2 Youths from East Nusa Tenggara Discover New Insect Species

SEAToday.com, NTT - Two young men from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Davis Marthin Damaledo and Garda Bagus Damastra, have gained global recognition after discovering a new species of "giant" Nesiophasma insect. Their names appear alongside three foreign researchers, namely Hennemann, Royce T. Cumming, and Stéphane Le Tirant, in a scientific publication entitled "Nesiophasma sobesonbaaii n. sp. - a new giant stick insect from the island of Timor, Indonesia (Insecta: Phasmatodea)," published in March 2023. The name "Sobesonbaaii'' itself is taken from the name of NTT's national hero, Sobe Sonbai III.

Davis found the insect in 2021 in a guava plantation in Oemasi Village, Kupang, characterized by its bright green color, 20 cm in size, and twig-like shape. He then brought the unique insect home and enlisted the help of his fellow insect hobbyist, Garda Bagus Damastra, to identify it.

After being examined by experts, the twig insect Davis found turned out to be a new species, distinguished by a striking feature: a red lin