[InKunming--Yunnan] An insect with extremely leaf-like appearance was found in Pu’er Sun-River National Park, Yunnan province. It is nearly 10 cm long and 5 cm wide and is not easily spotted because it resembles a leaf. An insect expert from Kunming Institute of Zoology CAS indicates that it is phyllium westwoodii.

Phyllium westwoodii is a species of leaf insect in the family Phylliidae. It is distributed in the tropics and subtropics. Its shape is highly similar to fresh green leaves, and it can be regarded as a high-level “master of disguise” in nature. If it stays still, it is almost impossible to be found. They have veins on their surfaces like leaves, and have similar color as the leaves around them. There are about 30 species of such insects in the world, and 8 species in China.

The Pu’er Sun-River National Park has a forest coverage rate of 94.5% and a total area of 320,000 mu. There are 812 species of animals and 2,104 species of plants in the park. The discovery of the leaf insect further illustrates the superiority of the ecological quality of the region, and is of great benefit to the entomological research in Pu’er.

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(Editors: Christine, Rachel)