The Phasmatodea are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's darning needles, although this name is shared by both dragonflies and crane flies. They can be generally referred to as phasmatodeans, phasmids, or ghost insects, with phasmids in the family Phylliidae called leaf insects, leaf-bugs, walking leaves, or bug leaves. The group's name is derived from the Ancient Greek φάσμα phasma, meaning an apparition or phantom, referring to their resemblance to vegetation while in fact being animals. Their natural camouflage makes them difficult for predators to detect; still, many species have one of several secondary lines of defense in the form of startle displays, spines or toxic secretions. Stick insects from the genera Phryganistria, Ctenomorpha, and Phobaeticus include the world's longest insects.
The family Phylliidae contains the extant true leaf insects or walking leaves, which include some of the most remarkably camouflaged leaf mimics (mimesis) in the entire animal kingdom. They occur from South Asia through Southeast Asia to Australia. Earlier sources treat Phylliidae as a much larger taxon, containing genera in what are presently considered to be several different families.
Extatosoma tiaratum, commonly known as the spiny leaf insect, the giant prickly stick insect, Macleay's spectre, or the Australian walking stick, is a large species of Australian stick insect. The species has the Phasmid Study Group number PSG9.
Hermarchus is a genus of very large stick insects within the order Phasmatodea and the tribe of Stephanacridini. Known species occur in New Guinea, Fiji, Australia, Philippines and New Caledonia.
Eurycnema goliath, commonly known as the goliath stick insect, or the regal stick insect, is a large species of stick insect in the family Phasmatidae, endemic to Australia and considered one of the largest species of stick insects in the country. The species has the Phasmid Study Group number PSG14.
Asceles is a genus of stick insects in the tribe Necrosciini. Some of the species of Asceles have a distribution in Malaysia and Singapore.
Achrioptera fallax is a stick insect species found in Madagascar. It has frequently been confused with A. manga, a species that only was scientifically described in 2019; for example, captive stock of "A. fallax" is generally A. manga.
Pulchriphyllium giganteum, commonly known as the Giant Malaysian Leaf insect, is a species of leaf insects described from Malaysia by Hausleithner in 1984 and placed in the genus Pulchriphyllium since 2021. Pulchriphyllium giganteum is the largest species belonging to the genus Pulchriphyllium reaching 105 mm in size. They are found most abundantly in the west Malaysian tropics. The females typically have large elytra that lie edge to edge on the abdomen and tend to lack hind wings making them usually flightless. Males have small elytra and sometimes transparent non-leaflike functional hind wings. Pulchriphyllium giganteum found in the wild tend to be mostly females and the first male of this species was not found until 1994. In captivity, the species has primarily been observed to reproduce through parthenogenesis meaning the females are asexual. The primary reproductive pattern in the wild is unknown. Eggs tend to be brown or black and glossy and resemble seeds. They hatch around 6 months after breeding. Newly hatched young nymphs tend to be wingless and brown or reddish in color. They develop their green color after feeding on leaves. Both the adult and larval stages are phytophagous meaning they feed on plants. The main plant food sources for this species are oak and bramble tree leaves.
Pulchriphyllium bioculatum, Seychelles leaf insect, Javanese leaf insect, or Gray's leaf insect, is a leaf insect of the family Phylliidae native to tropical Asia as well as Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. It was first described by George Robert Gray in 1832 and was the first phasmid he discovered. Leaf insects have extremely flattened, irregularly shaped bodies, wings, and legs. They are usually about 5–10 cm long. They are called leaf insects because their large, leathery forewings have veins that look similar to the veins on the particular type of leaves they inhabit. Its scientific name bioculatum means "two-eyed" and refers to the two dots located on the abdomen just in this species.
Tramea stenoloba, the narrow-lobed glider, is a species of dragonfly in the Libellulidae family. It is found in the Cocos Islands, Lesser Sunda Islands, Java Sea and Australia.
Diapheromerini is a tribe of walkingsticks in the family Diapheromeridae. There are at least 30 genera Diapheromerini.
Phyllium bilobatum is a species of leaf insect in the family Phylliidae. It is found in the Philippines and Malaysia. This species was first described in 1843 by the English zoologist George Robert Gray, who gave it the name Phyllium bilobatum. It has been assigned to the subgenus Phyllium, which is to be distinguished from the second subgenus Pulchriphyllium, within the genus Phyllium. The holotype is a female from the Philippines, which is kept in the Natural History Museum, London where Gray worked cataloguing insects.
Datamini is the only tribe within the subfamily of the Dataminae from the order of the Phasmatodea. The representatives of this subfamily are on average not as large as those of the other two subfamilies belonging to the family of Heteropterygidae.
Dares verrucosus is a species of stick insects. Like most other members of the genus Dares, the species is native to Borneo, more precisely in the north of the island.
Dares ulula is a species of stick insects. Like most other members of the genus Dares, the species is native to Borneo, more precisely in the northwest of the island. The males are extremely prickly even for the representatives of the genus Orestes. Females are colored with a relatively high contrast.
Aretaon muscosus is a stick insect species from the family Heteropterygidae, which is native to Borneo.
Haaniella dehaanii is a stick insect species. It is a typical representative of the subfamily Heteropteryginae. The occasionally used common name De Haan's haaniella refers to the species name.
Crompus opacus is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. It is a terrestrial insect found only in Australia. Crompus opacus is not currently listed under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Haaniella scabra is a species of stick insect native to Borneo and a typical representative of the subfamily Heteropteryginae. The occasionally used common name Small Haaniella refers to the size of this.
Nanophyllium is a genus of leaf insects comprising 11 species, found in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Southern Indonesia, and the Indian Subcontinent. Not much is known about this genus, primarily due to their remote habitats and elusive appearance.
