ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 23 · SEPTEMBER 26, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: September 26
The five Insects silhouettes for September 26, 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 23 ran from a western flower thrips (1.4 mm) to a mourning cloak (8 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Mourning Cloak against Common House Mosquito, at 16×; the closest call was round 3, Gatekeeper Butterfly against Noble Chafer, only 2.1× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
You have not finished today’s puzzle on this device. The answers below are blurred so you can still play first.
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ROUND 1
Elephant Hawk-moth (adult) vs Oriental Beetle (adult)
Oriental Beetle · reference · 8.1 mm Elephant Hawk-moth · true wingspan · 5.25 cm 6.5× wider than the oriental beetle
Elephant Hawk-moth: 52.5 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 52.5 mm from the published 45–60 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread; legs and antennae excluded.
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ROUND 2
Migrant Hawker (adult) vs Common Wasp (large adult)
Common Wasp · reference · 2 cm Migrant Hawker · true length · 6.3 cm 3.1× longer than the common wasp
Migrant Hawker: 63 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 63 mm from the published 63 mm length. Head to abdomen tip; wings and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Gatekeeper Butterfly (adult) vs Noble Chafer (adult)
Noble Chafer · reference · 2 cm Gatekeeper Butterfly · true wingspan · 4.25 cm 2.1× wider than the noble chafer
Gatekeeper Butterfly: 42.5 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 42.5 mm from the published 37–48 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 4
Red Flour Beetle (adult) vs Western Flower Thrips (adult female)
Western Flower Thrips · reference · 1.4 mm Red Flour Beetle · true length · 3.45 mm 2.5× longer than the western flower thrips
Red Flour Beetle: 3.45 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 3.45 mm within the published adult range 3-4 mm. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 5
Mourning Cloak (adult · open wings) vs Common House Mosquito (adult)
Common House Mosquito · reference · 5 mm Mourning Cloak · true wingspan · 8 cm 16× wider than the common house mosquito
Mourning Cloak: 80 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 80 mm within published wingspan 2.5–3.5 inches (63.5–88.9 mm). Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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.