) may be considered the biggest
and perhaps individuals of these species are in mix: Thysania
aggripina (from Brazil measures almost 12 inches across its wings); Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) with upwards
of 65 square inches surface area; and Alexandra’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae).
There are well over 1 million insect species known, with an estimated 10 million still undocumented.
However, the title of world's biggest insect remains a matter of what constitutes "biggest" to you: length,
weight, mass, wingspan or total wing area!
Build a Bug Vacuum
Materials: Clear-sided empty film canister or small clear container with a lid, sharp
pointed object, 2 bendable drinking straws, small 1” square of pantyhose material,
small rubber band or tape
1. Ask your mom or dad to punch 2 holes in the lid of the film canister.
2. Push the 2 straws through these holes. Place the shorter end of the bendable straws
into the holes. .
3. Stretch the pantyhose over one of the straw ends that will be inside the canister and fasten with tape or
rubber band. Replace the lid and you are done!
4. When you spot a small insect you’d like to collect, simply aim the straw without the pantyhose cover at the
bug and suck on the straw with the cover. Do not use the bug sucker for large insects such as bees and
butterflies. They can’t fit up the tube, and the suction may damage their wings.
For more information about these topics, coordinating
lesson plans, and applicable content standards, go to
Complied by Stoller ESER
www.stoller-eser.com/nie/