Longest Insect: The species of stick insects that reach the most incredible lengths are primarily found in Indonesia. It is possible that there are other living specimens which may surpass the length of the present record holder. However, until a new candidate is identified, the clear winner for longest insect is the West Malaysian Pharnacia serratipes at a length of 555 mm.
Heaviest Insect: The heaviest insects are the Goliath Beetles from the family Scarabaeidae. The length of one species is 4.33” from the frontal horns to the end of the abdomen. They weigh 3.5 ounces! ALMOST A QUARTER POUNDER!
Widest Wingspan Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Ornithoptera alexandrae is the biggest butterfly in the world. Its wingspan is about 1 foot (30 cm) wide.
Largest Invertebrate The Atlantic giant squid Architeuthis dux is the largest known invertebrate. The largest ever discovered was a 2.2 ton specimen that washed ashore in Thimble Tickle Bay, Newfoundland, Canada on November 2, 1878. It had a body length of 20 feet!
Most venomous Insect: Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex maricopa. They have venom that is the most toxic, as measured by its toxicity to mice.
Largest Spider: The world's largest known spider is a male Goliath bird-eating spider Theraphosa blondi collected by members of the Pablo San Martin Expedition at Rio Cavro, Venezuela in April 1965. It had a record leg-span of 28cm (11”), sufficient to cover a dinner plate. This species is found in the coastal rainforests of Surinam, Guyana and French Guiana, but isolated specimens have also been reported from Venezuela and Brazil. A two year old spider of the same species, bred by Robert Bustard and reared by Brian Burnett of Alyth, Perthshire, Scotland, also had a leg span of 28cm (11”) and weighed 170g (6oz) in February 1998.
Most venomous arachnid: The male Sydney Funnel Web Spider Atrax robustus. This large, aggressive, black spider has powerful fangs, is aggressive and is often seen wandering during the breeding season, in search for a mate. The female, although also highly venomous, is not considered anywhere near as dangerous and is usually rarely seen as she lives in burrows and retreats under logs, rocks, and the ground.
Longest Life Cycle: Under exceptional conditions, some individuals of wood-boring beetles (Ceram-bycidae and Buprestidae) have the longest life cycle. One Buprestis aurulenta larva emerged after 51 years. Three species of 17-year periodical cicadas, Magicicada septendecim, M. cassini, and M. septendecula, are well-known to have the longest development times in natural conditions.
Longest Adult Life: A queen ant Lasius niger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has the longest recorded adult life of any insect: 28 years, 9 months in captivity.
Loudest Insect: African Cicada Brevisana brevis. It regularly produces sounds at 106.7 dB at a distance of 50cm (about as loud as a power saw).
Fastest Flier: The insects with the highest reliably measured airspeeds are desert locusts Schistocerca gregaria and corn earworm moths Helicoverpa zea. These fly at average airspeeds of 33 and 28 km/h respectively (about 21 and 17 mph). Many insects surely fly faster, but their airspeeds have yet to be studied with modern methods. The highest sustained ground speed recorded is that of the black cutworm Agrotis ipsilon which flies at speeds of between 97 and 113 km/h (60-70 mph). Insect airspeed is affected by mass, size, age, gender, feeding, water content, activity type, temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind, oxygen level, ascent angle and even habitat isolation
Fastest Runner: Australian Tiger Beetle Cicindela hudsoni. It can run 2.5 meters per second.
Largest Eggs: The 15cm (6”) Malaysian stick insect Heteropteryx dilitata lays eggs that measure 1.3cm (0.5”), making them larger than a peanut! Some insects, mainly mantids and cockroaches, lay egg-cases that are much larger than this, but these contain as many as 200 individual eggs.
Smallest Adult insect: Fairy Fly Prestwichia aquatica. This parasitic wasp is only 1/100 of an inch long.
Longest Migration for an Insect: Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria. It migrates from the west coast of Africa to islands in the West Indies and back each year (4500 km each way).
Most Number of Legs: The millipede with most legs is Illacme plenipes, which has 750 legs. This species is found in California, USA.
Most Mosquitoes Killed: The most mosquitoes killed in five minutes is 21, by Henri Pellonpää at the 1995 World Mosquito Killing Championship, in Pelkosenniemi, Finland.
Shortest Lived Insect: Mayflies, of the family Ephemeroptera, may spend 2-3 years as nymphs at the bottom of lakes and streams, and then live for as little one an hour as winged adults. There are 1500-2000 species of Mayfly, which range in length from 1-4cm (0.4-1.6”).
Most Destructive Insect: Marauding hordes of locusts, the world's most destructive insects, are described in the Bible and the Koran, and are still a reality for many people in Africa and Asia. The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is the most damaging of the lot. Although only 4.5-6cm (1.8-2.4 in) long, they can eat their body weight in food every day. One tonne of locusts, a fraction of a swarm, can eat the same amount of food in one day as around 2500 people.
Highest Jumper: The highest recorded jump by an insect is 70cm (28”) by the froghopper Philaenus spumarius. When it jumps, the insect accelerates at 4000m per second and overcomes a G-force of more than 414 times its own body weight.
Largest Outdoor Spiders' Web: In October, 1998, a cobweb that covered the entire 4.54ha (11.2acre) playing field at Kineton High School, Warwick, England, was discovered by Ken Thompson, the school’s caretaker. It had been created by thousands of black money spiders.
Most Dangerous Parasite: Malarial parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which are carried by Anopheles mosquitoes, have probably been responsible for half of all human deaths (excluding wars and accidents) since the Stone Age.
Invertebrates usually have a hard shell or similar on the outside of their bodies. We call this an ‘exoskeleton’. In some invertebrates like lobsters, the exoskeleton is quite hard like a suit of armour, however some invertebrates don’t possess an exoskeleton at all. Animals such as worms and slugs have adapted to living without an exoskeleton by living in habitats where they won’t dry out or be at risk of attack as well as secreting slimy substances in order to protect them in several ways. Some animals such as snails, have a shell in which they can retreat if the weather gets too hot and dry or if a predator tries to attack them.
A mini-beast is basically a ‘small animal’. Most mini-beasts fall into the category of ‘Invertebrates’ or animals with no backbone.
Worms, dung beetles and flies keep our grassy pastures and farm soil healthy, making it possible for us to keep cattle, sheep and horses.