''Eurycantha portentosa'' is a species of
stick insect
The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's da ...
belonging to the family
Lonchodidae
LonchodidaeBrunner von Wattenwyl (1893) ''Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria, Genova'' (2)13(33): 80. is a family of Phasmatodea, stick insects, with more than 150 genera and 1,000 described species.
The subfamilies Necrosc ...
. It was first described by British
entomologist
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
William Forsell Kirby
William Forsell Kirby (14 January 1844 – 20 November 1912) was an English entomologist and folklorist. He specialized in the study of the stick insects, describing nearly 70 species and 22 genera. His collection filled 120 cabinets and clai ...
in 1904. It is primarily found in the
Rossel Island
Rossel Island (named after de Rossel, a senior officer on the French expedition of d'Entrecasteaux, 1791-1793; also known as Yela) is the easternmost island of the Louisiade Archipelago, within the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Tree Isl ...
of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
.
References
Lonchodidae
Insects described in 1904
Insects of Papua New Guinea
{{Phasmatodea-stub