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A STICK INSECT IN SAME
Martin T. Walsh
P.O. Box 99187, Mombasa, Kenya corrected version of a note originally published in
East Africa Natural History Society Bulletin 
, 21 (3): 48 September 1991
current address:
kisutu@hotmail.com
 
EANHS Bulletin 21 (3), September 1991 ______________________________________________________________________________ 48
A STICK INSECT IN SAME
In early September 1990, while staying in Same (between the North and South Pare Mountains) in north-east Tanzania, I stumbled upon what was by far the longest stick-insect that I have ever seen. It was clinging to the sides of some cement steps, and at first I mistook it for a growth of leafless twigs. Not until I saw that these grey twigs were perfectly symmetrical and growing out of nothing did it dawn on me that I might be looking at a living creature. I showed it to some of my colleagues, members of local women’s groups, and they were only convinced of its real identity once they had frightened it into moving. Like me they were astounded by its size, and all of them declared that they had never seen anything like it before. They were, indeed, somewhat alarmed, and killed it with a few well-aimed rocks. I had all but forgotten about this incident until recently, when I came across the following statement in last year’s edition of
The Guinness Book of Records
 (p.40): “The longest insect in the world is the Giant Stick Insect
Pharnacia serratipes
 of Indonesia, females of which have been measured up to 330 mm (13 inches)”. How I wish that I had made use of a tape measure and camera that day! I could swear that my Same stick insect was much the same size as the longest of its Indonesian cousins. It was certainly much longer than the norm – or what I suppose to be the norm in my ignorance of the relevant entomological records. I would be very happy for someone to write and enlighten me. Otherwise, and not just for those with an eye to the record books, I would recommend a visit to the hostel recently opened by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Same. The hostel buildings enclose a small garden, host (one hopes) to the relatives of a very long, but unfortunately very dead, stick insect. Dr Martin Walsh, Box 99187, Mombasa.

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