This giant stick insect fooled scientists for decades

Scientists have identified two previously unrecognized species of large stick insects in Australia, revealing that even in some of the country's most closely studied environments, new species are still waiting to be found.

A University of Sydney research team reexamined Australian members of the stick insect genus Anchiale and discovered two new species. One produces unusual eggs with a distinctive lidlike structure. The researchers also restored a third species that had gone unrecognized for decades.

Their work shows that insects previously classified as just two species actually represent five separate species. Together, they occur from northern NSW along coastal Queensland and into tropical northern Australia.

Scientists reached these conclusions despite a large amount of existing information about Australian stick insects. More than 1000 citizen science observations have been submitted through iNaturalist and the Atlas of Living Australia , and the insects have also been studied scientifically for decades.