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The
Diversity of The World of Life
True
Insects (Insecta)
Stick &
Leaf Insects
(Phasmida)
Representatives
Stick Insects (Walkingsticks)
Leaf Insects
Biology
APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF KNOWN SPECIES WORLDWIDE
?
DESCRIPTION
Walkingsticks
are typically slender, wingless, and indeed stick-like (in form and
color). The antennae are long, thin, and many-segmented. The
mouthparts are chewing.
Leaf
insects are even more camouflaged: They are flattened from
side-to-side, with at least the hindwings large, and indeed look like
leaves. The antennae and mouthparts are as in walkingsticks.
METAMORPHOSIS
The nymphs look like small adults, although with small or
no wings. The eggs of
walkingsticks are typically laid in a haphazard fashion on the soil.
HABITATS
Walkingsticks
and leaf insects typically live on plants, particularly shrubs and trees,
where their camouflage serves them well. Some walkingsticks are found in
Temperate regions, although most are Tropical, as are all leaf insects.
FOODS
Walkingsticks and leaf insects feed on foliage.
DAMAGES/BENEFITS
Walkingsticks only occasionally feed in large enough
numbers to do significant harm to trees.
When
disturbed, walkingsticks stink.
The
bite of large insects in general can be painful to us human beings.
True
Insects (Insecta)
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