What insect holds the record for the longest body length?

The informally named Phryganistria "chinensis" holds the record for the longest known insect body. It is an undescribed stick-insect species discovered near Liuzhou in Guangxi, China, in 2014.

A wild-collected female measured about 36.1 centimeters in body length. One of her captive-bred young later reached roughly 64 centimeters in total length when its extended legs were included. That distinction matters: the record is often reported as a two-foot insect, but the total-length figure includes the legs, while body length is considerably shorter.

Stick insects achieve remarkable lengths through extremely slender, elongated bodies and legs that provide camouflage among branches. Females are generally much larger than males in many phasmid species. Other famous contenders, including Phobaeticus chani and Phobaeticus serratipes, were once described as the longest, but the Chinese specimen surpassed them in total length.

The name is not a formally established species name. “Phryganistria chinensis” remains an informal label while the insect awaits full scientific description, yet it is the standard name used for this record-holder in popular and reference sources.