Bug FAQGoliath Stick Insect
Clemacantha goliath · Order: Phasmida · Family: Phasmatidae
Also called: Regal Stick Insect
Adult males measure about 105 to 146 mm and females 155 to 204 mm in length, making them among the largest Australian stick insects. They live in bushland, rainforests, parks and gardens, preferring eucalyptus and Acacia trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Their bodies are apple-green with yellow bands across the upper side. The mesonotum is smooth, glossy and much shorter than the pronotum. The head is yellow with three green stripes running from the eyes to the back.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males are 105 to 146 mm long; females are larger at 155 to 204 mm. Their wings cover most of the abdomen and have two continuous white bands on both fore- and hind-wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
They are bred worldwide and sold as nymphs and eggs for hobbyists. In homes they prefer to stay on eucalyptus and broad-leafed Acacia trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found in bushland, rainforests, and green spaces such as parks and gardens. Eucalyptus and Acacia trees provide the main structural support and food.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
In the wild they eat leaves of Acacia and Eucalyptus. In captivity they will also accept bramble, oak, pyracantha and hawthorn leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
They undergo incomplete metamorphosis: egg, several nymphal instars, then adult. There are five nymphal instars, with a molt between each stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Females lay eggs from summer through autumn. They feed mainly at night.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is endemic to Australia, especially the east coast of New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its Phasmid Study Group number is PSG14, which can help distinguish it from other large stick insects.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How big do Goliath stick insects get?
Males reach 105 to 146 mm and females 155 to 204 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Phasmatidae)
Smooth Stick InsectClitarchus hookeri
Margin-winged Stick InsectCtenomorpha marginipennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Prickly Stick InsectAcanthoxyla prasinaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Spur Legged PhasmidDidymuria violescens
Spiny Leaf insectExtatosoma tiaratumCan bite
Titan Stick InsectAcrophylla titanSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurycnema_goliath
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.