Phobaeticus chani, the Chan's megastick (also known by its synonym Sadyattes chani), is a species of stick insect in the tribe Pharnaciini, native to the southeast Asian island of Borneo.[2] It is one of the longest insects in the world and was once considered the record-holder (it is currently held by a scientifically undescribed species discovered in 2014 and informally known as Phryganistria "chinensis"[3][4]). One specimen held in the Natural History Museum in London measures 56.7 cm (22.3 in).[5] This measurement is, however, with the front legs fully extended. The body alone still measures an impressive 35.7 cm (14.1 in).[6]
| Phobaeticus chani | |
|---|---|
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| Female holotype of P. chani | |
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| Male paratype of Phobaeticus chani | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phasmatodea |
| Family: | Phasmatidae |
| Subfamily: | Clitumninae |
| Tribe: | Pharnaciini |
| Genus: | Phobaeticus |
| Species: | P. chani
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| Binomial name | |
| Phobaeticus chani Bragg, 2008 (51 Longfield Lane, Ilkeston, Derbyshire,
 United Kingdom; PhD University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Great Britain) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sadyattes chani (Bragg, 2008)[1] | |
It is named after amateur Malaysian naturalist Datuk Chan Chew Lun.[6][7]
Phobaeticus chani was selected as one of "The Top 10 New Species" described in 2008 by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists.[8] The species was also listed as one of the top 10 discoveries of the decade in the BBC television documentary Decade of Discovery, first broadcast on December 14, 2010.[9]
References
edit- ^ Hennemann, Frank (6 December 2021). "Stick insects of Sulawesi, Peleng and the Sula Islands, Indonesia—a review including checklists of species and descriptions of new taxa(Insecta: Phasmatodea)". Zootaxa. 5073 (1): 1–189. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5073.1.1. PMID 35390842. S2CID 244913965 – via Mapress.
- ^ Phasmida Species File: species Phobaeticus chani Bragg, 2008 (Version 5.0/5.0)
- ^ Shi, Chaofan; Shih, Chungkun; Chen, Sha; Ren, Dong (2019-03-15), Ren, Dong; Shih, Chung Kun; Gao, Taiping; Yao, Yunzhi (eds.), "Phasmatodea - Stick Insects and Leaf Insects", Rhythms of Insect Evolution, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 165–173, doi:10.1002/9781119427957.ch13, ISBN 978-1-119-42795-7, S2CID 92426100
- ^ Hale, Tom (14 August 2017). "World's New Longest Insect Is The Length Of Your Arm". IFLScience. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
- ^ "World's longest insect revealed". Natural History Museum. 2008-10-16. Archived from the original on 2008-10-19. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ a b Hennemann, F.H.; Conle, O.V. (October 2008). "Revision of Oriental Phasmatodea: The tribe Pharnaciini Günther, 1953, including the description of the world's longest insect, and a survey of the family Phasmatidae Gray, 1835 with keys to the subfamilies and tribes (Phasmatodea: "Anareolatae": Phasmatidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1906. Auckland, New Zealand: Magnolia Press: 1–316. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1906.1.1. ISSN 1175-5326. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "World's longest insect named after KK naturalist". The Star. 2008-10-18. Archived from the original on 2008-10-21. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
- ^ Scientists announce top 10 new species. ASU News, May 22, 2009. Archived May 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Decade of Discovery. BBC iPlayer.
External links
edit- Phasmid Study Group: Phobaeticus chani
- Image of insect
Media related to Phobaeticus chani at Wikimedia Commons
