Two new species of stick insect have been formally described from Far North Queensland after researchers reviewed the Australian members of the genus Anchiale.
Anchiale robusta, a large winged species, has been recorded in coastal rainforest from the Tully area to north of Cooktown. Anchiale mabiensis is known only from Mabi rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands, making protection of its limited habitat especially important.
The University of Sydney-led study also reinstated Anchiale maculata as a distinct Australian species. Researchers found that the group's eggs have an unusual lidded form that separates these insects from close relatives.
The revision, published in Austral Entomology, was built from museum collections, field observations and detailed comparisons of the insects and their eggs. The findings highlight how much biodiversity may still be undocumented in northern Australia's rainforests.
Sources: University of Sydney, 22 September 2026; ABC News, 22 September 2026.
Image disclosure: The featured image is an AI-generated editorial illustration of fictional stick insects in a generic Far North Queensland rainforest. It is not a photograph of the newly described specimens or their exact habitat.
