| Crowned stick insect | |
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| Onchestus rentzi females | |
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| Species: | O. rentzi. |
| Binomial name | |
| Ochestus rentzi Brock & Hasenpusch, 2006 | |
Onchestus rentzi is an Australian species of stick insect, commonly named the crowned stick insect, described in 2006. [1] It lives in rainforests along the coast of Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is named after the Australian orthopterist David Rentz. [1]
Crowned stick insects are dark black-grey and use camouflage to blend in with the surroundings. Adults can reach lengths of 120mm and have a protuberance of the cuticle of the head which resembles a crown in both sexes. The wings of this species are a deep purple in colour.
The Phasmatodea are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, or bug sticks. They are generally referred to as phasmatodeans, phasmids, or ghost insects. Phasmids in the family Phylliidae are 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 defence in the form of startle displays, spines or toxic secretions. Stick insects from the genera Phryganistria, Ctenomorpha, and Phobaeticus includes 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.
Carausius is a genus of the tribe Lonchodini, in the order Phasmatodea. The genus is in many ways typical of the Phasmatodea in that all species are twig-like in appearance.
Agathemerodea is a suborder of the insect order Phasmatodea, comprising the stick insects and leaf insects. It consists of the sole genus Agathemera, with the several species limited to the mountainous regions of Argentina, Chile and Peru.
The Phasmatidae are a family of the stick insects. They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea.
The Phasmatinae are a subfamily of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae. They contain at least three tribes; Bradley and Galil corrected the spelling to "Phasmatinae" and provides a key to tribes.
The pink-winged phasma is a species of phasmid that is endemic to Australia.
Acanthoxylini is a tribe of Phasmatodeas. They belong to the "typical" stick insects of the superfamily Anareolatae, though they are rather notable among these. For example, the New Zealand giant stick insect is huge, and all Acanthoxyla are females reproducing by parthenogenesis.
Necrosciinae is a subfamily of the stick insect family Lonchodidae, with its greatest diversity in South-East Asia.
Ctenomorpha marginipennis, the margin-winged stick insect, is a species of stick insect endemic to southern Australia. The species was first described by George Robert Gray in 1833.
Phyllium giganteum, commonly known as the Giant Malaysian Leaf insect, is a species of leaf-insect described from Malaysia by Hausleithner in 1984 and placed in the genus Phyllium and family Phylliidae. Phyllium giganteum are the largest species belonging to the genus Phyllium reaching 105mm 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. Phyllium giganteum found in the wild tend to be mostly females and the first male of this species was not found until 1994. The species has the ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis meaning the females are asexual. The primary reproductive pattern in the wild is unknown however in captivity, the females reproduce primary through parthenogenesis. Eggs tend to be brown or black and glossy and resemble the look of 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.
Diapheromerinae is a subfamily of the stick insect family Diapheromeridae. They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea.
Dryococelus australis, commonly known as the Lord Howe Island stick insect or tree lobster, is a species of stick insect that lives on the Lord Howe Island Group. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Dryococelus and was thought to be extinct by 1920, only to be rediscovered in 2001. It is extirpated in its largest former habitat, Lord Howe Island, and has been called "the rarest insect in the world", as the rediscovered population consisted of 24 individuals living on the small islet of Ball's Pyramid.
Bacillus is a stick insect genus, common in Europe and North Africa.
Ctenomorpha gargantua is a species of stick insect endemic to northern Australia. It was first found in Northern Queensland. A captive breeding program is run by Museum Victoria.
Phasmatini is a tribe of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae. There are more than 40 described species, found in Australasia, Asia and possibly Brazil.
Megacrania is a genus of the subfamily Megacraniinae of stick insects. Members of this genus are commonly referred to as "peppermint stick insects", due to the characteristic odor of their defensive spray, as well as the cylindrical, twig-like shape of their bodies.
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