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Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, Dryococelus australis

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Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, Dryococelus australis
Source: http://bit.ly/2Et8Sdr Photographer: Granitethighs CC License: http://bit.ly/2IjEG4n

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect Facts

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Lord Howe Island Stick Insect Physical Description

The breathtaking Lord Howe Stick Insect also stands out from related species for its sheer size. That’s because the marvelous arthropod has the ability to grow to a maximum known length of about 8 in (20 cm). However, the remarkable species also displays a moderate degree of sexual dimorphism. In the case of this impressive insect, this displays itself in the fact that females average about 20% smaller than males.

Individual specimens of the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect have a rather elongated, sturdy shape. The larger males also tend to have thicker thighs than females. Unlike most related species, however, this creature possesses no wings but does have the ability to run rather quickly along the ground. Colors also vary between individuals, without regard to gender. Most notably, these include various shades of black, brown, and reddish.

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Lord Howe Island Stick Insect Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

Most notably, the truly mesmerizing Lord Howe Island Stick Insect currently only lives in the wild in one tiny spot in the entire world. In point of fact, the only known wild population of the invertebrate appears on just one small island. That location is the tiny chunk of rock named Ball’s Pyramid.

Furthermore, this extraordinarily inhospitable location lies roughly between the continent of Australia and the island of New Zealand. This location actually consists of little more than steep volcanic rock. In addition, it’s inhabited by only a few very small shrubs, and one tiny colony of this insect.

As a result, the entire surviving population of the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect literally lives under one such small bush. But, it also holds one more secret to amaze researchers. Uniquely, and perhaps fortuitously, the females also have the ability to reproduce through the process of parthenogenesis.

Species Sharing Its Range

Check out our other articles on 6 Startling Evolutionary Adaptations, Jaguarundi, Happy Alien, Indian Bullfrog, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish

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