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The first insects were landbound, but about 400 million years ago in the Devonian period one lineage of insects evolved flight, the first animals to do so. [1] The oldest insect fossil has been proposed to be Rhyniognatha hirsti , estimated to be 400 million years old, but the insect identity of the fossil has been contested. [ 3 ]
Meganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Late Carboniferous (approximately 300 million years ago). It is a member of the extinct order Meganisoptera, which are closely related to and resemble dragonflies and damselflies (with dragonflies, damselflies and meganisopterans being part of the broader group Odonatoptera).
The heaviest of this widespread, varied complex of insects is the Little Barrier Island giant weta, Deinacrida heteracantha, of New Zealand; one specimen weighed 71 g (2.5 oz) and measured nearly 10 cm (3.9 in), [2] giving it one of the largest insect weights ever known. These heavyweight insects can be over 9 cm (3.5 in) long.
One notable example was Arthropleura, the biggest bug ever known at up to 10-1/2 feet (3.2 meters) long, inhabiting what is now North America and Europe. While its fossils have been known since ...
The largest Arthropleura may have been the biggest bugs to ever live, although there is still a debate. They may be a close second to an extinct giant sea scorpion. Researchers in Europe and North America have been collecting fragments and footprints of the huge bugs since the late 1800s.
Scutigera coleoptrata, also known as the house centipede, is a species of centipede that is typically yellowish-grey and has up to 15 pairs of long legs. Originating in the Mediterranean region, it has spread to other parts of the world, where it can live in human homes. [1]
Distribution map: yellow, winter in the Northern Hemisphere; green, year round; blue, summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia.
Giant isopods have been recorded in the West Atlantic from the US state of Georgia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. [1] The four known Atlantic species are B. obtusus, B. miyarei, B. maxeyorum, and B. giganteus, and the last of these is the only species recorded off the United States.