Question New Stick Insect Species Discovered

Article Title: Supersized stick insect discovered in high-altitude trees in Australia
Published: 31st of July, 2025
By Eelemarni Close-Brown
The Gaurdian

From the Article:
'The 40cm-long new species, named Acrophylla alta, was found in the high altitudes of the Atherton tablelands in north Queensland – and scientists said the habitat could be part of the reason for its large size.'

'A peer-reviewed study documenting the discovery, published in Zootaxa journal, noted the stick insect was likely heavier than the giant burrowing cockroach, which is endemic to Queensland and is at present the heaviest insect in Australia.'

'Emmott said he believed the species had not been discovered earlier as its habitat was too hard to access.

'The next step in identifying more about the species is finding a male, which is proving difficult, and not just because they are as thin as a stick.

Male stick insects tend to be significantly smaller and visually distinct from females, so much so that in other cases pairs have been described not only as different species, but from a different genus altogether.'

“It lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them,” Emmott said in a statement.'

Figure 1: The newly discovered Acrophylla alta species with its wings spread. Photograph: Angus Emmott/James Cook University
Read more here: www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/31/big-stick-insect-acrophylla-alta-found-north-queensland-trees

Zootaxa Article: mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5647.4.4