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.
Hidden Diversity Among Familiar Insects
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.
Even so, the researchers say much of Australia’s insect diversity remains undocumented.
Lead author Dr. Braxton Jones of the Aola Richards Sydney Insect Hub at the University of Sydney said the discoveries demonstrate how much scientists still have to learn about insect biodiversity.
"Taxonomy 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," said Dr. Jones, a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Molecular Ecology, Evolution and Phylogenomics Laboratory.
Fun Facts About Stick Insects
A Stick Insect Misidentified for Decades
One of the study’s biggest surprises involved a large stick insect that had long been familiar to both scientists and insect enthusiasts.
Researchers combined DNA analysis with museum specimens, field surveys, citizen science observations, and studies of insects raised in captivity. The evidence showed that the insect had been incorrectly identified for decades.
It is now recognized as a separate species called Anchiale robusta.
The findings are published in Austral Entomology.
The researchers also formally described Anchiale mabiensis, a new species found in Queensland’s critically endangered Mabi rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands.
Its eggs contain an unusual structural lid that has not previously been documented in any stick insect or its closest relatives.
Discovery Could Help Forestry and Agriculture
The revised classification may also have practical value.
One stick insect known for occasionally reaching plague-like population levels and stripping leaves from trees was found to represent more than one species. Distinguishing between those species could help researchers and land managers better understand and manage future impacts on forestry and agriculture.
The study also points to another possible new species from Cape York. Researchers believe it may be undescribed, but they need additional specimens before they can confirm its identity.
Dr. Jones said: "These findings demonstrate the importance of protecting threatened ecosystems and documenting Australia’s extraordinary biodiversity before we lose species without us having even discovered them."
Funding for the research came from the Australian Biological Resources Study, through the National Taxonomy Research Grant of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, as well as a CSIRO postgraduate scholarship.
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