Researchers in Queensland’s Wet Tropics region have discovered a new species of stick insect named Acrophylla alta — and it may be the heaviest insect ever found in the country.
Scientists have discovered a new stick insect species, Acrophylla alta, in a remote northeastern Australian rainforest, which may be the country’s heaviest, weighing about as much as a golf ball t.co/llOmzFVqD5 pic.twitter.com/IlOKPV9atG
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 31, 2025"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 explained.
Emmott explained that the discovery began when his co-author, Ross Coupland, spotted a photo of an unusually large stick insect online.
As is often the case in entomology, the secret was in the eggs.
The team collected the eggs and confirmed the find: Acrophylla alta was indeed a brand-new species, now officially documented in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Two specimens have since been added to the Queensland Museum’s collection.
“You really need to find the male copulating with the female,” Emmott explained, noting that it's the only way to confirm the pair as the same species. And given how different male and female stick insects can look, misidentification is a risk.
“Australia is home to an immense amount of biodiversity that has yet to be classified and given a scientific name,” she told the Guardian, estimating that up to 70% of Australian insect species remain undescribed. And without a name, there’s no way to protect them.
For now, Acrophylla alta remains an elusive giant in the treetops reminding us just how little we know about the world above our heads.
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