ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 24 · SEPTEMBER 27, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: September 27
The five Insects silhouettes for September 27, 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 24 ran from a common fruit fly (2.5 mm) to a giant swallowtail (17.5 cm). The widest gap was round 2, Flower Longhorn Beetle against Painted Lady, at 9.0×; the closest call was round 1, Common Red Soldier Beetle against German Cockroach, only 1.3× 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
Common Red Soldier Beetle (adult) vs German Cockroach (adult)
German Cockroach · reference · 1.3 cm Common Red Soldier Beetle · true length · 1 cm 1.3× shorter than the German cockroach
Common Red Soldier Beetle: 10 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 10 mm from the published 10 mm length. Front edge of the pronotum, which covers the head, to the abdomen tip; open wings, antennae and legs excluded. Outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 2
Flower Longhorn Beetle (adult) vs Painted Lady (adult)
Painted Lady · reference · 6.6 cm Flower Longhorn Beetle · true length · 7.3 mm 9.0× shorter than the painted lady
Flower Longhorn Beetle: 7.3 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 7.3 mm within the published adult range 7-13 mm. Head to elytra tip; the long antennae and the legs are excluded. Outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 3
Giant Swallowtail (adult male · open wings) vs Holly Blue (adult)
Holly Blue · reference · 3 cm Giant Swallowtail · true wingspan · 17.5 cm 5.8× wider than the holly blue
Giant Swallowtail: 175 mm wingspan for the selected adult male. Selected 175 mm for a large male; the published male wingspan averages about 150 mm and reaches 190 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread; trailing hindwing tails do not define this span.
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ROUND 4
Wasp Beetle (adult) vs Common Fruit Fly (adult)
Common Fruit Fly · reference · 2.5 mm Wasp Beetle · true length · 1.6 cm 6.4× longer than the common fruit fly
Wasp Beetle: 16 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 16 mm from the published 16 mm length. Head to elytra tip; the long antennae and the legs are excluded. Outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 5
Large White Butterfly (adult) vs Puriri Moth (adult female · open wings)
Puriri Moth · reference · 15 cm Large White Butterfly · true wingspan · 6.05 cm 2.5× shorter than the puriri moth
Large White Butterfly: 60.5 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 60.5 mm from the published 58–63 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. 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.