Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1914-10-23

- OST people believe that all in
I'M sects are very small; and in
- a certain sense this is true,
49, for the largest known insect
appears diminutive when con-
trasted with the vast bulk of such a
creature as a whale or an elephant. But
this is hardly fair comparison, be-
cause insects are in every way dis
similar to vertebrate animals, having
developed along entirely different
lines. In place of physical hugeness
we find amazing delicacy of structure
and adjustment; and IL we liken the
vertebrate to a locomotive engine, the
insect must be represented BY lady's
watch to complete the metaphor. In
fine, multum In parvo has been the
watchword of insect evolution. Never
theless, when judged in their own
sphere, insects display remarkable
range Of size.
Take, for example, the beetles. The
largest living representatives of the
clan are the Goliaths of Africa and the
Megasomas of tropical South America.
A fair-sized male specimen of the lat
ter measures four and a half inches
from the tip of the horn to the ex-
tremity of the abdomen. The male OF
the Hercules beetle, also of South
America, may be two inches or more
longer, but wellnigh half its length
is made up by the great hornlike proc
ess which springs from its thorax. A
good idea OF these beetles huge pro-
portions may be gained by placing
one of them side by side with a COM
mon two-spot ladybird. Yet the lady
bird is by no means small beetle as
beetles go.
Comparisons no less striking may
be made among the moths. The
largest British moth is the Death
Head truly noble insect with q
wing expanse of four and a half
inches. But its proportions are sadly
dwarfed when we contrast them with
the huge Owl moth-the Noctua strix
of science-which Is not uncommon In
many parts of South America. 1t
may measure ten inches or more
across. Then there is the giant Atlas
moth, from India, which may measure
as much as a foot from tip to tip OF
the fore-wings. For the sake OF IA
miliarity we may place the little
clothes moth of our wardrobes at the
other end of the scale-though it is
not by any means the smallest of-its
kind
The Atlas and the Owl moths men
toned above have larger wings than
any other living Insects so far as. is
known; but they are not the largest
flying insects on record, for some OF
the extinct dragon flies of the car.
boniferous period measured two feet
across the wings. The largest British
dragon fly, with wing expanse of four
inches. is a pygmy, contrasted size for
size with one of its gigantic prehis-
toric ancestors.
Among the largest existing insects
must be reckoned the giant water
bugs, some of which attain length
of nearly five inches. In the United
States these insects are known popu.
larly as electric light bugs" because
they have the habit at night of leav-
ing the pools and lakes, where they
get their living. and flying around arc
lamps, especially when these are
mounted upon high buildings. The
British water scorpion is a well-known
denizen of ponds and sluggish
streams. 1t belongs to the same fam
lily as the giant bugs. besides which
It may fairly be termed a dwarf.
The longest of living insects are
found among the phasmids, or walk
ing sticks" Some attain nine inches
from head to tail, while IL the out
stretched legs are included the meas
urement is much greater. Two Of
these strange insects are in marked
contrast with a Stag beetle-th,
largest British beetle. by the way
Clearly these phasmids are 'lont
drawn out" in very literal sense Of
the phrase; but few of the species
are much heavier in build. This is the
case with the very remarkable crea
ture known as Eurycantha horrids
from Australia. II is not only long
but bulky. and what with its hard ar
NOR plate integument and formid