Sabah Thorny Stick Insect vs New Zealand Stonefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sabah Thorny Stick Insect New Zealand Stonefly
Scientific Name Haaniella echinata Zelandoperla decorata
Order Phasmatodea Plecoptera
Family Heteropterygidae Gripopterygidae
Size 70-100 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Mountains Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Sabah, Borneo Oceania (New Zealand)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sabah Thorny Stick Insect

A stocky Bornean phasmid densely covered in sharp spines. Its dark coloration and spiny texture make it resemble a piece of thorny bark.

💡

Did You Know?

When threatened, it curls its abdomen upward and snaps its spiny hind legs shut like a trap.

New Zealand Stonefly

An endemic New Zealand stonefly found in clean, fast-flowing streams. The aquatic nymphs are important indicators of water quality. Adults are poor fliers and often found resting on streamside vegetation. Stonefly diversity in New Zealand is remarkably high.

💡

Did You Know?

New Zealand stoneflies are such sensitive indicators of water quality that their absence from a stream is a reliable sign of pollution or degradation.