Subject: Titan Stick Insect
Location: Nth Burnett. Queensland Australia
June 23, 2012 6:16 pm
Hi Guys,
Hope you had a nice holiday. Opened my front door this morning and this Tian Walking Stick, Acrophylla titan, was hanging on the screen. Hope you like the shots.
Signature: Aussietrev
Hi Trevor,
Thanks for sending us such a wonderful image. According to the Brisbane Insect Website, this is the longest insect in Australia. You always seem to submit the most amazing insect photos. Tell us please, do you live in a more natural area of Australia than most folk? or are you a city dweller?
Hi Daniel,
I live on 100 acres of dry sclerophyll forest 30 km’s from a town of 3000 people. All the other landholders around me are 100 acres and above, some in the thousands of acres so yes, I’m living somewhat closer to nature than most.
Glad you like the shots, had to hold the girl right out at arms length to fit her in the frame while shooting with the other hand.
regards.
Trevor
Sorry for my intrusion but there was recently a new species discovered in Queensland even longer!!
Thanks for the comment. We did some research and on BunyipCo, we learned that the longest Stick Insect in Australia is the Gargantuan Stick Insect,Ctenomorpha gargantua. That information is supported on Mark David’s Titan Stick Insect page and he states: “I’ve learned that some Australian stick insects get even bigger, reaching lengths of more than half a metre (if you include the oustretched legs). Paul Brock, one of the authors of this field guide, told me about one species, Ctenomorpha gargantua, reaching approximately 615 mm (once again, that’s if you include the outstretched legs). “
it is not really possible to ID this speciem correctly, as this is still a young specimens….
So it might be A. titan – or another Acrophylla species.
it looks more like a later instar of Eurycnema Osiris to me..
maybe not…