Which insect can jump the highest relative to its body size?

The insect that can jump highest relative to its body size is the froghopper. The meadow froghopper, Philaenus spumarius, can launch itself about 70 centimetres—roughly 115 times its body length.

Its performance comes from a biological catapult rather than a simple muscular push. The insect slowly contracts powerful jumping muscles and stores energy in elastic structures containing resilin. A locking mechanism holds the legs cocked, then releases them almost simultaneously, producing a take-off velocity near 4.7 metres per second in less than a millisecond.

Fleas are the common mix-up because they are famous for jumping many times their height. Froghoppers, however, have been measured to exceed fleas in relative jump height in the classic comparisons. Their acceleration can exceed 400 times gravitational acceleration, making them champions both in relative height and explosive launch force.