Natural History Wanderings

Science reported

From half-meter-long moths to fairy wasps smaller than sand grains, insects come in a stunning variety of shapes and sizes and constitute the most diverse animal group on Earth. But the insect species discovered so far may represent just a fraction of the total crawling, flying, and burrowing around the planet, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Using statistical methods borrowed from another field, a team of entomologists estimates there may be as many as 20 million insect species on our planet—more than three times the previous estimate.

Read more at Scientists have discovered only a tiny fraction of living insect species