The largest beetles in the world - list, sizes, names, where they are found, photos and videos

The vast majority of people are of the opinion that insects must be small. And most of them are like that. This is due to some features of these creatures that do not allow them to grow to enormous sizes.

But, nevertheless, some Coleoptera (and not only) destroy stereotypes and reach impressive sizes, to put it mildly. Below, you have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with a list of the five largest beetles in the world.

Stag beetle

The top five largest beetles in the world opens with the famous stag beetle, known to everyone for its large antler-like antlers. It lives in Russia, Ukraine, Europe and North America. Although its habitat is quite large, this animal is listed in the Red Book in many countries and is protected by law. The body length of an adult reaches ten and a half centimeters, including the horn . But, in most cases, their height is no more than 8 centimeters. The beetle itself only lives for a season, and its larva develops in the roots of trees for eight years.

Due to the constant catching of beetles by collectors, they simply do not have time to reproduce properly. Another sad factor that causes beetles to die out is excessive deforestation. Adult insects feed on tree sap; they are especially fond of oak sap. Color – dark paws and head and dark brown or brown elytra, chest and head. The female of this beetle does not have large horns and is noticeably smaller in body size than the male.

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Lumberjack Titan

The titan woodcutter is the largest beetle in the world, distributed in Colombia, Ecuador, the Republic of Suriname, and the Amazon rainforest. The length of an adult insect often exceeds 15 cm. Entomologist from Germany Martin Jacobi caught the longest titan lumberjack on Earth (22 cm). Such a rare specimen did not fall into the hands of scientists, since Martin released the beetle into the wild. No arthropod of this breed has yet been found longer than this.

The Asian hornet is the largest representative of the Hymenoptera order. It lives in the Primorsky Territory, China, Laos and Thailand. The insect's body length is 5-6 cm, and its wingspan is from 7 cm.

Record-breaking butterflies

There are giant butterflies in the world, such as Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Fig. 42). Its wingspan reaches 30 cm, larger than that of some birds. She even got her name in honor of the English queen. These butterflies are bred on special farms so that their numbers do not decline.

Bibliography

1. Pleshakov A.A., The world around us. Textbook and slave tetr. for 1 class. beginning school, part 2. – Education, 2011.
2. Vakhrushev A.A., Bursky O.V., Rautian A.S. The world. Textbook for 1st grade. beginning school - Balass.
3. Vinogradova N.F. The world. – VENTANA-COUNT.

Additional recommended links to Internet resources

1. Danaida.ru (Source).
2. Zooex.baikal.ru (Source).
3. Zooclub.ru (Source).

Homework

1. Given the scientific names of beetles and butterflies, consider why spiders and ants are not included in these orders. Write down your conclusions.
2. Try drawing a butterfly and a beetle. List their main body parts.
3. How many species of butterflies and beetles do you know that you have seen directly in your life? Write down their names.
4. * Try creating a small collection of the most common butterflies and beetles found in your area.

Hercules beetle

The largest representative of the Dynastes genus on Earth. Scientists have discovered males whose length reaches 17 cm, and their wingspan exceeds 21 cm. The body length of females is slightly less - from 12 to 15 cm. A special feature of Hercules beetles are two curved horns - upper and lower. Insects use them to carry twigs, crush small fruits on which they feed, fight off enemies and fight with those who want to seize their territory.

The creature's jaws are so strong that with them it can bite through a small pebble or pierce the elytra of an opponent.

Features of behavior

The water-loving beetle can hardly be called a good swimmer. He slowly moves his middle and hind limbs alternately. Unsynchronized movements quickly tire the beetle; it prefers to stay in shallow water and crawl along the bottom. The main diet of imagoes is aquatic plants and various algae. On occasion, the insect does not refuse protein food, for example, a fish corpse.

Water lovers have many enemies; they have developed two interesting ways to protect themselves:

1. They spit out a paste with a strong unpleasant odor.
2. It makes a frightening creaking sound, rubbing its belly against the hard elytra.

Breathing Features

The process of the beetle inhaling atmospheric air deserves special attention. The insects extend their segmented antennae above the water, bending them in a special way. Air accumulates between the hairs. It flows along the antennae towards the abdomen, dotted with small silky hairs. Air bubbles are inhaled through the thoracic spiracles. The beetle swims until its oxygen supply runs out.

Neptune beetle

Dynastes neptunus is a close relative of the Hercules beetle, found in Brazil, Ecuador, Panama and other South American countries. It is named after the ancient Roman mythical deity - Neptune, god of the seas, as its 3 horns of different sizes resemble a trident. The maximum length of Dynastes neptunus recorded by scientists is 15 cm. The usual sizes of representatives of this species rarely exceed 8 cm. The life expectancy of the beetle in the adult stage is up to 7 months.

Bigtooth staghorn

Large-toothed staghorns inhabit the territory of the South American continent and prefer to settle in tropical rainforests or mangroves. They are distinguished by their enormous size and powerful jaws, designed for plucking leaves, berries, digging the soil and protecting them from natural enemies. The largest beetle was caught in the province of Satipo (Peru) in 2010. Its length is almost 17 cm. The preserved copy was sold to a private collector for $1,500, who subsequently resold it abroad for three times as much.

Day and night butterflies

Among the butterflies there are many beauties, such as the tropical Morpho, but there are also inconspicuous ones - the winter moth, similar to a mosquito or moth, which likes to settle in human houses. Based on the way the butterfly holds its wings and how it flies, they are conventionally divided into two groups: if the folded wings look like a vertical plate, it is a day butterfly (Fig. 24–27), if it resembles a triangular hut, it is a night butterfly (Fig. 28–31) .

Day butterflies:

Moths:

Longhorned chirus

Xixuthrus heros is endemic to the Republic of Fiji. For many years it was considered extinct until scientists discovered several adult specimens in 2013. The chirus beetle is a large creature with strong elytra and long antennae. The average body length of a male is 17 cm, females are up to 15 cm. Insects feed on plant foods and occasionally eat small midges. They have a hard time withstanding climate change and in captivity in most cases die. Xixuthrus heros is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.

Stage of development

Under favorable climatic conditions, insect development occurs all year round. The life cycle of weevils includes several stages (complete metamorphosis): egg, larva, pupa, imago (adult).

• Egg. Its development occurs in plant tissues or in the seeds of grain crops. This stage lasts from 3 to 45 days in different species of beetles. In many ways, its duration depends on climatic conditions.
• Larva. The worms, about 4 mm long, are light in color and molt several times as they mature. This stage can last from 20 days to a year (in some varieties). The larvae develop either in plant tissues, or in the soil, or on the surface of the earth.
• Doll. The duration of the stage is usually 3…20 days.
• Imago. Bugs crawl out of their shelter. Depending on the time of year, they either find a suitable habitat for themselves, or remain to overwinter in the soil or plant tissues. Adults live on average for about a year.

Relic Lumberjack

The relic woodcutter can also be called the Ussuri relic barbel. This is the largest representative of beetles living in Russia and the CIS countries. The majority of relict woodcutters are in the mixed and broad-leaved forests of the Ussuri Nature Reserve. The body length of an adult arthropod is 11 cm. Over the past 10 years, the population of the species has declined sharply. The reason for this was active deforestation and the catching of mature individuals for collection.

Dynastes grantii

One of the largest beetles in the world, its length exceeds 8.5 cm. Males have two huge horns with teeth and hairs on the inside. They inhabit northern Mexico, Chihuahua, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Dynastes grantii eats fermented fruit juice, hard bark, and rotting vegetables and fruits. Insects do not climb trees; they prefer to look for food on the surface of the soil.

Biology

They swim reluctantly, making asynchronous movements with their middle and hind limbs. They prefer to crawl on aquatic plants. It floats up head up, touching the surface of the water with its antennae. When breathing, three distal antennal segments are bent downwards, and the fourth sticks out of the water. Along the segments bent downward, the air “flows” to the ventral side, where it forms a thin silvery layer under non-wettable hairs. The water lover inhales this air through the thoracic spiracles located between the prothorax and mesothorax. The air exhaled through the spiracles of the abdominal segments enters under the elytra. The larva has spiracles at the end of the abdomen, which it sticks out of the water to breathe.

Adults feed on filamentous algae, the soft parts of higher aquatic plants; can eat animal carcasses. The larvae have a mixed type of diet, but are predominantly predators, eating various small invertebrates, including gastropods; may also attack tadpoles. Larvae hunt from ambush. Having grabbed prey, the larva usually rises to the surface of the water and sticks its head out of the water along with the prey, throwing its head back. Holding and turning the prey with its oral appendages, the larva pours digestive juices on it, grinds it with its mandibles and absorbs it in a semi-digested form.

Stag beetle

A large beetle from the genus Lucanus, inhabiting the broad-leaved forests of Europe, Central Asia, Turkey and Iran. Rarely found in the arid regions of North Africa. Males have strong mandibles that look like huge horns. In females they are practically invisible. The body length of the beetle is up to 9 cm. Insects are characterized by a diurnal lifestyle. They make short flights in search of food and are not known for their endurance. Tired, the stag beetle lands on a tree or simply falls to the ground, where it is often discovered by passers-by.

The stag beetle received the title of “insect of 2012” in three countries at once - Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

FIND FIVE DIFFERENCES

The water lover is often confused with the swimming beetle, although they are very easy to distinguish by their structure, body shape, and habits. The aquatic is more convex on top, with the elytra strongly narrowed backwards. This beetle has very long oral palps, and short antennae, because they are adapted for storing air and no longer perform sensory functions; the palps take on this role. Water swimmers swim slowly, rowing alternately with their middle and hind legs, while swimmers are faster and more maneuverable, and have both pairs of hind legs rowing at the same time. The water lover floats up to take in air with his head up, and the diving belly sticks his abdomen out of the water. The legs of the male diving beetle are equipped with disc-shaped suckers, while those of the water lover are equipped with triangular extensions.

Burrowing cockroach

Another name for the burrowing cockroach is the rhinoceros cockroach. Unlike other insects of this species, arthropods are not pests and perform an important function in the ecosystem, namely, they destroy fallen leaves and rotting particles of vegetation. A burrowing cockroach cannot be called aggressive. Under normal conditions, it does not bite and sits calmly in a person’s palm. However, if you press him down, he will squirm and possibly pinch painfully with his jaws. The length of an adult insect is 8-10 cm.

Lucanus capreolus

A huge insect, a close relative of the stag beetle. Found in deciduous forests and urban parks in South Carolina, Alabama, Ontario, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Illinois. Its name is translated from Latin as “little goat.” In biological nomenclature it is called the European roe deer. Males have pronounced sexual dimorphism. They have large mandibles and strong paws. Lucanus capreolus beetles are nocturnal and feed mainly on tree sap. The body length of an adult is up to 6 cm.

elephant beetle

Megasoma elephas is found in Central America, Australia, Mexico and parts of Africa. They are endowed with the ability to independently regulate their body temperature, thanks to which they are not afraid of sudden climate changes. The length of males is 12 centimeters, females are smaller - from 6 to 8 cm. The elephant beetle is predominantly nocturnal. All day long, insects hide among the foliage, and at nightfall they go in search of food. They eat cherries, citrus peels, tree sap, overripe pineapples and bananas.

Giant water bug

A predatory insect inhabiting the territory of India, Thailand and South America. Giant water bugs are most common in Florida, where locals call them “alligator ticks.” The peculiarity of the beetle is its disgusting appearance. They carry offspring on their backs and cause panic attacks in trypophobes. The diet of giant water bugs includes fish eggs, larvae and small insects, small fish and even frogs. The arthropod has strong jaws, with which it holds prey until it dies from the poison injected into it.

The giant weta is a huge wingless insect whose body is covered with dense scales. Externally, the arthropod resembles a thick brown grasshopper. The length of its body ranges from 7-9 cm.

Giants of the insect world

Belostoma (Belostomatidae)

Now let's look at other, no less interesting, but not so harmless creatures. True, in the strict sense they are only half beetles, since they belong to the order Hemiptera. They're just water bugs. But who would have thought that they could be so huge!

There are a total of 170 species in this family. To be honest, there are varieties whose representatives are not particularly impressive in size. But among them there are also giants, reaching a length of 17 cm. We will talk about these in more detail.

They live mainly in the tropics of Asia, but are also found here and there in Australia and the American continent. Nature has done a lot to ensure that these creatures, despite their size, are invisible.

Their body is very flat, and in shape and color it looks like a fallen leaf. Moreover, the shade of colors varies to match the aquatic environment where these wonderful insects live, hiding among the rapidly growing algae. But the main thing is the front legs of such bugs, equipped with predatory tenacious hooks.

With them they catch not only aquatic life, frogs and fish, but even small turtles, which they eat in the most sadistic way for their sweet souls. This is where their scary proboscis comes into play. They give them a lethal injection by injecting saliva with dissolving enzymes into the victim’s body.

And then they calmly suck in a homogeneous nutritious liquid - all that is left of the poor animal. Such creatures, of course, do not deliberately attack humans; they prefer to deceive people by pretending to be dead. But if this number doesn’t work, they are quite capable of biting (or rather pricking).

Such an attack is not life-threatening, but the victim experiences extremely painful sensations. However, people themselves will eat anyone. That’s why they also feed on such predatory bugs in some places. For example, in Thailand, whitefish is eaten with great appetite fried with seasonings and in sauce.

Walking branch (Phobaeticus serratipes)

Ghosts are not just restless spirits wandering in the dark of night. This is the name given to the rank of herbivorous insects. These animals are also nicknamed “phantom horrors.” Most of them are inhabitants of the jungles of Asia. They are large in size and look similar to various parts of plants.

One of the representatives of this rank is the Malayan giant stick insect. If measurements are taken with extended limbs, the length of these insects will be more than half a meter (although the males are noticeably shorter). These creatures are nicknamed “walking branches,” which exactly describes their habits and appearance. They can be green or light brown in color.

Holding the branches of plants with their paws, stick insects visually completely merge with them into a single whole, thereby becoming completely invisible to unwanted eyes. But if you disturb them, they run away, often shocking the offender.

If you get creative and grab them by the limbs, the insects throw them away, eventually growing new ones, in whole or in part. Such animals reproduce not only in the traditional way. After all, if necessary, females can raise new generations of “walking branches” even without fertilization.

Gromphadorhina portentosa

Behind the intricate Latin name, in essence, lies an ordinary cockroach, that is, a representative of the Tarakanov order. Although, how ordinary is he? This is another giant with dimensions up to 10 cm. In natural conditions, such cute monsters are found, whose body is made up of many brown segments with black and yellow connections, exclusively on the island of Madagascar.

But they don’t play pranks in people’s homes; they prefer to live freely in nature. They settle on woody vegetation of various sizes, feeding on its parts and fruits; sometimes on the ground among rotting leaves. Although exotic lovers keep some individuals as pets. In well-fed and carefree captivity, these wonderful insects live for a long time - about 5 years, delighting their owners.

A distinctive feature and a very important element of males is their antennae, which capture the smells of their friends. These are objects of male pride, as well as the envy of rivals who, in a fierce struggle for reproduction, try to bite them off to their competitors. During courtship and fights, males emit hissing whistles. Similar impressive signals are used by such cockroaches to scare away predators in anticipation of danger.

New Zealand giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha)

In the area where they are found, that is, on Little Barrier Island, these creatures were called “deities of freaks” by the aborigines. And this, frankly speaking, says something. Perhaps that is why these creatures leave their shelters on dark nights. Not only nature, but also scientists slightly offended these insects by classifying them as Orthoptera, despite the fact that they do not have any wings.

But the size and weight of our awkward creatures cannot be called small, and their length in some cases reaches 10 cm. Moreover, their paws are powerful and covered with spikes. And this weapon pierces the bodies of many enemies - both predators and arthropod relatives. By the way, the latter often become food.

In addition to animal foods, the diet also includes plant foods. By consuming it, they at the same time spread the seeds of useful plants, which benefits the environment. The areas where such insects take root can be very diverse. After all, adapted wetes feel great both in trees and in rocky caves.

Chalcosoma atlas

A large beetle from the lamellar beetle family, the body length of which varies between 8-11 cm. Females are characterized by the presence of two large horns on the prespinum, used for protection and digging the soil. Males have an additional horn. Insects use it to fight rivals during the mating period and defend themselves against natural enemies. Chalcosoma atlas inhabit the territory of Southeast Asia and Malaysia. The name of the beetles comes from the name of the mighty titan from ancient Greek mythology - Atlas.

Dung beetle

The huge black insect lives in the Far East, the Kuril Islands, China, Korea, Japan and the Caucasus. The body length of an adult reaches 4 cm. Dung beetles and thorn-bearing dung beetles are listed in the Red Book as an endangered species and are protected by environmental organizations. Their feature was a wide chest, primitive mouthparts and short antennae. Meanwhile, insects have strong paws, with which they dig the ground in search of food and roll earthen balls.

Ladybug (Coccinellidae)

The bright red (there are also yellow-colored species) beetle with black dots has been known to everyone since childhood. However, not everyone knows that the ladybug is not only beautiful, but also a very useful insect. If she has settled on your site, you can rejoice: you have a reliable assistant in the fight against pests.

Most species of ladybirds are predators, not only adults, but also larvae. Their diet consists of insects, which cause great harm to the garden. Food for helper beetles are aphids, scale insects, scale insects, leaf beetles, spider mites and other small pests. Thanks to their incredible gluttony, ladybugs help regulate the number of pests. So, one larva can eat up to 70 aphids per day, an adult - even more, about 100 pieces.

Ladybug larva

The coloring of ladybug larvae often indicates what they feed on. Thus, older larvae (in total, ladybird larvae go through 4 stages), which feed on aphids, are quite brightly colored. There is even such a pattern: the more active the larva is, the stronger the brightness appears. The dark color of the larvae's integument most often indicates that it feeds on false scale insects. With age, the color may change.

With the onset of cold weather, ladybugs gather in one place: under the bark of trees, fallen leaves or in another shelter. Due to the large concentration of beetles, the temperature in the shelter is higher than outside, which helps the ladybugs survive the winter. The lifespan of insects depends on the availability of food and lasts from several months to one or two years.