Belgian biologists discover "invisible" insect

An expedition with biologists from the Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences brought the existence of three as yet unknown varieties of stick insect to light.

The Phryganistria heusii yentuensis measures 32 cm and 54 cm if its legs are extended. Only the Phobaeticus chani is longer

The Belgians have published their findings in the European Journal of Taxonomy. They discovered countless unknown new species doubling the number of stick insects in Vietnam known to man.

The biologists collected both male and female insects as well as eggs and hope to breed the insects in captivity.

Biologist Jérôme Constant explained how difficult it is to identify new stick insects: "They are really only active at night and with their long greenish-brown colour they are often invisible in bushes and trees. Often we could only return to base at 2am."