Bugs of South Africa: A Comprehensive Guide

Nov 06, 2025 0

While venturing through Africa, it’s pretty common knowledge that you might run into a few bugs. Fortunately, many bugs in Africa are large enough to spot and can be easily avoided (though some are perfectly harmless). Let's delve into the diverse world of insects found in Africa, exploring some of the most notable and fascinating species.

There are 27 orders of insects. Scientific estimates have been made of the number of species in the different orders, but how common are they in terms of numbers of organisms or biomass? This is more difficult to measure, and there are many scientists asking this question, especially now that there is evidence of a world-wide decline in insect biomass.

From an informal learning point of view, however, the number of records (in iNaturalist) of organisms from each group gives an indication of how often people with cameras interact with that group. The table below gives a breakdown of the numbers of African records on iNaturalist for the different orders of insects. The table is interactive - one can sort the table so that it reflects the taxonomic order (based on the Wikipedia page for insects) by clicking on the column heading; the first two columns can be sorted alphabetically.

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Notable Insects of Africa

Here are some of the most interesting and well-known insects you might encounter in Africa:

African Mantis

Native to West Africa and the Sahara desert, the African mantis (actually several species) can reach up to four inches in length. These guys will eat about anything they can capture, but generally stick to insects.

Hissing Cockroach

There are also over twenty known species of hissing cockroaches in Madagascar - you might as well call it cockroach land. You definitely don’t want to be around when these guys smell up the room. When they are fully grown, they can reach up to three inches long. This creepy creature is one of the largest and noisiest bugs in Africa.

African Giant Walking Stick

While not as big as its cousin from Southeast Asia, the African giant walking stick is still one of the longest bugs in the world.

Hummingbird Moth

Big enough to be named after a hummingbird, this moth is usually found only in Northern Africa.

Desert Locust

Known over the centuries for plagues, the desert locust is one of the more familiar bugs in African lore. Fortunately they usually stick to an area in the Sahara around Mauritania, but have been known to venture throughout Africa.

Bush Cricket (Katydid)

A cousin of the desert locust, bush crickets (also known as katydids) can be found throughout Africa. Not only are they large, but they can be rather annoying with their loud mating calls.

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Assassin Bug (Emesiane)

Also known as emesiane, these creatures are only found in tropical environments with the largest group of them being found in the jungles of Africa.

Dung Beetle

This beetle probably has the grossest diet of any bug on the list (we think you can figure it out).

Mosquito

Mosquitos can grow to huge sizes and represent the most dangerous creatures in Africa in terms of how many people they kill yearly.

Tarantula Hawk Wasp

This giant wasp is so large that it’s able to hunt down tarantulas, and the sting is considered to be one of the most painful insect stings in the world.

Termite

While it’s not technically gigantic, it is the largest termite in the world and thus made our list.

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Giant Centipede

Adding to Madagascar’s long list of creepy bugs is the giant centipede.

Goliath Beetle

These giant beetles that are native to Africa can grow to over four inches long and weigh as much as 100 grams. The Goliath Beetle is even heavier in its grub form and even more disturbing.

Insect Orders: iNaturalist Records in Africa

Order Raphidioptera (snakeflies) is rare in Africa; Snakeflies are probably limited to a few countries on the Mediterranean Sea. Order Zoraptera (angel insects) are widespread worldwide, but are rarely recorded.

Here's a table showing the breakdown of the numbers of African records on iNaturalist for the different orders of insects:

Order	Common Name	Number of Records
Coleoptera	Beetles	[Number of Records]
Lepidoptera	Butterflies and Moths	[Number of Records]
Hymenoptera	Ants, Bees, Wasps	[Number of Records]
Diptera	Flies	[Number of Records]
Hemiptera	True Bugs	[Number of Records]
Odonata	Dragonflies and Damselflies	[Number of Records]
Orthoptera	Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids	[Number of Records]
Mantodea	Mantises	[Number of Records]
Phasmatodea	Stick Insects	[Number of Records]
Isoptera	Termites	[Number of Records]
Blattodea	Cockroaches	[Number of Records]
Ephemeroptera	Mayflies	[Number of Records]
Trichoptera	Caddisflies	[Number of Records]
Megaloptera	Alderflies, Dobsonflies	[Number of Records]
Neuroptera	Net-winged Insects	[Number of Records]
Mecoptera	Scorpionflies	[Number of Records]
Siphonaptera	Fleas	[Number of Records]
Thysanoptera	Thrips	[Number of Records]
Psocoptera	Barklice	[Number of Records]
Embioptera	Webspinners	[Number of Records]
Plecoptera	Stoneflies	[Number of Records]
Grylloblattodea	Ice Crawlers	[Number of Records]
Dermaptera	Earwigs	[Number of Records]
Zoraptera	Angel Insects	[Number of Records]
Raphidioptera	Snakeflies	[Number of Records]
Strepsiptera	Twisted-winged Parasites	[Number of Records]
Mantophasmatodea	Heelwalkers	[Number of Records]