Step aside, Malaysian stick bug! The Chinese stick bug now holds the title of world’s longest insect. Reports from the Chinese state media claim that a 62.4-centimeters long stick insect was discovered two years ago in the Guangxi Autonomous Region. The Malaysian stick bug was estimated to be 56.7-centimeter long.
The world’s longest insect (Source: Tux Board)
Out of 807, 625 insects identified around the world, the Chinese stick bug was declared the longest among all of them.
Zhao Li, a scientist from Insect Museum of West China, was able to study the insect for some time already. On his journey to find the said bug, he found the insect in Guangxi’s Liuzhou City while he was “collecting insects on a 1,200-meter-tall mountain”. He was able to observe that the insect’s legs were as long as the insect’s body. While studying it, the bug was able to produce six eggs. The offspring was measured to be around 26 centimeters, twice as big as the offspring of the Malaysian stick bug.
The world’s longest insect (Source: Tech Times)
The stick bug will be labeled as Phryganistria shininess Zhao. For its adaptation, it camouflages itself with its surrounding vegetation. Zhao will be releasing more about his studies of the insect in his thesis.
If you’ve got the time and the money, catch the insect’s showcase in the London’s Natural History Museum.
The world’s longest insect (Source: Primeira Hora)
