Overview

• Acrophylla alta reaches 40 centimeters in length and weighs 44 grams, surpassing all other known Australian insects but remaining below the 71-gram world record held by New Zealand’s giant weta.
• Field teams collected specimens from the Atherton Tablelands canopy and used unique egg morphology to confirm its classification as a new species.
• Two female specimens have been accessioned into the Queensland Museum, and only three sightings have been confirmed to date with researchers still seeking a male.
• Scientists propose that its heavy body mass evolved as an adaptation to cold, humid conditions more than 900 meters above sea level in northern Queensland.
• Ongoing studies will investigate its population status and evolutionary history, drawing on preserved specimens and future field observations.