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Asian Insects

Zhao Li1999/2017

Insect Museum of West China

Insect Museum of West China
Chengdu, China

Asia has the largest altitude difference among all continents. From rainforests to the cold Arctic region, it is home to all types of vegetation and unparalleled insect species. More than 360,000 insect species have been discovered, they are the largest, most diverse and most widely distributed group of animal organisms in Asia. There are tens of thousands of Asian insects in our collection, mainly for ornamental species. This picture shows some Asian insects.
In the bottom center of the picture is the Heteropteryx dilatata, the world's heaviest stick insect. The females can grow to more than 40 grams, and the record is 51.2 grams. Its eggs are up to 9 mm long, also the largest insect egg in the world. Although it looks a bit scary, it is actually not aggressive. A female was found in Malaysia in 1798, once considered as a very rare species. In 1806, the specimen was sold for $1,230, the highest transaction price for insects at the time. The giant Phyllium giganteum above it is the world's largest leaf-insect. It is a master of imitating leaves, looking just like a large green broad-leaved tree leaf in the rainforest. The largest individual can reach 12 cm. The giant ant one the upper-left of the leaf-insect is Camponotus gigas native to subtropical region of the Indo-China Peninsula. It is the largest ant species in the world, the body length of large worker ants can reach 3.7 cm.
The praying mantis on the upper right is Rhombodera basalis, the heaviest mantis in the world. With huge claws and wide chest, it looks like a bulldog. The bee on the lower-right of the mantis is the Giant Scoliid Wasp (Megascolia procer), the world's largest wasp. The female bee has a body length of 6.5 cm and a wingspan of 10.5 cm. What is more interesting is that the female head has a yellow square pattern, which looks like the logo of the Bumblebee.
The huge cicada in the lower-right corner is the Pomponia imperatoria, the world's largest cicada, with a maximum wingspan of 21.7 cm. It is native to the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. Thailand has a slightly smaller approximate type. Above the cicada, it is the yellow Catacanthus incarnatus. The combination of the patterns on its back looks like a comic face. If we look upside down, the pattern is like the head of a Buddha statue.
The damselfly on the upper-right corner is the Archineura incarnata, the largest damselfly of China. It is distributed in the mountains of southwestern China. Its wingspan can reach 11.5 cm and the body length is 8 to 9 cm. When flying in the valley, its rosy wing looks like a fluttering rose petal.
The grasshopper in the left of the picture is the Sanaea regalis, a beautiful Orthoptera insect native to Thailand and Yunnan Province of China. The color on its fore wings is a protective color, which helps it hide on the trunk. The black color on its hind wings is a warning color that is used to scare the natural enemies. Below is a yellow umbrella stick insect (Tagesoidea nigrofasciata). The bright yellow and black belts on the hind wings are typical warning colors, often surprising the predators when suddenly spreaded.

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  • Title: Asian Insects
  • Creator: Zhao Li
  • Date Created: 1999/2017
  • Type: Insect specimen
Insect Museum of West China

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