US EditionNew giant stick insect species is Australia's heaviest, scientists say
ATHERTON TABLELANDS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, JUL 30 – Acrophylla alta females weigh 44 grams and live in high-altitude rainforests, making it likely Australia's heaviest insect, researchers say.
- Scientists discovered a new species of stick insect in Australia, believed to be the heaviest ever found in the country, named Acrophylla alta.
- The new stick insect weighs 44 grams, about the same as a golf ball, and measures 40 cm long.
- The insect was found in the canopies of the Wet Tropics region of Far North Queensland.
- Two specimens have been added to the Queensland Museum's collection for future research.
62 Articles
62 Articles
Researchers stunned after discovering new insect size of bowling pin in Australia: 'Scary thing'
Researchers were shocked to discover an enormous new species of stick insect in the Australian forest, highlighting just how much humans have yet to learn about the biologically rich habitat, Gizmodo reported. "From what we know to date, this is Australia's heaviest insect," said Angus Emmott, co-author of a paper on the new species, per James Cook University. The stick insect, named Acrophylla alta, measures 15 inches in length, roughly the he…
The female specimen is probably the heaviest insect on the continent. A male could only be clearly identified during sexual intercourse.
It is not the largest insect in the world but it is approaching: it is the tallest Acrophylla. Discovered in Australia, the insect stick created at the same time worry and curiosity. "Finding what could be the heaviest insect in Australia was really exciting," said Angus Emmott, researcher of the University of James Cook, Australia. "We don't yet know if it is rare or simply elusive. Until it is knocked down by a cyclone or caught by a bird, it …
Supersized stick insect discovered in Wet Tropics
James Cook University researcher Professor Angus Emmott helped identify the new Acrophylla alta species and explained that the most surprising feature of this giant stick insect was its weight, which, at around 44 g, is slightly less than a golf ball.
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