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A walking stick which imitates a scorpion. It is shiny black and carries the tail end curled up over the abdomen. It is remarkably like a scorpion in general appearance and behavior. However, it is phytophagous and not a predator nor can it sting. It also has extremely long antennae which are banded orange and black and of course, only 3 pair of legs. This is a male. With the abdomen extended, it is close to 6 cm in length.
Found in the garden on the outskirts of San Cristobal de Las Casas with pine forest above and wetlands below. Mountain Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, 2,200 meters.
I have seen 2 pictures of a similar species of this walking stick (the antennae are reddish brown instead of banded) from Guatemala. This specimen is a male, which most resembles a scorpion. The female lacks the bulbous genitalia and does not curl the abdomen. Her abdomen is much thicker and shorter, however she is not twice the size of the male as in many other phasmids. Both sexes of adults are wingless.