A NEW super-sized species of stick insect has been discovered in a remote rainforest in Australia.
The bug, which was caught on camera by researchers, measures a whopping 40cm (15.75 inches) long.
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The female specimen has a wingspan similar to that of a small bird.
The new species, named Acrophylla alta, is roughly the same size as a barn owl.
Angus Emmott of James Cook University, who helped identify the species, said the creature’s large size could be an evolutionary response to its cool, wet habitat.
“Their body mass likely helps them survive the colder conditions, and that’s why they’ve developed into this large insect over millions of years,” he said.
While females have wings, they are not strong flyers because of their “heavy bodies”, according to Professor Emmott.
The female specimen weighed in at 44g, just less than a golf ball, and trumping Australia’s previous title-holder.
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Until now, Australia’s heaviest insect was the giant wood moth, which can weigh up to 30g.
The stick insect was found in high-altitude trees in the mountainous Wet Tropics region of North Queensland.
The remote habitat was probably also why it had remained undiscovered for so long, Professor Emmott added.
“They live high up in the rainforest canopy, and accessing that is almost impossible,” he said.
“You’ve got to wait until, for instance, a bird knocks one down or you get a big storm and they get knocked down. It’s very, very hard to find them in situ.”
The next step in identifying and eventually naming the species is finding a male – a tricky feat for such an elusive creature.
Male stick insects tend to be significantly smaller, but also very different in terms of appearance.
They look so different, according to Professor Emmott, that they have previously been regarded not only as a different species, but as a different genus altogether.
“You really need to find the male copulating with the female,” Professor Emmott said.
“You know what it is then, and you collect the eggs and you can actually ascertain that they’re one of the same thing.”
The eggs of the newly-discovered stick insect are also key to its identification, as no two species’ eggs are the same.
The stick insect specimen, along with another female, are now in Queensland Museum’s collection.
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