Anostostomatidae is a family of insects in the order Orthoptera, widely distributed in the southern hemisphere. It is named Mimnermidae or Henicidae in some taxonomies, and common names include king crickets in Australia and South Africa, and wētā in New Zealand. Prominent members include the Parktown prawn of South Africa, and the giant wētā of New Zealand.
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.
Giant cockroaches, or blaberids, are the second-largest cockroach family by number of species. Mostly distributed in warmer climates worldwide, this family is based on the American genus Blaberus, but much of the diversity is also found in Africa and Asia.
Acrididae, commonly called short-horned grasshoppers, are the predominant family of grasshoppers, comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. The Acrididae are best known because all locusts are of the Acrididae. The subfamily Oedipodinae is sometimes classified as a distinct family Oedipodidae in the superfamily Acridoidea. Acrididae grasshoppers are characterized by relatively short and stout antennae, and tympana on the side of the first abdominal segment.
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.
The Phasmatidae are a family of the stick insects. They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea.
Necrosciinae is a subfamily of the stick insect family Lonchodidae, with its greatest diversity in South-East Asia.
The subfamily Pseudophyllinae contains numerous species in the family Tettigoniidae, the katydids or bush crickets. Sometimes called "true katydids", together with the crickets of suborder Ensifera, they form part of the insect order Orthoptera which also contains grasshoppers.
Diapheromerinae is a subfamily of the stick insect family Diapheromeridae. They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea.
Bacillidae is a stick insect family in the order Phasmatodea and the suborder Verophasmatodea.
Aschiphasmatidae are a family of stick insects belonging to the suborder Verophasmatodea; they can be found in Indomalaya.
The Heteropterygidae is a family of stick insects belonging to the suborder Euphasmatodea. Species can be found in Australasia, East and Southeast Asia. About 150 valid species have been described.
The Lonchodinae are a subfamily of stick insects in the family Lonchodidae found in: Australasia, Asia, Africa, Southern America and the Pacific.
The Obriminae are the most species-rich subfamily of the Phasmatodea family Heteropterygidae native to Southeast Asia. It is divided into two tribe.
The Obrimini are the most species-rich tribe of the Phasmatodea family of the Heteropterygidae native to Southeast Asia.
Mearnsiana is a genus of stick insects, which is native to the Philippine islands Mindanao, Leyte and Dinagat.
Eubulides is a stick insect genus native to the Philippines.
The Cladomorphinae are a subfamily of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae. This taxon is particularly well represented in the Neotropical region, but records also exist for Madagascar, Java and the Maluku Islands.
Nesiophasma is a genus of very large stick insects within the order Phasmatodea and the tribe of Stephanacridini. This genus is found in Wallacea west of Weber’s Line: Sulawesi, Peleng Island, Selayar Island, Kalaotoa Island, Sanana Island, Romang Island, Timor Island, Sangihe Island and Talaud Islands. New Guinea with doubt. The largest in the list of species is Nesiophasma giganteum, with females reaching a body length of 30 cm.
Stenobrimus is a genus of medium-sized stick insects native to the Philippines.
