Largest species of beetle

The longest species of beetle in terms of body size alone is the titan beetle Titanus giganteus of South America, with a body length of 15 cm (6 in). In terms of total length, the hercules beetle Dynastes hercules (the largest of the "rhinoceros" beetles, also of South America) measure 17 cm (7 in) long, due to a long pair of horns – one extending from the head, the other from the thorax. However, the largest in terms of weight, and indeed the heaviest of all insects, is Africa's goliath beetle Goliathus goliathus, which can obtain larval weights up to 100 g (3.5 oz).

The largest reliably measured male titan was collected in January 1989 by Patrick Bleuzen in French Guiana and was 16.7 cm (6.5 in) long when dried. It was probably slightly longer when alive (see Big Bugs, George Beccaloni, p.63)