What is the Rarest Bug in the World?

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The World Rarest Bugs – Is It True?

Insects are considered to be the most abundant biomass of animals in the world. There are estimated to be ten quintillion different individual insect species. In this article, we will talk about the rarest insects in the world. There are many insects that are considered to be endangered or rare. But there is only one insect that is the rarest of them all, and yes, we are talking about dryococelus australis.

They are only found in Lord Howe Island, which can be located between Australia and New Zealand. We will get into more detail about the specific insect soon, But let’s talk about some other insects that are considered to be rare. We will talk about some of the rarest insects living in the world today. We will talk about their habitats and how big some of these insects can get. In the end, we will talk about the rarest insect in the world and go deep into dryococelus australis also known as the tree lobster. As always we have to save the best for last, once you are done reading this article, you will know about most of the rarest insects in the world.

Atrax Sutherland (red fanged funnel spider)

Also known to be a vampire spider, you can find these very rare spiders in Australia. These species of spiders have blood-red fangs and funnel-like webs, which come out their silk, they get the name from the types of web they weave. They usually create a tunnel to capture their prey. They are known to feed on other insects. These spiders typically are 2 inches or 5 cm long, and they like to spend time underground.

They typically hide 10 inches underground, which explains why their eyesight is so bad. In fact, they are so rare that many people spend years looking for them before they get the opportunity to see one. The main reason why they are so rare is that they are hard to be seen. They are 10 inches underground most of the time, which gives them a safe space to not get stepped on or seen. Ever wondered if female and male spiders both spin webs? We’ve got an answer for you in Do Male Spiders Spin Webs?

Euspinolia militaris (The panda ant)

They are known as the panda ant because of their color, they have a white head and tail with a black body. Believe it or not, they aren’t an ant. They are considered to be a wasp related to the Mutillidae family, even though they might look cute as a panda, but their sting can be devastating. Their sting is so overwhelming that people have called them the cow killer. They have never killed a cow, but they have reportedly killed two-pound mammals with around six stinks. They are mainly found in Chile; however, they have been located in parts of Mexico and the Southern United States. The reason why the panda ant is so rare is that anteaters tend to eat the young wasp. Most of them only survive two years. Nonetheless, they are a very cool species of wasp.

Titanus Gigantes (The titan beetle)

These bugs can be found in South America. They are most commonly found in the Amazon rainforest. The reason why they’re known as to Titanus giganteus is that they are extremely big. These beetles can get as long as nine inches making them the largest beetle in the world. Not only are the big, but they are also very strong. The jaw strength of these beetles can rip through human flesh. Overall, they have a dark brown color to them, giving them an average look but with an enormous body. If you ever come across the titan beetle, and they make a hissing noise make sure to get away from them as that is them signaling you that they are ready to attack. The reason why they are so rare is because of the deforestation.

The Ladybird Spider

The ladybird spider has similar markings to a ladybird, which is why it is named a ladybird spider. It is a scarce species of spider which was thought to be extinct over 70 years ago was rediscovered in the 1980s, but it is considered to be endangered to this day. The population is minimal. You can find these spiders in the northern areas of Europe. The male can grow up to 6 to 9 mm, the females are bigger than the males coming in at 10 to 16mm and are jet black. The reason why they are so rare is that they don’t have the appropriate habitat to survive. However, conservation is in process on meaning that you will see more ladybird spider soon.

Tansy Beetle

Considered to be almost extinct, these bugs have a unique color to themselves. They only live in tansy plants and can be found beside the river ouse, near York. The tansy beetle measures in at 7.7 to 10.5 mm in length and has a lovely metallic color. The color is gorgeous and needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. The reason why they are so rare and are almost extinct is because of habitat loss.

Hornet robber fly

Coming in at 25mm, it is one of the biggest flies to be found in the United Kingdom. Besides the big size, it is a very dangerous fly which feeds on beetles and grasshoppers and many other insects. Due to Habitat destruction, there are very few of these flies left. Make sure you go and find one yourself before they are gone.

Lycanedes Melissa Samuels (Karner butterfly)

They are initially from Karner, New York, and they are one of the rarest butterflies in the world. They have come to near extinction, thanks to deforestation. These insects need a specific environment to survive, which is also another reason why they are coming to extinction. Other than that, they have a gorgeous look to them, and if you can get to see one, you will be surprised. The Karner butterfly has a small wingspan, which is around an inch. The male butterfly is silver or dark blue with thin black margins. Whereas the females are greyish brown, with blue on top and irregular orange crescents, which is present inside the black edges.

All types of butterflies are fascinating. We have several articles about butterflies on School of Bugs, here’s one you might be interested in: Can Butterflies See Color?

Now that we have talked about all of the rare insects roaming the world let’s talk about the rarest insect in the world.

Dryococelus australis (The tree lobster)

This giant insect can be found on Lord Howe Island, which is located between New Zealand and Australia. In the 1920s, this insect was considered to be extinct, but after doing some digging in the early 2000s, they found a minimal number of these insects again. These insects are so rare that scientists are trying to breed them more than 9,000 times. The male specimen tends to be smaller than the female example in this case. The female is around 4.4 inches long, whereas the male is approximately 3.9 inches long.

These measurements were done when they found the species in 2001, which were brought back to Melbourne Zoo so that they can breed them. When they had seen these insects again in 2001, the was only five. That is extremely rare, which is why they had to bring it back to Melbourne zoo so that they can have a safe environment to breed and can reintroduce them back into the wild once the rats have been gone. The reason why they went extinct in the first place is because of the introduction of rats to the island. The rats killed many birds and especially the tree lobster. According to new sources, there are around 1,000 adults now and 20,000 eggs of these species.

Final verdict

As you can tell, there are many insects in the world. There are ten quintillions of them, but to find and talk about the rarest insects is something unique. When you learn about the rare species, you get to understand why they’re going extinct and what we can do about it. Most rare insects are going extinct because of environmental issues, and it is merely because they don’t have the place to sustain their life. These insects are unique and require specific habitats to survive. However, uniqueness is what makes them very cool and exciting to learn about. Let’s face it, who would have thought beetles could grow up to 9 inches, when you think about it these insects are unique compared to household insects.

The tree lobster is the rarest insect in the world. When it was first rediscovered back in 2001, there were only five which were found, and now there are over 1,000. With the help of the right conservation, we can save all these bugs if we want to. Now that you’re a little bit more educated on all the rarest bugs and insects make sure that you try your best to build awareness and get more people to respect insects and bugs. We are the ones that are going to make a change when it comes to increasing the population of the most endangered insects and bugs. They help our environment tremendously.

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