Moss Mimic Walking Stick

Description:

Medium-sized (7 - 9 cm) with a very mossy appearance, females slightly larger than males. Coloration is highly variable across individuals; from greenish, greenish-brown to brown. This insect can cleverly camouflage into its surroundings by mimicking the forms and colors around it, and, in this case, it is surrounded by mossy trees and foliage. Its mossy appearance is emulated with varying patches of chitinous cuticle that splay out from its exterior, giving it just the right texture to be almost invisible to the naked eye when staying still to a flaky, wooded background.

Habitat:

Found in a fallen tree trunk covered with moss at 1100 m.a.s.l.

Notes:

Wild specimens have been observed to feed on orchid leaves (e.g. Oncidium).