Supersized stick insect discovered in high-altitude trees in Australia | Insects

A newly discovered stick insect that weighs a little less than a golf ball can be the heaviest insect in Australia, according to scientists.

The new species 40 cm long, named Acropylla alta, was found in the high altitudes of Atherton paintings in northern Queensland – and scientists said that the habitat could be part of the reason for its large size.

A study evaluated by peers documenting the discovery, published in the Zootaxa Journal, noted that the stick insect was probably heavier than the giant scarf cockroach, which is endemic to Queensland and is currently the heaviest insect in Australia.

The researcher at James Cook University, Professor Angus Emmott, said that an article on social networks had helped to discover.

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Emmott said that his study co-author, Ross Coupland, had received a photo from a stick insect and “immediately thought it could be something new”.

After many research nights, Emmott and Coupland found a big woman between Millaa Millaa and Mount Hypipamee. The insect was so high that they had to use a long stick to drop it.

As soon as Coupland saw the female closely, it was positive that it was a new kind of stick insect. The couple took him to the house of Emmott atherton tablelands for a more in -depth study.

They kept the female in a cage, nourished it and then collected her eggs.

“With stick insects, eggs are very diagnosed, and therefore each different species has slightly different eggs,” said Emmott.

Emmott said he thought the species had not been discovered earlier because his habitat was too difficult to access.

“He lives in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird by cutting out a very few people can see them,” Emmott said in a statement.

But the habitat could also explain why the stick insect is greater, he said, saying that body mass could help them survive the cold conditions in the “fresh and humid environment where they live”.

The next step in identification more of the species is to find a male, which is difficult, and not only because they are as thin as a stick.

Insects of male sticks tend to be significantly smaller and visually distinct from women, so much so that in other cases, the pairs have been described not only as different species, but from a different genus.

“You really have to find the male copulating with the woman,” said Emmott.

“You know what it is then, and you collect the eggs and you can really check that they are one of the same things.”

The Entomology Expert of Queensland Museum, Nicole Gunter, said that the discovery has filled a gap in the knowledge of the biodiversity of Australia.

He also pointed out that there was a lot to learn about some of the largest insect species in Australia, she said. “Australia is home to a huge amount of biodiversity that has not yet been classified and has received a scientific name.”

It estimated that 70% of Australian insect species are currently not described.

“Recognizing this species as distinct is also important for its conservation. We cannot keep a species if we do not know that it exists or where it occurs. ”

She said that this species of stick insect has so far been recorded only in a small number of forest localities in the Tropic region of Queensland.

Future surveys could help improve scientific understanding of the distribution of the insect and any potential threat to which the species is confronted.

– With AAP