ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE · ATHERTON TABLELANDS
New Stick Insect Species Discovered on the Atherton Tablelands
Published · Cenlocal summary
A newly described stick insect, Anchiale mabiensis, has so far only been recorded in Mabi Forest on the Atherton Tablelands, according to an ABC News report.
ABC News reports that a University of Sydney researcher has described two stick insect species new to science in Far North Queensland. One of them, Anchiale mabiensis, has so far only been observed in Mabi Forest on the Atherton Tablelands.
A Tablelands rainforest specialist
According to the report, Anchiale mabiensis is a slender species that grows to roughly 115 millimetres. The second newly described species, Anchiale robusta, is larger and lives in coastal rainforest between Tully and north of Cooktown.
The findings, led by entomologist Dr Braxton Jones, have been published in the scientific journal Austral Entomology. ABC News reports that the eggs of Anchiale mabiensis are particularly unusual, with a series of rings and a lid — a feature Dr Jones told the ABC he had not found on any other stick insect egg.
Why it matters locally
Mabi Forest is a type of rainforest found on the Atherton Tablelands and is listed as a threatened ecological community under Commonwealth environmental law. The ABC reports that large parts of the original Mabi Forest were cleared for agriculture.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority told the ABC that understanding of invertebrates in the region lags behind other animal groups, and that discoveries like this highlight the need for more research.
Read the full report from ABC News using the source link below.
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Sources & Further Reading
This is an original Cenlocal summary. Cenlocal is not the original reporter; facts are attributed to the sources below.
