🌅 The Vast Majority of Insect Species Are Undiscovered

SOURCE

Colwell et al. (2026)

WHAT TO KNOW

• A new study by an international team of researchers suggests there are between 14 million to 20 million insect species crawling the Earth, more than double or triple recent estimates of only about 6 million. Of the insect species on Earth, only about 1 million have been officially named and described, suggesting up to 95% of the planet’s bugs remain a mystery. The team came to their estimate by analyzing the genetic data of 1.6 million individual insects—a census of a highly diverse group of wasps in Costa Rica—of which only about 54,000 were known species, and extrapolated their findings globally by using data about tree diversity.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Insects are among the most numerous and diverse organisms on Earth, and scientists have long debated how many species actually populate the planet. Experts say that while the range uncovered in the present study is wide, the new estimate provides a strong lower bound of insect diversity on Earth. The work also shows current estimates are far too low and underscores just how many unknown insect species exist, including many that likely face extinction.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• A 2019 study found 40% of the world’s insect species are threatened with extinction, leading many to declare that the world is living through an “insect apocalypse.” While recent research paints a more nuanced picture—some evidence suggests insect populations are fluctuating rather than outright disappearing—regions around the globe are nonetheless experiencing massive declines. A landmark 2017 study found flying insect biomass in Germany declined by 76% from 1989 to 2016, while a 2018 paper uncovered a 60-fold decrease in insect and arthropod biomass in Puerto Rico since the 1970s.