{"id":903686,"date":"2026-09-24T11:58:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/903686\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T11:58:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:58:16","slug":"australian-insect-detectives-discover-stick-insect-as-long-as-a-toothbrush-in-queensland-rainforest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/903686\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian \u2018insect detectives\u2019 discover stick insect as long as a toothbrush in Queensland rainforest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two new species of stick insect have been discovered in Australia following an investigation by ‘insect detectives\u2019 from the University of Sydney.<\/p>\n

The research team, led by Dr Braxton Jones, studied existing museum specimens alongside freshly collected samples in order to comprehensively revise the genus\u00a0Anchiale,\u00a0which has now expanded from two native Australian species to five (a third, undescribed species was also found, but further samples are needed for official identification).<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings demonstrate the importance of protecting threatened ecosystems<\/a> and documenting Australia’s extraordinary biodiversity before we lose species without us having even discovered them,” explained Dr Jones, a postdoctoral research associate from the Aola Richards Sydney Insect Hub at the university.<\/p>\n

\"AnchialeAnchiale mabiensis, one of two new species of stick insect described in the new study. Credit: Angus J. Emmott | Braxton R. Jones et al., Austral Entomology 2026<\/p>\n

Stick insects<\/a> have adopted plant mimicry in order to remain undetected by potential predators. They are categorised within the order\u00a0Phasmatodea, derived from the ancient Greek word\u00a0ph\u00e1sma\u00a0meaning \u2018apparition or phantom\u2019, a reference to those extraordinary methods of camouflage<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Stick insects are found on every continent except for Antarctica, with more than 3,600 species worldwide and around 130 in Australia.<\/p>\n

Part of the research team\u2019s process involved the study of eggs collected from female stick insects, which lead to a unique discovery. The eggs of\u00a0Anchiale mabienesis,\u00a0a newly discovered insect found in the Mabi Rainforest in Northern Queensland, were found to have a \u2018lid\u2019, a structure not previously observed among stick insect species. <\/p>\n

Although considered a \u2018large\u2019 stick insect,\u00a0Anchiale mabienesis, which measures up to 16cm long (about the length of an adult’s toothbrush), is dwarfed by another species endemic to the Queensland rainforests. The gargantuan stick insect Ctenomorpha gargantua\u00a0can measure up to 60cm in length and is one of the largest stick insects in the world.<\/p>\n

\"AnchialeAnchiale mabiensis and the montane rainforest habitat in which it lives. Credit: (a) and (b) Ross M. Coupland, (c) Angus J. Emmott | Braxton R. Jones et al., Austral Entomology 2026<\/p>\n

The research, published in the journal\u00a0Austral Entomology<\/a>, also details the reclassification of an insect already known to science. Having utilised DNA analysis alongside citizen science records and studies of captive specimens, the team were able to describe the stick insect as\u00a0Anchiale robusta, a new species.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaxonomy is often a bit like detective work. Even among some of Australia’s most photographed and frequently reported insects, we’re still finding species that have escaped scientific recognition,\u201d said Dr Jones, who works within the Molecular Ecology, Evolution and Phylogenomic Laboratory.<\/p>\n

\"AnchialeExamples of Anchiale robusta and the coastal and garden habitats in which it lives. Credit: Braxton R. Jones | Braxton R. Jones et al., Austral Entomology 2026<\/p>\n

There is also further detective work for Dr Jones and his team to complete. An additional, previously undescribed, species of stick insect has been located at Cape York, the most northerly point of the Australian mainland, although further samples are required for definitive identification. Evidence, perhaps, to support the research team\u2019s suggestion that Australia is still only scratching the surface of its insect diversity.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the study, published in the journal\u00a0Austral Entomology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n

Top image: Montane rainforest habitat, Australia, where Anchiale mabienesis lives. Credit: Angus J. Emmott | adapted from Braxton R. Jones et al., Austral Entomology 2026, under Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two new species of stick insect have been discovered in Australia following an investigation by ‘insect detectives\u2019 from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":903687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,63,128],"class_list":["post-903686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}