Where on Earth do the most dangerous insects in the world live? Who are they - huge beetles with poisonous mandibles or invisible carriers of deadly infections?
Here are the top 10 most dangerous insects, an encounter with which will probably end sadly.
Insects dangerous to humans
As a rule, deadly insects are divided into two categories: either they are carriers of infections, that is, they are not fatal in themselves, or they inject poison into the blood of the victim, which leads to the death of a person or animal. And sometimes dangerous insects do not kill, but can seriously annoy you and leave incredibly painful memories from contact. One of the largest ants, the bullet ant can be found in the rain forests of Nicaragua and Paraguay. The insect did not receive this name by chance. Those who survived his attack said that the pain from his bite can be compared with the sensations from bullet wound. According to subjective assessments of victims, the sensation of a bullet ant bite is 30 times more painful than a wasp or bee sting. 
The second name of this insidious creature is “ant-24” or “diurnal ant”. This is because after the bite the pain will remain with you for the next day, practically without losing intensity. The poison contained in the mandibles of the bullet ant is called poneratoxin. This is a strong paralyzing neuroleptic, but the bite in most cases does not lead to death.
Moreover, in some Brazilian tribes there is the following rite of passage for boys: young savages are given gloves made of leaves with stings woven into their hands (they are quite large, so making such gloves is not difficult). To transform from a boy into a man, young people must endure at least 10 minutes with gloves on their hands.
Young female gadflies lay eggs on the skin of mammals. The larva gnaws its way under the skin and for the next 60 days settles in the subdermal zone of the epidermis. The most disgusting thing is that the victim feels the larva moving under the skin. But, fortunately, after full maturation it leaves the host’s body, although the victim experiences very painful sensations. Because of such disgusting behavior and unsightly appearance, the gadfly larva was even included in the unofficial list of the most terrible animals.
Another type of gadfly, the nasopharyngeal gadfly (by the way, one of the largest flies in the world), is deadly primarily for sheep. Adult gadflies inject larvae (up to 40 at a time) into the nasal mucosa of livestock. For the next six months, the children feed on the tissues of the nasal cavity, which leads to ovine esterosis.
Flea
These little hoppers have played an unduly sinister role in the history of our civilization. When entire regions of Europe were dying out from the plague in the 12th century, people suspected that anyone (even themselves) of spreading the terrible disease, while the real enemy, the rat flea, calmly hid in the folds of canvas peasant rags and silk aristocratic robes. 
Although today the plague virus can only be found in a test tube, the danger of fleas should not be underestimated. Depending on the type, fleas can be carriers of encephalitis, anthrax, tularemia, typhus, listeriosis, salmonellosis, worms and fungal infections. The sand flea is especially dangerous, its bites lead to sarcopsillosis - tissue inflammation.
Alas, these insects reproduce extremely quickly: during their lifetime, each individual can lay up to 2 thousand eggs. After each meal, she “shoots” up to 15 eggs into space. The cycle of transformation of a larva into a sexually mature individual capable of laying eggs on its own lasts an average of 9 days.
Fire Ant
Fire ant venom, a natural alkaloid called solenopsin, causes a sensation similar to a thermal burn in the victim. The bite is not as painful as, for example, that of a bullet ant, but it is much more allergenic and may well cause death from anaphylactic shock. 
Fire ants They are very sensitive to encroachments on their “personal space”, and therefore will attack a stranger until he retreats. The worst thing is that these insects attack in groups of ten to hundreds of ants, and the dose of poison increases accordingly.
Kissing bug
The kissing bug got its name because of its disgusting addiction - it stings a person on the lips while he sleeps. The insect attracts carbon dioxide released during respiration. 
The kissing beetle is found in Africa, Australia, Central and South America, and parts of Asia.
Japanese giant hornet
One of the largest insects in the world, the Japanese giant hornet grows up to two inches in length. The poison contained in its sting (the size of which, by the way, exceeds 0.6 centimeters) can cause an acute allergic reaction. According to official statistics, about 40 Japanese die from its bite every year - more than from any wild animal living in Japan. 
Japanese hornets are very aggressive and fearless, but, fortunately, they attack only in case of real danger. An attack by one hornet will result in hospitalization, the problem is that the toxins released during a bite attract the attention of other individuals, and a massive attack will most likely end in death.
These insects feed on bee larvae. It is not surprising that in nature, clashes often occur between hornets and bees. Alas, the advantage is entirely on the side of the hornets - one such giant can deal with about four dozen ordinary bees.
Japanese giant hornets versus European bees
The person stung will die slowly - the process can last for several weeks or even one or two years. It all starts with swelling of the lymph nodes and limbs, then the victim begins to feel feverish. The immune system is destroyed, then the central nervous system. Constant drowsiness and apathy are replaced by terrible pain, signaling refusal internal organs. Ultimately, the victim falls into a coma, from which there is only one way out - death.
Due to the huge variety of forms of the protein shell of the sleeping sickness virus, scientists have not yet developed an effective antidote for the bite of the tsetse fly. It happened that this disease wiped out entire villages. The only antidote is caution and awareness.
Africanized bee
People far from insectology simply call it a killer bee. The name is more than true - since the late 60s of the 20th century, several hundred people have already become victims of this bee.This killer insect is the product of mating African bee, due to the mistake of scientists released into the tropical forests of Brazil, and the drones of ordinary bees. From African mothers, the offspring inherited unprecedented aggressiveness, and from their fathers, the ability to reproduce extremely quickly.
A fatal mistake occurred in 1957. Over the next ten years, the colony of killer bees took over wooded areas until they moved into rural areas in 1966. In 1967, a swarm of Africanized bees attacked a residential area in Rio de Janeiro. About 150 people died that day; even a fiery attack from flamethrowers did not help.
Any minor intervention can prompt killer bees to attack. Insects attack in swarms and can pursue the irritant for two kilometers. After the object that disturbed them disappears from their field of vision, the bees are “nervous” for another 8 hours - during this time it is better not to catch their eye. Death occurs due to a huge dose of toxin entering the bloodstream during bites.
Lonomiya
Lonomy is a butterfly recognized as the most poisonous creature on the planet. The adult is quiet and safe, which cannot be said about the lonomia caterpillar. The caterpillar's body is covered with soft spines, similar to larch needles. They contain bacteria that produce botulinum toxin, which instantly enters the human body as soon as the person touches the caterpillar. The poison destroys an important component of the blood responsible for its clotting - the protein fibrinogen. 
The amount of injected toxin is negligible (only 0.1% of, say, a dose of snake venom), but its concentration is so high that it can be called the strongest natural poison known to science. The victim is unlikely to get by with just a burning sensation around the affected area; LD50 may cause bleeding of internal organs, renal failure and damage to the central nervous system.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are considered the most dangerous insects on the planet. They are the main carriers of malaria, more precisely the Plasmodium virus, which infects 400 million people and kills more than a million people every year. 87% of disease cases were recorded among Africans. Children under 5 years of age and pregnant women are at particular risk. The World Health Organization says one child dies from malaria every 30 seconds. 
Within thirty minutes after the bite of a malarial mosquito, the plasmodium virus moves to the liver, which, in response to the hostile organism, begins to enlarge and die. From the liver, the virus enters the blood and spreads throughout the body. The red blood cells die and the victim becomes anemic. The virus continues to spread throughout the body. Death occurs from damage to the blood vessels of the brain.
Killer mosquitoes
In addition, mosquitoes can transmit dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile fever, and encephalitis.
And where are poisonous spiders, the same Black Widow, on this list? As you know, spiders are not considered insects, so we have dedicated a separate selection to the most dangerous spiders.
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Many people already have a rather hostile attitude towards insects, and after reading this list they may even begin to be afraid of them:
Giant Japanese hornets: these bloodsuckers grow up to 5 centimeters in length, while their sting can reach a quarter of their length. They are not only gigantic, but also aggressive and fearless.
Africanized bee: These are the same killer bees. Their ancestors, European honey bees, were crossed with their African relatives. They are unusually aggressive and fiercely defend their hives. A swarm of these bees can easily kill you or at least cause all your organs to fail.
Bullet Ants: Discovered in tropical forests Central America, these insects have an incredibly painful bite. One of their bites can cause you the kind of pain that would normally be caused by a wound from a firearm. The victim's torment usually lasts 24 hours. Some resourceful Brazilian tribes use gloves filled with these ants as a painful rite of passage.
Killer Beetle: There are many subspecies of these beetles, but they are all similar in one thing - they quickly and brutally deal with their victims. Assassin beetles kill other insects by piercing their shells with their beaks and injecting fermenting saliva inside. After the insides are completely dissolved, the beetles drink the resulting mixture.
Cicadas: These forest crickets live underground for a long time, and then, as they grow older, they make their way to the surface. The sound of their chirping sometimes reaches 120 decibels, which is even louder than some concerts.
Bedbugs: They usually don't bother people too much as they love vegetation, but they will certainly spoil your air as soon as you get in their way. Even if you crush a bug, its stench will not go away, just remember this.
Forktail caterpillars: These cute caterpillars also have small saddles on their backs, but don't forget, these colorful creatures are incredibly poisonous. Touching their hairs causes painful swelling and rashes, and sometimes even nausea. Their bite makes you feel as if an electric current has just been passed through you.
Japanese mountain leech: You probably thought that leeches live in water, but this leech is capable of hunting on land. They are usually slow, but can quickly jump onto their prey if necessary. In addition, they are able to reach your skin even through a thin layer of clothing, and the special enzymes found in the saliva of these leeches will not allow you to feel anything.
House centipedes: That's right, they are everywhere, even in your home. Although they are harmless, who dreams of one day stumbling upon such an ugly centipede under their closet?
Giant centipedes: these creatures grow up to 15 centimeters in length. They are also extremely poisonous, and although their venom will not kill you, a visit to the doctor is warranted.
Huntsman Spider: These are quite large spiders and many of you may find them in your home. They do not weave nets in order to catch prey; they only need to use their fast, long legs. Luckily for us, they are not poisonous.
Spider Nephila clavata: This creepy spider has a deadly venom, its bite is as poisonous as the bite of a black widow. They are so frightening that they are even present in Japanese folklore as evil tempting demons.
Hueta Giant Cricket: Found in New Zealand, this huge beetle is considered the largest and heaviest in the world. As a rule, they do not bother people and stay away from them.
Giant orb weaving spiders: This family of spiders is especially creepy. 
Many of them are quite poisonous, while others are famous for their enormous size and are capable of killing even small snakes or birds.
Giant grasshoppers: and although these huge hamster-sized grasshoppers may frighten the more impressionable among us, they are completely harmless. You can even keep them as pets if you can get used to their sight. Grasshoppers are mostly active at night and make sounds similar to crickets.
Corydalids Dobsonfly: both females and males of this species grow up to 12 centimeters in length. Males have jaws so large that they cannot handle them and cause any harm to a person; females, however, can bite you until you bleed. Adults live near water bodies from late spring to mid-summer.
Titan beetles: These giant beetles can reach 18 centimeters in length, and their pincers can snap a pencil in half. They are quite peaceful and do not attack without reason.
Giant isopods: no, they didn’t run away from the set of another science fiction film. These giant crustaceans live in oceans at depths of more than 1 kilometer.
Brahmin Caterpillar: Are you sure that nightmares don’t happen in reality? Well, you're wrong. These caterpillars look like they just came out of Tim Burton's head. 
Despite their fierce appearance, these little ones are unable to cause any harm to a person.
Furry caterpillar Megalopyge opercularis: Although she looks cute, this furball is unusually poisonous. They're not out of malice, it's just defense mechanism, because their slow movements and body rich in proteins made them an appetizing, easily accessible dish. 
If you suddenly touch one of them, it is better to rush to the doctor. After a couple of minutes, you will be overtaken by an intense throbbing pain that will quickly reach lymph nodes in the armpit or groin area, and then reaches the chest. Bruising may occur headache, vomiting, nausea, numbness and difficulty breathing.
Giant silkworm caterpillars: This caterpillar causes several deaths every year. The tiny and fragile hairs with which it is covered are full of powerful toxins. You may develop gangrene and internal bleeding.
Female mosquito while feeding
Imagine: summer, the coolness of the night, refreshing lemonade, semi-darkness and... The ugly squeak of a mosquito! The horror of the situation is that these annoying insects not only spoil the mood, but also kill 725,000 people every year due to the transmission of a variety of dangerous diseases.
Gray blowfly
Young fly near the victim
A blowfly looks almost the same as a regular housefly (yes, there is such a division). Blowflies can be distinguished by their striped body and light spots on the abdomen (it’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to look at this creature). Most blowfly species are found in tropical regions, but they are widespread. They can easily be found where there are corpses or dung: they lay eggs in rotting flesh, open wounds and other “fragrant” places.
Cockroach
An ordinary and disgusting neighbor of a person
Cockroaches are a symbol of poor housekeeping and unsanitary conditions. They say that if you see one cockroach, you can be sure that at least ten more are hiding. These companions of people carry diseases that are dangerous to humanity. Cockroaches are hardy, prolific and omnivorous. They can also carry up to 30 types of bacteria that are harmful to us (such as salmonella).
Earwig
Dangerous or harmless?
A pair of pincers, a terrifying alien appearance, and a widespread distribution give earwigs their name and the trove of myths that follow them. For example, that an insect can crawl into the ear at night and gnaw through the eardrum (hence the name). However, there is not a single recorded case of earwigs being found in the human brain. And this species uses its tongs for protection. Although there is no guarantee that the earwig will not count the ear nice home. But this also happens extremely rarely.
Cicada
Cicada during mating season
These insects are relatives of grasshoppers. Although their chirping is a symbol of summer nights, many people find the “singing” of cicadas extremely annoying. The fact is that a single individual causes tolerable noise, and many males can shout louder than even a football stadium.
house fly
Evil neighbor
These satellites of humanity appear with warming and go away with frost. Everyone can remember at least one story about delicious food and a fly that disgustingly rubs its paw against its paw. These insects are not only a nuisance, but also dangerous: they can carry harmful pathogens. Flies carry diseases because they love garbage.
Mite
Mite after saturation
Technically, ticks are not insects (they are arachnids), but these creatures can be classified as one of the most harmful and disgusting creatures for humans (it’s not for nothing that they scare children). Ticks bite painlessly, but tolerate dangerous diseases, which affect millions of people every year.
Mole
The one who eats fur coats and carpets
There are over 160,000 species of moths, but none are more hated than moths. It is she who, according to people, eats furs and just clothes in the closet. In fact, it is not the moth itself that is to blame for this, but its larvae, whose appetite is exorbitant and whose tastes are very specific: fur, leather, wool and silk.
Wasps are the main enemy of picnics
IN English language The wasp is called the "yellowjacket" because of its clearly visible black and yellow stripes. It is known that wasps are very aggressive, carefully guarding their territories and nests (remember country adventures in attics). In one year, more than 100,000 people are bitten by wasps around the world. Such stings (and a wasp can sting more than once) can cause an allergic reaction. In some cases - death.
Flea
Flea under a microscope
Horsefly
Horseflies are a headache for summer residents
Horseflies are known to everyone who loves outdoor recreation. These huge flying insects bite painfully and drink blood. There are many varieties (each more terrible than the other). As with mosquitoes, females need blood to prolong the race.
Ant
Hard workers and pests in one bottle
Ants have been champions of organizing and systematizing life since ancient times (they have outlived most of the organisms on the planet). Moreover, ants make up 15% of the Earth's biomass. In tropical areas this figure reaches 25%. It's no surprise that these creatures are a nuisance to almost everyone.
Chafer
Retired pests
Until pesticides became widespread, May beetles were a scourge Agriculture. They destroyed entire fields. However, now these harmless insects are just symbols of warming. What many people mistakenly think is a stinger is actually an organ called the "pegidium". The female uses it to push the eggs into the soil.
Nasty termite
The main villains of the cartoons about the ant
Termites are very similar to ants, but they are not identical. Termites are actually relatives of cockroaches. These highly social insects live in large colonies. And quite unnoticeably. This often leads to the fact that they are visible even when nothing can be done: collapse of houses, loss of crops and many other unpleasant consequences.
Midge
These kamikazes can bruise even a boxer
These small and nasty creatures cause a lot of harm to livestock and people. Their bites are extremely painful and cause severe tissue swelling. On top of that, midges love to “dive” into your eyes. In many regions of the United States, there is a widespread hunt for midges. Such genocide is quite justified, but may lead to changes in the ecosphere.
Long-legged mosquitoes
Harmless but scary
From our list, these insects are the most harmless: they do not bite, do not sting, and do not make nasty sounds. In fact, their reputation as "malarial mosquitoes" is completely undeserved. The reason for this myth is big sizes. So don't be afraid of these creatures - they won't harm you.
Flat bloodsuckers from the bed
Colorado beetle
Pests that many people collected in jars in childhood
This beetle is a serious threat to potatoes. The famous striped beetles and their spotted larvae came from the USA, from the state of Colorado (where the name came from), but have taken root well throughout Russia. These beetles also harm tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Colorado potato beetles also quickly adapt to pesticides.
Head louse
Main enemy children
Hornet
The Biggest Villains of the Insect World
Hornets are quite large (average individuals reach 6 centimeters, but there are also specimens up to 10 centimeters). These relatives of wasps live all over the world, but are most abundant in the tropical forests of Asia. Hornets are omnivores and can eat other insects. Their stings are extremely painful and several hornets can kill a person.
Belostomatids
It's good that they are not in Russia
These insects are not found in Russia. Another name is alligator flea. Belostomatids live in swamps and reservoirs of America, Asia and Australia. Large predators - they even eat frogs and lizards. It’s enough to just imagine a huge aggressive “thing” 10–15 centimeters long, so be prepared for such an encounter during your vacation.
Cricket
Cute but too loud
Crickets are known for their musical accompaniment(males attract females this way). The sound is made by the teeth on the legs of individuals. And, although these insects are harmless, many are irritated by the sounds they make.
killer bee
The Bee That Really Can Kill You
Another name is African honey bee. In fact, outwardly these bees are almost no different from their northern brothers. The species got its name because of the cruelty and aggression with which the bees defend their hive.
Brown stink bug
Stinky, which is known all over the world
This species originally lived in Asia: China, Japan, Taiwan. However, in the mid-twentieth century, stink bugs spread throughout Europe and the United States. Shield insects pose a serious threat to agricultural land. Everyone knows bad smell, which a bug makes in moments of danger. Oh yeah, he's really annoying.
Locust
Main pest fields and vegetable gardens
This large relative of grasshoppers has haunted humanity since the first civilizations. Most often, locusts live in small groups, but sometimes they gather in a huge swarm. This happens when conditions are too good, when locusts begin to multiply uncontrollably. In this form, locusts can eat millions of tons of grass and grain, dooming entire countries to famine.
Of course, most insects are far from cute. It is these species that bring us the most unpleasant moments. What insects do you hate?
The concept of the most terrible insects in the world is different for everyone. Some are frightened by the size of the insect, others - appearance, third - poisonousness, and still others experience more disgust than fear. These creatures can be scary, vile, disgusting, dangerous. The only missing category is for ugliest insect. Deformity is a distortion of proportions and underdevelopment/overdevelopment of organs. Among species that have undergone millions of years of evolution, there cannot be ugly ones. But in every species there can be an ugly individual.
The most disgusting insects
The criteria for disgust vary from person to person, but no one would argue that gray blowfly larvae on a corpse or a cockroach in the kitchen are a pleasant sight. If we approach it from this point of view, then the most disgusting insects will be:
- gray blowfly of the Sarcophagidae family;
- red cockroach/German cockroach (Blattella germanica);
- head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis).
These insects are unlikely to cause real fear in anyone, but disgust and disgust are guaranteed.
Gray blowfly
A large dipterous insect 1-2.5 cm long. The color is gray with longitudinal black stripes on the chest. On the abdomen, black color may be present in the form of transverse stripes, dots or a mesh pattern.
On a note!
Flies are viviparous. Moving larvae crawling out of the abdomen of a killed insect is an unpleasant sight. But viviparity gives an advantage over carrion.
Red cockroach
Few people do not know what this synanthropic pest looks like. An insect with a body length of 1.5 cm has a yellow-brown color. On the upper side of the chest there are two stripes of a darker color than the main background. The mustache is long, the head is small.
The female lays eggs in the ootheca, which she carries with her until the offspring hatch. The cockroach has developed wings, but the insect does not like to fly.
Prefers to live in the kitchen. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle, hiding in cracks if you turn on the light. It eats everything it can find. These eating habits are what disgust people. Insects can easily move from the trash can to the table to good food.
It comes from South Asia and dies at temperatures as low as -5°C. For this reason, in northern latitudes it can only exist in heated rooms.
On a note!
If spotted in the house huge cockroach, this is not a mutant, but . The homeowner has recently returned from warm countries or America.
Periplanet Americana
Almost an exact copy of the red cockroach, but 5 times larger. It has a dark brown color without darker stripes. In habits and lifestyle, it is completely identical to its red-haired relative. This species is native Central Africa, from where it was introduced into many countries.
Head louse
long insect gray no more than 4 mm long. The head is very small, much smaller than the cephalothorax. The paws are ideally suited for grasping hair. Feeds on blood. Lives and reproduces on the scalp of humans. Few people would not be disgusted by the sight of these insects crawling on the head of the person sitting next to them.
Ants
Photos of the most scary insects in the world - close-up photos of ant heads. In most cases, they don’t cause emotion anyway. But if you look at the image of the head of the nomadic ant Eciton burchellii and remember that nomadic ants usually do not leave anything living behind, it is easy to come to the conclusion that these insects are monsters. The only thing that saves humanity is that nomadic ants are inhabitants of the tropics.
Antlion
A graceful, dragonfly-like insect. The body length is about 3.5 cm. The wingspan is 8 cm. The imago feeds on the nectar of flowers. But this beautiful insect has a terrible larva, which gave Spielberg the idea for the Sarlacc.
On a note!
The larva hides in sandy soil where prey awaits. In the common antlion, the larva digs a funnel into which careless ants and bugs roll. Invertebrates are no longer destined to escape from the funnel. The larva catches them with long curved mandibles.
Medvedka
A strange insect that looks like a cross between a beetle and a cricket. The body length of the mole cricket is 5-8 cm. The color is dark brown. The abdomen is 3 times larger than the cephalothorax. At the end of the abdomen there are paired thread-like appendages.
The chest is protected by a hard shell. can hide his head under it. The insect is armed with two powerful front paws, with which it digs passages in the ground. The mole cricket spends its entire life underground. The mole cricket is safe for humans, but you don’t want to touch it with your hands again.
Water bugs
These are not harmless “stinkers” that live on plants and drink sap. - merciless and very fast predators. Their victims become everyone whom the individual is able to cope with.
Belostomatids
Giant water bugs, with a body shape similar to the smooth one known in Russia. Color black. Truly infernal creatures. It’s not just their size that is frightening: these individuals can grow up to 15 cm. All bugs fly well and belostomatids are no exception. The front legs of a predatory water bug have turned into a spear-trap. They feed on small fish and lizards. They may eat a young turtle. These creepy insects can bite very painfully. The largest and scariest members of the water bug family live in tropical regions. Belostomatids, which are somewhat smaller in size, are common in Central and North America, as well as Australia.
On a note!
Few people know that giant water bugs are also found in Russia. The species Lethocerus deyrollei lives in the Amur region, Japan, Korea and China. The size of this bug is relatively small: 5-6.5 cm. The species belongs to the relict species and is on the verge of extinction.
Gladysh
The small “relative” of belostomatids has the same qualities as large water bugs. Externally, it is a reduced copy of belostomatids. Even the smoothie bites very painfully. But the size of the wasp bug is only 1.5 cm, which saves a person from the serious consequences of a bite.
Beetles
Few people would think of calling even huge beetles scary. They are not at all dangerous to humans and can only be frightening due to their size. Some beetles are larger than the giant water bugs, belostomatids. But all beetles are vegetarians. Most of them are very rare and poorly studied. These insects are actively hunted for sale to collectors. So it's the beetles that should be afraid of people, and not the other way around. Not very scary and largest beetles in the world:
- titan lumberjack (Titanus giganteus);
- Brazilian bigtooth woodcutter (Macrodontia cervicornis);
- Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules);
- goliath beetle (Goliathus regius);
- stag beetle (Lucanus cervus);
- Ussuri relict longhorned beetle (Callipogon relictus).
The last two beetles also live in Russia, but are very rare.
Giant lumberjack
Inhabitant of the Amazon basin. The insect is so rare that sources even disagree on the size of the beetle. Either his maximum body length is 8-17 cm, or 17-22. The average size of the insects is 13 cm. No one has seen the larva. Comparing the sizes of other longhorned beetles with their larvae, entomologists suggested that the size of the giant lumberjack larva should be 26-34 cm.
Interesting!
The cost of the largest specimens for the collection is 680-1000 dollars.
The color of the beetle is dark brown. Mustache half the length of the body. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. During the day it hides in hollows, forest litter, and rotten stumps. The imago does not eat at all for 3-5 weeks of its life. The larva feeds on rotting plant organic matter.
Brazilian bigtooth lumberjack
Habitat: tropics of South America. Maximum length 17 cm. Almost half is made up of long, jagged and curved mandibles. Development can last up to 10 years in the larval stage. The length of the larva is 21 cm.
Interesting!
The larva of this insect is brown. The beetle has a very beautiful color: on the brown background of the elytra there is a pattern of yellow lines.
Hercules beetle
The area is again Central and South America. Lives in humid forests. The length of the largest recorded beetle is 17 cm. On average, it is 12.5-14.5 cm. Half of the length is accounted for by a pair of horns located in a vertical plane. One, longer, on the pronotum. The other one is shorter, on the head. The length of females is 8 cm. There are no horns.
Color of the male: head and pronotum black, shiny; The color of the elytra varies. This depends on air humidity and the elytra can be colored yellow, olive-brown, yellow-olive.
The imago is starving. The larva feeds on rotten wood. The period of the larval stage is 1.5-2 years. By the end of development, the larva reaches a length of 18 cm and a weight of 100 g.
Goliath beetle
Habitat: Equatorial Africa. The average size of males is 8.5-9.6 cm. Maximum length is 11.6 cm. Females are 5-8 cm. The color is black with a white pattern on the upper part of the body. Lives adult insect six months. Leads a daily lifestyle. It feeds on tree sap and rotten fruit.
Stag beetle
The largest European beetle. Distribution: Europe, Western Asia, north-west Kazakhstan, North Africa. The size of the insect can vary greatly depending on its habitat. Average measurements: male 4.5-8.5 cm, female 2.5-5.7 cm. Maximum recorded size 10 cm.
The head is very large, flattened. The male's mandibles are long and well developed. In the female, the mandibles are almost invisible. The color is brown, the head and pronotum are darker in tone. The pronotum and head of the male occupy more than half total length. In the female the ratio is reversed: the abdomen is longer than the head and pronotum.
Interesting!
Development of the larval stage is 6 years. The larva feeds on rotten wood. Due to clearing of broad-leaved forests and sanitary cleanups, the number of stag beetles is declining. The insect is listed in several Red Books, including the Russian one.
Ussuri relict barbel
Other names:
- relict barbel;
- Ussuri relic woodcutter;
- relic woodcutter.
Keyword: relict. The insect is a relic of the Tertiary period and the only representative of the tropical genus Callipogon. Lives in the Amur region in the Far East.
Males 6-11 cm, females 6-9 cm. Habitat: broad-leaved and mixed forests. The development time of the larvae is 4-6 years. They develop in drying deciduous trees. They feed on rotting wood.
An adult insect drinks tree sap. Beetles are diurnal. The color of the body is black, the elytra are brown-chestnut.
On a note!
The Ussuri longhorned beetle is the largest beetle in Russia.
Due to logging and poaching, it is classified as an endangered species and is listed in the Red Book.