Giant Malaysian Leaf Insect

Pulchriphyllium giganteum (Hausleithner, 1984) belongs to Phylliidae in Phasmatodea. The 2021 classification recognizes Pulchriphyllium as a genus. [1][3]

The female’s green body is flattened and leaf-shaped, with the abdomen broadest at its fourth segment. A small projection interrupts the lateral outline near the seventh segment. The terminal egg-laying structures extend close to the abdominal tip. [2]

The Yala female measured 115.5 mm long, with wing covers 71.6 mm long and antennae 4.4 mm long. [2]

The 2022 account documents the species in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Malaysian Borneo and southern Thailand. The Thai female was collected at night on a Syzygium shrub about six metres above the ground in Betong District, Yala Province. The regional habitat is lowland evergreen forest. [2]

Hausleithner described the species as Phyllium giganteum in 1984, with a type locality in the Cameron Highlands of Peninsular Malaysia. Its former name Phyllium (Pulchriphyllium) giganteum reflects the earlier treatment of Pulchriphyllium as a subgenus. [1]

Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.