What is the longest insect species?

The Chinese stick insect is the longest insect species known to science. Informally called Phryganistria “chinensis,” this enormous stick insect was discovered near Liuzhou in Guangxi, China, in 2014. Its remarkable length comes largely from its extremely elongated legs and slender body, which help it resemble a swaying branch.

A wild-collected female measured 62.4 centimetres from leg tip to leg tip, with a body length of 36.1 centimetres. One of its captive-bred offspring later reached 64 centimetres in total length—roughly the length of a baseball bat. The species is still scientifically undescribed, so “Chinese stick insect” is a practical common name rather than a fully formal species name.

The main mix-up is between length and bulk. The Chinese stick insect is the longest, but not the heaviest insect. Bulkier insects such as the giant weta and Goliath beetle weigh far more. Another former length record-holder, Phobaeticus chani, is also a stick insect, but it is shorter than the Chinese species by current measurements.