巨型竹节虫让专家认错了几十年

Some of Australia's largest insects have been hiding in plain sight. A new study from the University of Sydney has found that a well-known giant stick insect was wrongly identified for decades. Stick insects are masters of disguise. Their long, thin bodies look just like twigs, which helps them avoid hungry birds and lizards. Unfortunately, this clever camouflage can also confuse the scientists who study them. The research team examined insects found from northern New South Wales up along the coast of Queensland. They combined DNA tests with old museum specimens, field surveys and more than a thousand photos and records shared by members of the public. They discovered that what had been treated as just two species was actually five. One of the newly described species lives only in a small area of rainforest in Queensland that is already critically endangered. It also has a remarkable feature: its eggs have a tiny lid. Nothing like this has ever been recorded in any other stick insect. The researchers say the discovery shows how much we still have to learn about even large and familiar animals – and how ordinary people with a smartphone camera can make a real contribution to science.