World's Heaviest Insect : Giant Weta

Their physical appearance is that of a cross between a cockroach and a cricket with the addition of large legs.Wetas can be found in mountainous conditions and urban gardens by their ability to cope with wide variations in temperature. They are nocturnal as well as flightless, and have a diet consisting of leaves, insects, fungi, dead animals and fruit.

Clipped from: Weta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Weta

Weta is the name applied to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural (like 'sheep'). The Māori for the Giant Weta is 'wētā punga' (lumpy or jointed weta), sometimes rendered in English as 'god of ugly things'.

Giant weta

There are 11 species of giant weta (Deinacrida spp.), most significantly larger than other weta, which are themselves large by insect standards. They are heavy insects with a body length of up to 100 mm (4 in) not inclusive of its lengthy legs and antennae, and weigh about 20-30 g. A captive giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) filled with eggs reached a record 70 g, making it one of the heaviest documented insects in the world ^[2] and heavier than a sparrow. The largest species of giant weta is the Little Barrier Island weta, also known as the wetapunga. Giant weta tend to be less social and more passive than other weta. They are classified in the genus Deinacrida, which is Greek for terrible grasshopper. They are found primarily on small islands off the coast of the main islands, and are examples of island gigantism.