which country has the biggest: beetles/grubs/caterpillars, and what are they called?

Question

also do you know what animals eat them more than any other?

also which are the biggest beetles with a rounded half sphere shape....like a darkling beetle...and is the darkling beetle a contender?

actually ive just looked and the darkling beetle seems quite elongated....
i mean a half sphere like a ladybird.

Answer 1

The world's largest beetle is the Titanus giganteus, a member of the Cerambycidae native to South America. These large beetles can measure up to 170 mm (over 6 inches in length). Although the larvae are wood borers, the adults can inflict a painful bite. An adult male apparently bit and shattered a plastic ruler used as a size relationship by a photographer. One can only imagine what the powerful mandibles could do to your fingernail (or your finger). Ouch!

The world's largest grub/caterpillar is probably from the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing species, found in Papua New Guinea, as this is said to be the world's largest butterfly, so I guess the caterpillar is probably the largest one if logic prevails.

The largest known stick insect is the Phobaeticus kirbyi from Borneo, also the longest insect in the world, the females of which reach 328mm (548mm. including legs stretched out). A 278mm Malayan Phobaeticus serratipes measured 555mm including legs stretched out.

Have a look at the 3rd attached website for a picture of the Colorado Potato Beetles (Chrysomelidae) - these are the closest ones I could find that are a round half-sphere shape - they remind me of mint humbugs, but I wouldn't fancy eating one!

I think the largest predator of beetles/grubs, etc, is the bird species, and I know that woodpeckers are damned fond of beetles.

If you like to know some interesting facts about insects in general, have a look at the last website - I didn't know that most trees are lost to insects each year than to forest fires!

Answer 2

The goliath beetles of equatorial Africa are amongst the largest insects in the world, and their larvae are also very large, and they have a sort of a rounded, hemispherical shape.

I think they'd probably the closest match for what you're looking for.

Here's a page with some pictures of both adults and larvae, and range maps and other information. http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/KKhp/1insects/goliathbeetle.html

The larvae are found under the soil during their development, feeding on decaying matter and plant roots.

As far as I know, there's no critter that specializes in feeding on goliath beetles or goliath beetle larvae (their populations generally aren't high enough to support specialist predators), but a grub that size would make a superb meal for any number of rodents, insectivores, birds, lizards, other insects, and even bizarre critters like elephant shrews.

The largest Tenebrionids (the family of darkling beetles) only gets to be a few inches long. The goliath beetle, however, can be close to a foot long, and the larvae can weigh up to 100 grams or more. The goliath beetles are definitely larger than the biggest darkling beetles.

Answer 3

The countries will vary as some of the largest of each are in different places altogether. The Goliath beetle is pretty large in Africa. But image the Amazon will be able to claim the right to a lot.