Eurycnema versirubra
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| Eurycnema versirubra | |
|---|---|
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| Adult Female from West Timor | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phasmatodea |
| Family: | Phasmatidae |
| Genus: | Eurycnema |
| Species: | E. versirubra |
| Binomial name | |
| Eurycnema versirubra (Audinet-Serville, 1838) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Eurycnema versirubra, the red-winged green giant stick insect/Timor Giant Stick Insect, is a species of stick insect[1] from Timor, Solor, and Wetar,[2] The original habitat of Eurycnema versirubra might be Timor and / or closeby islands. They were most likely brought from there to Java and Malaysia, where they are known from captive bred cultures only (no known wild-caught specimens).[3] In Timor, the Timorese greatly fear the species because they consider it to be highly poisonous. As a result, the insects are often killed by the Timorese. Contrary to common belief, the Timor Giant Stick Insect is not dangerous.
Females are large, winged, and green in color. They measure up to 270 mm (11 in) in body length. Males range between 130 mm (5.1 in) to 160 mm (6.3 in). Both sexes from Timor have a striking red coloration on the inside costal region of the hindwings and forewings.[3] The largest wild female specimen ever found was from Nekamese, West Timor with a length of 280 mm (11 in) found by Davis Damaledo.
