A "new species" of stick insect, measuring over a foot long, has been discovered in Australia.
Scientists believe the newly discovered species - which weighs almost as much as a golf ball - may be the heaviest insect in the country.
The insect, named Acrophylla Alta, was found in the high altitudes of the Atherton tablelands in north Queensland, with scientists believing the habitat could explain the creature's size.
A peer-reviewed study, published in the Zootaxa journal, noted researchers believe the stick insect to be heavier than the giant burrowing cockroach, which currently holds the record for the heaviest insect in Australia.
A giant new stick insect, measuring 40cm long has been discovered in Australia
|JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY
Professor Angus Emmott from James Cook University, said social media helped with the find.
Ross Coupland, his co-author on the study, received a photo of a stick insect online and "immediately thought that it might be something new", Prof Emmott said.
After searching for many nights on the forest floor, Emmott and Coupland found a large female which was so high up that they had to use a long stick to get it down.
As soon as Coupland saw the insect close-up, he was sure it was a previously undiscovered species.
The pair then took it to Emmott's home for further study.
They kept the insect in a cage where they fed it and collected its eggs.
Emmott said: "With stick insects, the eggs are very diagnostic, and so every different species has slightly different eggs."
He explained he believed the species was previously undiscovered due to the difficulty in accessing its habitat.
Emmott added: "It lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them."
He also said the insect's large body mass could help them survive in the "cool, wet environment where they live".
The next step in learning more about the species is to find a male, but Emmott explained this is likely to be even more difficult to do.
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Researchers believe the species was previously undiscovered due to the difficulty in accessing its habitat
|JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY
Male stick insects are usually much smaller than their female counterparts, and they can often look very different.
For these reasons, pairs in the past have not only been described as from a different species, but as from a different genus altogether.
Emmott said: "You really need to find the male copulating with the female. You know what it is then, and you collect the eggs and you can actually ascertain that they're on of the same thing."
Nicole Gunter, an entomology expert from Queensland Museum, said the discovery helped to fill a gap in the knowledge of Australia's biodiversity.
She said: "Australia is home to an immense amount of biodiversity that has yet to be classified and given a scientific name.
"Recognising this species as distinct is also important for its conservation.
"We can't conserve a species if we don't know it exists or where it occurs."
Gunter added her estimated that 70 per cent of Australian insect species are currently undescribed.