 10 Baddest insects you wish didn't exist. Preparing such a list is not an easy task. Because, how can you identify the large? It is a relative term. If you mean the bulkiest, by largest, this title may go to the Goliath beetle, Goliathus, which are among the largest insects on earth, if measured in terms of size, bulk, and weight. Or maybe Actaean beetle, Megasoma Actaean, claims the title, which is a rhinoceros beetle, a member of the scarabiety family. If you are looking for the heaviest, check out the giant Weta, the heaviest insect in the world. A female giant Weta filled with eggs can reach up to 70 grams. The largest wingspans, then the title goes to the Queen Alexandra's bird wing, is the largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans up to 1 foot, 30 centimeters wide, the longest. In May 2016, it was reported that Fragonistria chinensisiau, discovered in Laiyosu, China, in 2014, was the world's longest known insect at 62.4 centimeters, 24.6 in. I decided to make my list by the overall length, including extensions like horns and teni, etc. Here are the top 10 largest insects on earth, by total body length. Giant water bug, Belostomatidii up to 12 centimeters, 4.7 in. Giant water bug, Belostomatidii, is a family of freshwater hemipterian insects. They are colloquially known as Tobiders, Indian Tobiders, electric light bugs, alligator ticks, or alligator fleas. In Florida, they are the largest insects in the order Hemiptera, and occur worldwide, with most of the species in North America, South America, Northern Australia, and East Asia. They are typically encountered in freshwater streams and ponds. Most species are relatively large, typically at least 0.75 in, 2 centimeters long, although smaller species also exist. The largest are members of the genus Lithoceros, which can exceed 4.75 in, 12 centimeters, and nearly reach the length of some of the larger beetles in the world. Elephant beetle, Megasoma elephas up to 13 centimeters, 5.1 in. Elephant beetle, Megasoma elephas is a rhinoceros beetle belonging to the Scarabiatii family. The males can grow up to 13 centimeters, 5.1 in, but females are 2 to 3 times smaller. They are actually black in color and covered with a coat of fine microscopic hairs. They are located in southern Mexico, Central America, and South American rainforests. Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas up to 13 centimeters, 5.1 in. The Atlas beetle, Chalcosoma atlas, is a species of rhinoceros beetle, Scarabiatii family. It is named after Atlas, a titan condemned to hold up the sky for eternity in Greek mythology. The males are larger than the females, reaching a length of up to 13 centimeters, 5.1 in. The larva of the Atlas beetle is known for its fierce behavior, including biting if touched. Unverified reports exist of larvae that live together fighting to the death if there's not enough space or food. Atlas beetle lives in Southern Asia, especially Indonesia. Actaean beetle, Megasoma Actaean up to 13.5 centimeters, 5.3 in. Actaean beetle, Megasoma Actaean, is also a rhinoceros beetle belonging to the Scarabiatii family. It named after Actaean, a famous Theban hero in Greek mythology. As mentioned above, with a large, bulky body, it is one of the largest of all beetles, measuring up to 7 centimeters, 2.8 in, across, with a body length of about 5, 12 centimeters, 2.0 to 4.7 in. The males can grow to be 13.5 centimeters, 5.4 in, long by 4 centimeters, 1.6 in, thick. This species can be found in South America, particularly in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guiana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Anaploceros armilatus, up to 15 centimeters, 5.9 in. The females of the giant longhorn beetle reach a length of 70 to 80 millimeters, 2.8 to 3.1 in, and males 110 to 120 millimeters, 4.3 to 4.7 in, but specimens up to 150 millimeters, 5.9 in, have been captured. The giant longhorn beetle can be found in Argentina, Colombia, French Guyana, Guiana, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Suriname. Titan beetle, Titanus gigantus up to 16.7 centimeters, 6.6 in. Titan beetle, Titanus gigantus, is widely rated as the largest insect in the world. The largest reliable measured specimen was 16.7 cm, 6.6 in, in length. Several 18 plus cm specimens are reputed to exist, though. The Titan beetle is comparable to such beetles as the Hercules beetle and the Macrodonchus cervicornis, but the Hercules beetle males have an enormous horn on the pernotum orthorax making up around half of its total length, and also Macrodonchus cervicornis length due to the enormous mandibles. As such, the body of the Titan beetle is considerably larger than that of the Hercules beetles and the Macrodonchus cervicornis. Titan beetle is one of the most mysterious creatures on earth. It lives unobtrusively deep in some of South America's hottest tropical rainforests of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the Guyanas, and North Central Brazil, and only ventures out when seeking out mates. Hercules beetle, Dynasts Hercules up to 17 centimeters, 6.7 in. The Hercules beetle is the most famous and the largest of the rhinoceros beetles. They can grow up to 17 cm, 6.5 in, but as mentioned, half of this length comes from the enormous horn. Hercules beetle are highly sexually dimorphic, with the females generally being larger-bodied but much shorter, as they lack horns entirely, so much smaller by the overall length. Anecdotal reports exist of the Hercules beetle being able to carry up to 850 times its body mass, but actual measurements on a much smaller species of rhinoceros beetle show a carrying capacity only up to 100 times their body mass, at which point they can barely move. Macrodontia cervicornis, up to 17 plus cm, 6.7 plus in. Macrodontia cervicornis is one of the largest beetles with known specimens exceeding 17 cm in length. Part of this length is due to the enormous mandibles, from which it derives both of the names in its binomen. Macrodontia means long tooth, and cervicornis means deer-addler. It is also known as the sabertooth longhorn beetle. Most of this species' life is spent in the larval stage, which can last up to 10 years, and the larvae of them, cervicornis are extremely large, reaching up to 21 cm in length. Macrodontia cervicornis is known from the rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the Guyanas, and Brazil. Additional described species in the genus extend the overall range of the genus from Guatemala to Argentina. Praying mantis, up to 18 cm, 7 in. The world's largest praying mantis was recorded at about 18 cm long, in southern China, in 1929. According to Wikipedia, they can reach lengths of 20 cm. As an apex carnivorous insect, the praying mantis feeds mainly on other insects. It is, however, documented that larger praying mantises are able to consume small reptiles and even small mammals or birds. Fraganistria chinensisiau, 62.4 cm, 24.6 in. The largest insect on earth. Until 2016, the longest insect in the world was phobeticus chani, a stick insect with one specimen held in the Natural History Museum in London measuring 56.7 cm, 22.3 in. Without legs fully extended, the body alone still measures an impressive 357 mm, 14.1 in. But, in 2016, a new species of stick insect in southern China has been declared the world's longest bug, Fraganistria chinensisiau, at 62.4 cm, 24.6 in. It is named after Zhao Li of the Insect Museum of West China, who spent years searching for the massive insect described by locals. The insect returned with Zhao to the museum, where it laid six eggs. After hatching, even the smallest offspring cleared 26 cm.