ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 14 · SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: September 17
The five Insects silhouettes for September 17, with the true sizes. If you have not played yet, this page is a spoiler — play these five first, then come back to argue with the numbers.
Day 14 ran from a common house mosquito (5 mm) to a giant swallowtail (17.5 cm). The widest gap was round 2, Devil's Flower Mantis against Blue-tailed Damselfly, at 4.2×; the closest call was round 4, Puriri Moth against Giant Swallowtail, only 1.2× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
Oriental Beetle (adult) vs House Cricket (adult)
House Cricket · reference · 2 cm Oriental Beetle · true length · 8.1 mm 2.5× shorter than the house cricket
Oriental Beetle: 8.1 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 8.1 mm within the published adult range 7-11 mm. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 2
Devil's Flower Mantis (adult female) vs Blue-tailed Damselfly (adult · body length)
Blue-tailed Damselfly · reference · 3.1 cm Devil's Flower Mantis · true length · 13 cm 4.2× longer than the blue-tailed damselfly
Devil's Flower Mantis: 130 mm body length for the selected adult female. Published adult female length about 130 mm; males reach about 100 mm. Head to wing tip along the body axis; antennae and the raptorial forelegs are excluded.
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ROUND 3
Stag Beetle (male · jaws included) vs Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (adult)
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug · reference · 1.7 cm Stag Beetle · true length · 6.5 cm 3.8× longer than the brown marmorated stink bug
Stag Beetle: 65 mm length including jaws for the selected male. Selected 65 mm within the published 50–75 mm adult length range. Jaw tips to abdomen tip; legs and antennae excluded.
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ROUND 4
Puriri Moth (adult female · open wings) vs Giant Swallowtail (adult male · open wings)
Giant Swallowtail · reference · 17.5 cm Puriri Moth · true wingspan · 15 cm 1.2× shorter than the giant swallowtail
Puriri Moth: 150 mm wingspan for the selected adult female. Published average female wingspan 150 mm; males average 100 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 5
Southern Wood Ant (worker) vs Common House Mosquito (adult)
Common House Mosquito · reference · 5 mm Southern Wood Ant · true length · 6 mm 1.2× longer than the common house mosquito
Southern Wood Ant: 6 mm body length for the selected worker. Selected 6 mm within typical worker range 4–6 mm; not the 10 mm major worker. Head to abdomen tip; raised legs and antennae excluded.
Beat these tomorrow
Every round is worth up to 100 points: within 6% of the true size scores 100, half or double scores 45, five times off scores zero. The daily puzzle is the same five for everyone and refreshes at midnight in your time zone; if you want more than five, Size It Up Unlimited draws fresh pairs from the whole library for as long as you like.