how many species of insects are there inthe...
There is no single exact number of insect species, but the best current scientific estimates put it at around 5.5 million insect species on Earth , with a plausible range of roughly 2.6–7.2 million species.
Only about 1.0–1.1 million insect species have actually been described and named so far , which means something like 80% of all insect species are still undiscovered or unnamed.
Quick Scoop: How Many Species of Insects Are There in the World?
Scientists now converge on an estimate of about 5.5 million insect species globally.
That number comes from large-scale statistical models that combine the insects we have described with how many we expect are still hidden in under‑studied habitats like tropical forests and soil ecosystems.
A widely cited 2018 analysis calculated that the most likely total is ~5.5 million , with the “reasonable” interval stretching from about 2.6 million up to 7.2 million species.
Earlier, some studies proposed much higher numbers (famously up to 30 million insect species), but more recent work has generally pulled estimates down into the single‑digit millions.
Known vs. Unknown Insects
Even though insects are everywhere, we have formally documented only a fraction of them.
- Around 900,000–1,050,000 insect species have been described in the scientific literature.
- That’s roughly one million named species versus around 4.5 million still unknown to science , if you accept the 5.5‑million estimate.
- Insects make up about three‑quarters to four‑fifths of all described animal species on Earth , highlighting just how dominant they are in terms of biodiversity.
An easy way to picture it: for every insect species we’ve given a name to, there are about four more waiting in the wings —literally and figuratively.
Which Insects Dominate the Numbers?
A handful of major insect groups contain most of this diversity.
- Beetles (Coleoptera): About 1.5 million species estimated , and several hundred thousand already described; they likely make up close to one‑third of all insect species.
- Flies and mosquitoes (Diptera): Roughly 120,000 described fly species , with about 3,500 mosquito species included.
- Ants, bees, and wasps (Hymenoptera): At least 22,000 ant species and around 20,000 bee species , plus a huge diversity of wasps.
- Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera): Around 150,000–180,000 described species , depending on the source, and many more expected.
- True bugs (Hemiptera): A large group that includes cicadas, aphids, and many plant‑feeding insects, with tens of thousands of species already named.
These big orders together account for roughly 90% of all described insect species.
Why the Estimates Are So Uncertain
Counting insect species is harder than it sounds.
- Hidden diversity (cryptic species): Genetic studies show that what we thought was one “species” often turns out to be several distinct, look‑alike species, sometimes multiplying counts by a factor of 3–6.
- Undersampled regions: Tropical forests, soils, and canopies remain poorly explored; many insects there are known from only a few specimens—or not at all.
- Constant discovery: Taxonomists describe thousands of new insect species every year, so the official tally steadily rises while the true total remains a moving target.
One 2023 analysis suggested that, if cryptic species are fully accounted for, the true number of insect species might ultimately be in the tens of millions , even though the “working” consensus used by many ecologists is still around 5–7 million.
Mini FAQ
Q: So, how many insect species are there “right now”?
- Best working estimate: about 5.5 million insect species on Earth.
- Realistic range: roughly 2.6–7.2 million based on modern models.
Q: How many insect species have we actually named?
- Around 900,000 to just over 1 million described insect species, depending on the source and year.
Q: Could there be way more than that?
- Yes. If cryptic species are as common as some genetic studies suggest, the true total could be several times higher , potentially in the tens of millions, though that’s more speculative.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.