Argosarchus horridus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Argosarchus is a monotypic genus in the family Phasmatidae containing the single species Argosarchus horridus, or the New Zealand bristly stick insect, a stick insect endemic to New Zealand (Argosarchus spiniger is now considered a junior synonym of A. horridus). The specific epithet horridus means 'bristly' in Latin, likely referring to its spiny thorax.
Females can reach up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) (but are usually 12–15 cm), making this endemic species the longest New Zealand insect. A distinguishing feature is the coxa of the two forelegs is purple or pink. Females are much larger than males and have a visibly spiny thorax. Males are much skinnier and shorter, usually up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in). The colour of A. horridus ranges from pale white to dark brown, with females usually being grey and males being a dark greenish-brown or dark brown. Males have longer spines but less of them.
Like many other New Zealand stick insects, A. horridus is facultatively parthenogenetic. Because of that, some populations consist of only females who reproduce asexually, while other populations have both males and females and can reproduce... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Giant Stick Insect sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 96th most-seen of the 201 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Giant Stick Insect in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Zealand Giant Stick Insect sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Fiordland National Park, in our data
Fiordland National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate New Zealand Giant Stick Insect sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Zealand Giant Stick Insect is recorded against all the insects logged in Fiordland National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
