Rarest Bugs in the World: Endangered Insects Guide With Pictures, ID Charts

Georgette Kilgore headshot, wearing 8 Billion Trees shirt with forest in the background.Written by Georgette Kilgore

Gardening | March 14, 2024

Man examines the rarest bugs in the world including endangered insects pictures, bugs facts, scary bugs and extinct insects like giant lacewing, tree lobster.

Have you ever thought about what are the rarest bugs in the world?

Even though they might creep you out, it’s crucially important to understand and appreciate just how important bugs are as an irreplaceable component of the planet’s ecosystem and food chain in nature.

Our world would probably become uninhabitable and unrecognizable overnight if all of the bugs you hate disappeared.

Some of the rarest bugs in the world, which are technically considered more endangered than rare, fit this scenario.

There are more bugs in the world than human beings and the existence of bugs keeping other bugs in check, and some scientists believe that the population of insects that currently exist in the world numbers over 10 quintillion.1

A quintillion is a number that is then followed by 18 zeroes. Keep in mind that this number is an estimate since there are probably incalculable species of bugs that are yet to be discovered by scientists.

Rarest Bugs in the World

This guide examines five of the rarest bugs in the world and why their endangered statuses should matter to you. You will find tiny house bug pictures and names, scientific classifications, and additional data with descriptions of the rarest bugs on this list.

Graphics with images and text showing five of the rarest bugs in the world including tree lobster, giant lacewing, coral pink sand dunes tiger beetle, franklin's bumblebee, and ladybird spider.

Tree lobster by Granitethighs34, Giant Lacewing by Kevmin35, Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle by Mark Capone / USFWS36, Franklin’s Bumblebee by USGS Bee Inventory37 and Monitoring Lab, Ladybird Spider by Viridiflavus38)

Scientists calculated that the combined weight, or biomass, of all human beings in 2012 weighed roughly 287 million metric tons.1 They calculated that spiders, which are technically arthropod subspecies of insects, eat anywhere between 400 million to 800 million metric tons of bugs annually.1

These estimates could also be a lowball figure. Some scientists believe that there are over 900,000 bug species but anywhere between 2 million to 30 million bug species have yet to be discovered.2

There are more creepy crawly bugs in the world than human beings and the only thing that is keeping our species from being overrun by them are other creepy bugs. Still, the list of the rarest bugs facing potential extinction is long.

Endangered Insects

The criteria to call a species “endangered” varies according to the institution that makes such a claim. The known population of a species has to dangerously decline by anywhere between 50 percent to 70 percent for factors that are known or unknown.6

A species could become endangered due to disease overwhelming its population, its eradication from the food chain due to aggressive predation, human-based actions, and many other factors.

What Is the Difference Between Bugs and Insects?

The terms “insect” and “bug” are always used interchangeably but in reality, they are not the same thing.

It’s a little easier to remember that while all bugs are technically insects, not all insects can be classified as bugs.

Graphics with images and text showing the difference between a bug and an insect.

Bugs can be classified under the Insecta or Hemiptera classification while insects are classed under the Insecta classification.3 Insects usually have exoskeletons, two antennae on their heads, segmented and spindly legs, and bodies that are segmented into two or three parts like the head, thorax segment, and stomach.3

Grasshoppers, all species of flies, bed bugs, stink bugs, cicadas, and bees are insects. Beetles, roaches, ants, butterflies, and dragonflies are also insects.4

Arthropod and arachnid species, which include spiders, scorpions, and mites, myriapod species like the centipede, and crustacean species like crawfish are all technically insects.4 Bugs have a straw-like mouth that they use to suck liquified food, or blood, for nourishment.

A good way to distinguish bugs from insects is to remember that insects usually metamorphize in cocoons in a four-stage process from larvae to adulthood while bugs don’t undergo a larval metamorphosis.5 These classifications can be very confusing and it’s understandable; a ladybug is actually a beetle which is a subspecies of insect.

Here is a better way to remember the distinctions between insects and bugs; all insect species fall into the Insecta classification while some species of bug fall into the Hemiptera scientific classification which is a subset of the Insecta classification.5

The distinction between bug and insect is not an enforced rule, since even scientists use the term interchangeably, like in the case of the ladybug.

You may see the two terms interchangeably used in this comprehensive guide, but it is important for you to understand the distinction, especially relative to descriptions of the rarest bugs in the world.

Now, here is a list of the five rarest bugs in the world followed by a list of reasons of how beneficial bugs are to humanity.

The 5 Rarest Bugs

In this comprehensive list of the rarest bugs in the world, it’s important to crystallize that “rarest” is a relative term and does not necessarily mean that there is only one kind of rarest bug left in the world.

Depending on the varying standards used by many scientific institutions, a species of bug can be considered rare if it loses large portions of its native habitats, finds its entire population isolated in a single area or region, or becomes less genetically diverse relative to variant or subspecies propagation.6

Even though the rarest bugs on this list are considered rare, it might be easier to also consider them as endangered insects.

Tree Lobster (Dryococelus Australis)

The tree lobster is either the rarest bug or the most practically extinct bug on Earth depending on who you ask.7,34 One of the rarest bugs known to experts, the tree lobster was classified as extinct until the year 2000 when less than 24 of them were discovered by scientists on a research expedition.8

A tree lobster, a large, reddish-brown stick insect with a robust body and elongated limbs, positioned on a white background.

(Image by: Peter Halasz30)

  • Size: Can grow up to 6-7 inches long
  • Native Region: Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid
  • Strange Fact: These insects shed their entire exoskeleton, from the antennae down to their legs and all, to grow bigger.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ranking: Critically Endangered

The tree lobster is also known as a stick insect, a scientific classification for a species of bug, and the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect since they are isolated to very small Pacific islands situated around Lord Howe Island, located in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. A tree lobster is a wingless bug that aesthetically resembles a cross between a thinner and elongated beetle and a lobster.

Tree lobsters have antennae, elongated and segmented bodies, segmented legs that are thick in girth, and a very thick exoskeleton that resembles the aesthetics of a lobster. A typical tree lobster can be anywhere between four to eight inches and length and weigh as much as one ounce.7

The female tree lobster, which is usually larger than the male variant, can reproduce asexually without assistance from a male which may be the main reason the species never went extinct.7 The tree lobster was known to be a thriving but isolated bug species on Lord Howe Island in the early 20th century.

Tree lobsters were so plentiful that they were used as bait for recreational fishing. In 1918, a boat that docked at Lord Howe Island to unload supplies unfortunately also introduced black rats to the region.

The transplanted black rats multiplied and preyed on the tree lobsters, and small birds to the point of extinction. The tree lobster was then classified as extinct by the 1960s.7

About 24 tree lobsters were discovered again on a nearby small island called Ball’s Pyramid by the 2000s. Australian conservation authorities began breeding the bugs to boost their populations and now about 1,000 adult tree lobsters exist along with about 20,000 eggs.7

Australian authorities also plan to initiate aggressive extermination techniques to exterminate the black rats on the island so that the tree lobster can thrive in larger numbers again. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers this bug species to be critically endangered.7

Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Albissima)

The Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle is a rare and endangered species of beetle that is endemic to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park located in Kanab, Utah.13,36 In other words, this particular species is one of the rarest bugs in the world because they can only be found in the sand dunes within this state park in Utah.

  • Size: Can grow up to 1-1.5cm long
  • Native Region: Southern Utah, USA
  • Strange Fact: This beetle can only be found in a very small section of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes ecosystem, hence its name.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ranking: Critically Endangered
A tiger beetle with iridescent green coloring against an orange, gritty background, highlighting its slender legs and antennae.

(Image by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service39)

Tiger beetles are a type of insect that is known for their aggressive predation and ability to move at fast speeds.14 Tiger beetles can move at 5.6 MPH or 9KMH.14

The CPSD tiger beetle is about less than an inch in length and a fraction of an inch wide. The body segment featuring the head of the CPSD tiger beetle is greenish-bronze in color and the body is white or cream colored.

CPSD tiger beetles are adept scavengers of arthropods and flies and dead arthropods.13 While the CPSD Tiger Beetle was originally discovered in 1962 it was mistakenly classified as a subspecies of another tiger beetle species.13

The reality of the CPSD tiger beetle’s declining population might have been discovered decades earlier if not for this species’ misclassification. Even though CPSD is known for moving at incredible speeds relative to its small size, the species is known for never traversing more than 1,000 to 3,300 feet during its lifetime.13

Conservationist experts calculated that less than 1,800 CPSD tiger beetles existed in CPSD State Park in Utah in 2012.13 State park authorities even awarded researchers at the local Southern Utah University a $61,500 research grant in 2022 to brainstorm ways to protect endangered CPSD tiger beetle species since the species is only found within the confines of the state park.15

The CPSD tiger beetle is currently listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List.16

Franklin’s Bumblebee (Bombus Franklini)

Franklin’s Bumblebee is listed as being “critically endangered,” on the IUCN Red List.17,37 This bee is considered one of the rarest bugs on Earth, but it might technically already be extinct.

A bumblebee with a fuzzy yellow thorax and black abdomen collecting nectar on a vibrant pink flower.

(Image by: James P. Strange, USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit40)

  • Size: Queens (22-24 mm); Workers (10-17 mm); Males (13-16 mm)
  • Native Region: Northern California and Southern Oregon
  • Strange Fact: This species has short tongues and faces which are an adaptation to extracting nectar from flowers with short corollas.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ranking: Critically Endangered

Franklin’s Bumblebee has not been seen by any conservationist or researcher in the wild since 2006.17,18 Experts are hopeful that they have only missed sightings of the bee for well over a decade at this point, but even the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service even added the species to its own endangered species list.19

The species is named after noted 20th-century bee researcher Henry J. Franklin.18 Franklin’s Bumblee is known to be endemic to a 190-mile to 170-mile area situated between northern California and southern Oregon.17

The bee is aesthetically notable because, unlike most traditional bees, its entire lower body is black colored while the top half features a bright, yellow-colored U shape behind its head. Franklin’s Bumblebee is the first and only bee species to be classified as endangered in the Western United States.18

It is the second bee species in the country to be classified as endangered behind the Rusy Patched Bumblebee. However, unlike the Rusty Patched Bumblebee, no one has seen Franklin’s Bumblebee since 2006.

An informal and century-old research census suggests that Franklin’s Bumblebee has only been observed in the wild over 325 times within the last 100 years.18 Less than 100 bees of this species were seen in the wild in 1998.18

Only one Franklin Bumblebee was seen in 2006 and the species has not been seen in the wild since then.18 Researchers are hopeful that they have been looking in the wrong places since 2006 and that the elusive Franklin’s Bumblebee species will pop up again somewhere within its native environs in northern California and southern Oregon in the future.

 Ladybird Spider (Eresus Sandaliatus)

The ladybird spider is perhaps one of the rarest bugs in central and northern Europe.20,38 The male of the species is aesthetically black with a vibrantly colored red segment on its back featuring four large and two smaller black dots and white stripes across the segments of its legs.41

  • Size: Male (6-11mm); Female (8-20mm)
  • Native Region: Northern and Western Central Europe
  • Strange Fact: Was considered extinct for over 70 years until the species was rediscovered in 1980.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ranking: Critically Endangered
Close up of a Ladybird Spider on dried grass.

(Image: gailhampshire31)

The females and non-adult young are all black-colored. The ladybird spider is a small species of arthropod that is less than half an inch long.

The species live in holes in the ground and survive by trapping and eating prey. UK scientists and researchers classified the species as extinct prior to 1980 when new specimens were observed in the wild.21

Still, any enthusiasm conservationists and scientists felt always had to be measured as by 1990 only 50 ladybird spiders were observed in the wild.20 Experts believe that the ladybird spider’s population in the UK has been declining due to modernization, expansive deforestation practices, housing developments, and farming.21

Additionally, the female ladybird spider’s body will slowly destroy itself due to self-digesting its own body after nursing and feeding its young after giving birth.20 Over 600 ladybird spiders were bred and released into the UK wild in 2000.20

Experts believe that the continued breeding and introduction of ladybird spiders into the UK wild over the coming years and decades will safeguard the species from extinction. The ladybird spider was listed as an endangered species by the British Red Data Book in 1980.20

Giant Lacewing (Polystoechotes Punctata)

The giant lacewing is one of the rarest bugs in the world and was originally considered extinct in North America for over 50 years.9,35 The giant lacewing aesthetically resembles a cross between a fly and a moth, has mottled semi-transparent wings, and has a wingspan that measures over two inches.42

A lacewing with a long, slender body and subtle patterning rests on a twig.

(Image by: Poyt44842)

  • Size: Can grow up to 2 inches long with a 50mm wingspan
  • Native Region: Central America and North America
  • Strange Fact: This Jurassic Era-insect was found in a Walmart in Arkansas back in 2012, the first time it was seen again in North America in 50 years.
  • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Ranking: Not evaluated

Although the giant lacewing is scientifically classified as Polystoechotes punctata, it is a subspecies of the Ithonidae family.10 This is an important distinction to make because these facts make the giant lacewing one of the rarest bugs in the world because it is incredibly ancient, habitually misclassified, and perhaps misclassified when it comes to its potential and current native habitat.

Because the giant lacewing is a part of the Ithonidae family, that means that it probably originated over 201 million years ago during the Jurassic period.10,11 For context, experts believe that an asteroid impact, and the decades of nuclear winter caused by ejecta and dust contaminating the atmosphere, killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.

The giant lacewing first emerged during the era of the dinosaurs. Additionally, just because the giant lacewing was last seen in North America 50 years ago does not mean it was thriving as a species then; the giant lacewing has been virtually extinct for a century and was only last seen in North America over 50 years ago.

In 2012, an academic researcher who specialized in identifying the rarest bugs and insect species found a live giant lacewing but misidentified it and preserved it for a decade before realizing its true classification.12 The researcher was a young student in Arkansas in 2012 and saw a large insect clinging to the exterior wall of a building.

The researcher took the insect and preserved it for a decade and didn’t realize it was one of the rarest bugs in the world until he showed it to some of his students in class.12

Are Giant Lacewing Extinct Insects?

Experts believe that the giant lacewing may have endangered populations living in Arkansas and the Ozark Mountain regions due to this new specimen find. On the other hand, the giant lacewing species might have also truly died out as a species in the decade it took the original researcher to realize the importance of the sample he took.

Until experts find more giant lacewings along with the recovered decade-old preserved specimen, the species is still technically extinct. Since the giant lacewing is technically extinct, it is not on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Are Any Other Species in Danger of Joining the Rarest Bugs List?

Experts believe that over 40% of all the insects currently in existence are in danger of experiencing rapidly declining populations within the coming years.29 Over a third of all known insect and bug species could become endangered species.29

The biomass of all known insects and bugs is dwindling by over 2.5% annually. While that does not sound like a lot, it will add up significantly over the next years and decades and could precipitate a collapse of the planet’s ecosystem and food chain order.29

Determining When a Species Is Extinct

There is no one generalized set of rules to determine the extinction of a species amongst varying experts and research institutions. Experts use recordkeeping data, observation metrics, and scientific analysis to determine whether a species is extinct or not.

As mentioned in a few examples in this article, scientists will sometimes declare or assume a species is extinct when they may have been looking in the wrong place or happen upon it in the wild again.

What Happens if a Species Is Prematurely Classified as Extinct?

Declaring a species to be extinct can sometimes doom the species to extinction. When a species is declared to be endangered, there is heightened attention paid to the species to prevent its extinction.

Once a species is declared extinct, scientists and conservation experts will stop paying as much attention to the species relative to endangered species. If the presumed extinct species is spotted in the wild again after years or decades, its population may have already declined so much due to inattention by conservationists that it may already be as good as extinct.

Major Products Produced By Bugs

If you have ever worn or touched products made from real silk, then you bought or used a product that was created by a scary-looking bug. Silk is made by the silkworm as it weaves its cocoons.

Silkworm coming out of one cocoon among other unopened ones.

(Image: LoggaWiggler32)

Over 80% of the silk produced in the world, over 30,000 tons of it, is produced by the silkworm.26

Bugs Used in Food Dyes

Human beings have been crushing and processing bugs to create dyes for food and clothing products for well over five centuries.27 Even if you have gone out of your way to never eat a bug, you have probably eaten foods colored with bug-derived dye or worn clothing with bug-derived dyes many times within your lifetime.

Starbucks had to stop using bug-derived dyes in its strawberry-flavored drinks and other food products in 2012 when consumers protested online about it.28

The Benefits of Scary Bugs

While you may be happy to see some of these aesthetically scary bugs on a rarest bugs list, don’t be too happy; many of the bugs that look scary to you serve a purpose that shapes the functions of nature as we know it.

Pest Control Allies

By some estimates, plant-based diseases, climate change, and invasive insect pests are responsible for destroying up to 40% of global crop production annually.22 What is important to keep in mind is that only a small percentage of that estimate can be directly attributed to insect-based pests.

Many insects and bugs eat the pests that would eat more crops than they do already. As previously mentioned, spiders eat three to four times the combined biomass of human beings in prey annually.

Without insects, including the rarest bugs species, eating prey and assuming their role in nature’s food chain, humans would have far less to eat than they do now.

 Caretaker of the Natural World

Many types of insects and bugs lay their eggs in dead and decomposing animals. Insects and larvae can eat away the decomposing flesh of animals within hours or days.

Without these scary bugs, you might encounter more roadkill and other dead animals in nature than you already do.

Pollinators

Many insects, not just bees, are responsible for pollinating a lot of the plants and trees that human beings take for granted for providing reliable sources of food.

Close up photo of a bee on top of a flower.

(Image: Dmitry Grigoriev33)

The pollination value of the bee and its importance in the continued proliferation of numerous natural produce sources is worth over $200 billion annually.23

A Food Source for 2 Billion People

Over 2 billion human beings depend on and eat over 2,100 species of insects and bugs as a reliable food source.24 Insects and bugs are nutritious, high in protein, and a plentiful food source.

Grasshoppers, bees, dragonflies, cockroaches, flies, cicadas, and many other bug species are eaten by humans. Insects and bugs are widely eaten in developing countries and in the modernized Western world as well.

Future Medical Breakthroughs

Some of the biggest breakthroughs in medical science may be precipitated via experimentation with the rarest bugs in the world. Bee venom is regularly studied to find antidotes for people allergic to bee venom and develop cures for other diseases.25

Maggots are used in modern medicine to remove necrotic flesh; experts have also learned that maggots secrete an enzyme that acts as an antibacterial and cleanses the wound as well.25 The world as you know it and routinely take for granted functions the way that it does due in no small part to the work of insects and bugs in the natural ecosystem.

Insects and bugs hunt and eat other pests, create products used by humans, and keep the world’s ecosystems in balance.

If human beings are not careful and more mindful of the contribution of bugs, the rarest bugs in the world could be a term applied to all bugs as insect populations across the board begin to slowly dwindle.

Read More About Rarest Bugs

References

1Koerth, M. (2017, May 02). The Bugs Of The World Could Squish Us All. FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-bugs-of-the-world-could-squish-us-all/>

2Smithsonian. (2023). Numbers of Insects (Species and Individuals). Smithsonian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos>

3Debczak, M. (2019, April 10). What’s the Difference Between Bugs and Insects? Mental Floss. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/579236/whats-difference-between-bugs-and-insects>

4Gillett-Kaufman, J. (2014, May 6). What’s the difference between an insect and a bug? University of Florida IFAS. Retrieved 25 November 2023, from <https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/entnemdept/2014/05/06/difference-between-insect-and-a-bug/>

5Glatz, K. (2022, July 10). Bugs vs Insects: What Are the Differences? A-Z Animals. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://a-z-animals.com/blog/bugs-vs-insects-what-are-the-differences/>

6Rutledge, K., McDaniel, M., Teng, M., Hall, H., Ramroop, T., Sprout, E., Hunt, J., Boudreau, D., Costa, H. (2023, October 19). Endangered Species. National Geographic. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/endangered-species/>

7Wikipedia. (2023, August 15). Dryococelus australis. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryococelus australis>

8Maher, S. (2018, July 06). ‘Rarest insect on earth’ the tree lobster resurrected at Ball’s Pyramid. The West Australian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://thewest.com.au/news/offbeat/rarest-insect-on-earth-the-tree-lobster-resurrected-at-balls-pyramid-ng-b88888502z>

9Wikipedia. (2023, March 02). Polystoechotes punctata. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystoechotes_punctata>

10Wikipedia. (2023, July 28). Ithonidae. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ithonidae>

11Wikipedia. (2023, November 06). Jurassic. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic>

12Pilkington, E. (2023, March 01). Giant Jurassic-era insect rediscovered outside Walmart in Arkansas. The Guardian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/01/giant-lacewing-insect-rediscovered-walmart-arkansas>

13Wikipedia. (2023, November 02). Cicindela Albissima. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicindela_albissima>

14Wikipedia. (2023, October 17). Tiger Beetle. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_beetle>

15Mbaki, L. (2022, July 20). Biology and Conservation of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle. Southern Utah University. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.suu.edu/news/2022/07/biology-conservation-coral-pink.html>

16IUCN Red List. (2023). Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle. IUCN Red List. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/64174124/64176982>

17Wikipedia. (2023, October 19). Franklin’s Bumblebee. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin%27s_bumblebee>

18Kelly, M. (2021, September 03). Bumblebee not seen since 2006 listed as endangered. National Geographic. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/franklins-bumblebee-listed-as-endangered>

19Federal Register. (2021, August 24). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Franklin’s Bumble Bee. Federal Register. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/08/24/2021-17832/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-endangered-species-status-for-franklins-bumble-bee>

20Wikipedia. (2023, August 16). Eresus sandaliatus. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eresus_sandaliatus#Description>

21Ruz, C. (2011, August 11). UK’s rarest spider moves house in a plastic bottle. The Guardian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/aug/11/rare-ladybird-spider-returns-to-wild>

22Bhalla, N. (2021, June 08). 40% of global crop production is lost to pests. And it’s getting worse. Word Economic Forum. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/climate-change-insects-pests-crops-agriculture/>

23Randall, B. (2020, June 22). The Value of Birds and Bees. Farmers.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2023 from <https://www.farmers.gov/blog/value-birds-and-bees>

24Wikipedia. (2023, November 20). Insects as Food. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects_as_food>

25Universtiy of Nebraska Lincoln. (2023). Medicinal. University of Nebraska Lincoln. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://entomology.unl.edu/scilit/medicinal>

26Smithsonian. (2023). Benefits of Insects to Humans. Smithsionian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/benefits>

27Miller, B. J. (2022, March 29). Scientists Are Making Cochineal, a Red Dye From Bugs, in the Lab. Smithsonian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-making-cochineal-a-red-dye-from-bugs-in-the-lab-180979828/>

28Fulton, A. (2012, April 19). Starbucks Ditches Bug-Based Red Dye In Strawberry Drink. NPR. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/19/150972539/starbucks-ditches-bug-based-red-dye-in-strawberry-drink>

29Carrington, D. (2019, February 10). Plummeting insect numbers ‘threaten collapse of nature’. The Guardian. Retrieved November 25, 2023, from <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature>

30Dryococelus australis 02 Pengo Photo by Peter Halasz. (2007, May 29) / CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Rotate 90 deg. clockwise, resized and changed format. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dryococelus_australis_02_Pengo.jpg>

31ladybird spider (Eresus species as yet undescribed?) Likely candidate E. kollari eastern form. Photo by gailhampshire. CC BY 2.0 DEED | Attribution 2.0 Generic. Resized, Adjusted Color Balance, and Adjusted Brightness and Contrast. Flickr. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://www.flickr.com/photos/gails_pictures/43071896810/>

32Silk From Cocoon Silkworms Photo by LoggaWiggler. Resized and Changed Format. Pixabay. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://pixabay.com/photos/cocoon-silkworm-silk-cut-open-196533/>

33Bumblebee. Photo by Dmitry Grigoriev. CC BY 2.0 DEED | Attribution 2.0 Generic. Resized, Adjusted Color Balance, and Adjusted Brightness and Contrast. Flickr. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://www.flickr.com/photos/at8eqeq3/49173878456/>

34Lord Howe Island phasmid. Photo by Granitethighs. CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Resized. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Howe_Island_stick_insect_Dryococelus_australis_10June2011_PalmNursery.jpg>

35A Polystoechotes punctatus attracted to house lights after dark. Found 10 miles northeast of Republic, Ferry County, Washington, USA on August 21, 2008. Photo by Kevmin. CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Resized. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polystoechotes_punctatus_01.jpg>

36Coral Pink Sand Dune Tiger Beetle. Photo by Mark Capone / USFWS. CC BY 2.0 DEED | Attribution 2.0 Generic. Resized. Flickr. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmtnprairie/7783678418/>

37Bombus californicus, f, right, Yolo Co, CA_2019-03-21-19.20.40 ZS PMax UDR. Photo by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab. PDM 1.0 DEED | Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal. Resized. Flickr. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/49016472971/>

38This male spider Eresus sandaliatus is trying to pick up the scent of a female with organs on his legs. Photo by Hoge Veluwe, The Netherlands. Viridiflavus. CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED | Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Resized. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EresusSandaliatusHogeVeluwe_(1).JPG>

39Cicindela albissima Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2012, September 26) / Public domain. Cropped and added text, shape, and background elements. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicindela_albissima.jpg>

40Bombus franklini Photo by James P. Strange, USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit. (2013, January 12) / Public domain. Resized and changed format. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bombus_franklini.jpg>

41Photo 5923923, no rights reserved, uploaded by Morten DD Hansen. Photo by mortenddhansen. CC0 1.0 DEED | CC0 1.0 Universal. Resized. iNaturalist. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/5923923>

42Stilbopteryx costalis, Silver Giant Lacewing. large flying insect off Topham Track, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Photo by Poyt448, Peter Woodard. CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED | Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. Resized. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Large_lacewing_insect_near_the_Topham_Track.jpg>