New Stick Insect Species Discovered in China

male1  female 2

A stick insect camouflaged in the forests of southern China got its cover blown last month by a flashlight-toting scientist who identified the critter as a new species.
Like most stick insects, the new species Sinophasma damingshanensis has a long, narrow body and a green-brown coloration that allows it to blend in perfectly among plant stems. But insect hunters have a trick for spotting the disguised creatures.
"If you know the insects' food plant, you can find the corresponding species," George Ho Wai-Chun, a researcher from the Hong Kong Entomological Society, said in a statement. In this case, the insects were feeding on trees and shrubs in the Fagaceae or beech family.