Walking Stick insect! Phasmatodea,walking sticks, stick bugs,stick insects, phasmids, φάσμα phasma, ghost insects, leaf insects Phasmida, Phasmatoptera,

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Phasmatodea (sometimes called Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects (in Europe and Australasia), walking sticks or stick-bugs (in the United States and Canada), phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects (generally the family Phylliidae). The ordinal name is derived from the Ancient Greek φάσμα phasma, meaning an apparition or phantom, and refers to the resemblance of many species to sticks or leaves. Their natural camouflage can make them extremely difficult to spot. Phasmatodea can be found all over the world in warmer zones, especially the tropics and subtropics. The greatest diversity is found in Southeast Asia and South America, followed by Australia. Phasmids also have a considerable presence in the continental United States, mainly in the Southeast.
Life cycle
The life cycle of the stick insect begins when the female deposits her eggs through one of these methods of oviposition: she will either flick her egg to the ground by a movement of the ovipositor or her entire abdomen, carefully place the eggs in the axils of the host plant, bury them in small pits in the soil, or stick the eggs to a substrate, usually a stem or leaf of the food plant.[5] A single female lays from 100 to 1,200 eggs after mating, depending on the species.
Many species of phasmids are parthenogenic, meaning the females lay eggs without needing to mate with males to produce offspring. Stick insect species that are the product of hybridisation are usually obligate parthenogens,[11] but non-hybrids are facultative parthenogens, meaning they retain the ability to mate and are bisexual depending on the presence and abundance of males.[12] Eggs from virgin mothers are entirely female and exact copies of their mothers.
Phasmatodea eggs resemble seeds in shape and size, and have hard shells. They have a lid-like structure called an operculum at the anterior pole, from which the nymph emerges during hatching. The eggs vary in the hatching period, from 13 to more than 70 days, with the average around 20--30 days.[5] Some species, particularly those from temperate regions, undergo diapause, where development is delayed during the winter months. Diapause is affected by photoperiod on the egg-laying adults or can be genetically determined. Diapause is broken by exposure to the cold of winter, causing the eggs to hatch during the following spring. Among species of economic importance, diapause affects the development of two-year cycles of outbreaks.
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World's longest insect
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Phobaeticus chani or Chan's megastick is a species of stick insect. It is the longest insect in the world, with one specimen held in the Natural History Museum in London measuring 567 mm (22.3 in).[1] This measurement is, however, with the front legs fully extended. The body alone still measures an impressive 357 mm (14.1 in).[2]
Photograph of the female holotype
Named after amateur Malaysian naturalist, Datuk Chan Chew Lun,[2][3] only six specimens are known, all originating from the state of Sabah in Borneo.[2][4] Very little is known about its biology, but speculation in the popular press is that it may live in the canopy of the rainforest, making it especially hard to find;[4] however, there is no evidence to support this theory and the related Phobaeticus kirbyi is commonly found on low growing vegetation alongside rainforest paths.[2]
Phobaeticus chani was selected as one of "The Top 10 New Species" described in 2008 by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists.[5] The species was also listed as one of the top ten discoveries of the decade in the BBC television documentary Decade of Discovery, first broadcast on December 14, 2010.

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