''Phobaeticus chani'' or Chan's megastick, also known by its synonym ''
Sadyattes
Sadyattes ( grc, Σαδυαττης, Saduattēs; la, Sadyattēs; reigned 637–) was the third king of the Mermnad dynasty in Lydia, the son of Ardys and the grandson of Gyges of Lydia. Sadyattes reigned 12 years according to Herodotus.
Reign ...
chani'', is a species of
stick insect in the tribe
Pharnaciini. It is one of the
longest insects in the world and was once considered the record-holder (it is currently held by an unnamed species of ''
Phryganistria
''Phryganistria'' is a genus of stick insects belonging to the subfamily Clitumninae. It was described by the Swedish entomologist Carl Stål in 1875. Members of the genus are found only in Southeast Asia. Of the new species described in 2014, ' ...
'' discovered in 2016). One specimen held in the
Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
measures . This measurement is, however, with the front legs fully extended. The body alone still measures an impressive .
It is named after amateur Malaysian naturalist Datuk
Chan Chew Lun.
''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
taxonomist
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...
s. 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.
''Decade of Discovery''
BBC iPlayer.
See also
* List of largest insects
References
External links
Phasmid Study Group: ''Phobaeticus chani''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phobaeticus Chani
Phasmatidae
Insects of Indonesia
Insects of Malaysia
Insects described in 2008
Phasmatodea of Malesia