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World's longest insect on show in London
17 Oct 2008
People with an interest in unusual wildlife may want to pay a visit to London over the coming months to get a close look at the world's longest insect.
The specimen, a 56.7cm long stick insect from Borneo, was donated to the Natural History Museum by Datuk Chan Chew Lun and is now on display in the museum's galleries.
This particular species of stick insect is new to science and has been named phobaeticus chani, or Chan's megastick in common phraseology.
Only three specimens of the new insect have been found, all in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, the longest of which was obtained by Datuk Chan from a local collector.
The new exhibit at the Natural History Museum is more than a centimetre longer than the previous record holder for overall length and nearly 3cm longer than the former record holder for the longest body.
Dr George Beccaloni, a stick insect expert at the Natural History Museum, said: 'We've known about both of the previous record holders for over a hundred years, so it is extraordinary that an even bigger species has only just been discovered.'
As well as being extraordinarily long, the insect lays highly unusual eggs with wing-like extensions on either side to help them drift through the air when they are dropped by the female.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
The specimen, a 56.7cm long stick insect from Borneo, was donated to the Natural History Museum by Datuk Chan Chew Lun and is now on display in the museum's galleries.
This particular species of stick insect is new to science and has been named phobaeticus chani, or Chan's megastick in common phraseology.
Only three specimens of the new insect have been found, all in the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, the longest of which was obtained by Datuk Chan from a local collector.
The new exhibit at the Natural History Museum is more than a centimetre longer than the previous record holder for overall length and nearly 3cm longer than the former record holder for the longest body.
Dr George Beccaloni, a stick insect expert at the Natural History Museum, said: 'We've known about both of the previous record holders for over a hundred years, so it is extraordinary that an even bigger species has only just been discovered.'
As well as being extraordinarily long, the insect lays highly unusual eggs with wing-like extensions on either side to help them drift through the air when they are dropped by the female.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
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