The Phasmatidae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of the stick insects ( order Phasmatodea). They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder

Verophasmatodea The Euphasmatodea, also known by its junior synonym Verophasmatodea is a suborder of the Phasmatodea, which contains the vast majority of the extant species of stick and leaf insects, excluding the Timematodea. The oldest record of Euphasmatodea ...

. Like many of their relatives, the Phasmatidae are capable of regenerating limbs and commonly reproduce by

parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...

. Despite their bizarre, even threatening appearance, they are harmless to humans. The Phasmatidae contain some of the largest

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s in existence. An undescribed species of ''

Phryganistria ''Phryganistria'' is a genus of stick insects belonging to the subfamily Clitumninae. It was described by the Swedish entomologist Carl Stål in 1875. Members of the genus are found only in Southeast Asia. Of the new species described in 2014, ' ...

'' is the longest living insect known, able to reach a total length of 64 cm (25.2 inch).

Subfamilies

Following the Phasmid Study Group, nine subfamilies are recognized in the Phasmatidae. Other treatments differ, sometimes recognizing as few as six. The Lonchodinae were historically often placed in the Diapheromeridae, the other

of the Anareolatae. The Phasmatinae are often expanded to include the two

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

s here separated as the

Clitumninae The Clitumninae are a sub-family of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae found in Asia (a record for ''Phobaeticus'' from Brasil was probably erroneous). The type genus ''Clitumnus'' is now considered a synonym of '' Ramulus''. Tribes and ge ...

, while the Extatosomatinae may be similarly included in the Tropidoderinae as a tribe. The ''Phasmid Species File'' currently lists: * Cladomorphinae (found in: Southern America, Madagascar, Java, Sulawesi) *

(sometimes in Phasmatinae) * Extatosomatinae: contains the single genus '' Extatosoma'' Gray, 1833 (found in Australasia) * Lonchodinae (sometimes in Diapheromeridae: now includes the Eurycanthinae) * Megacraniinae (Asia, Australasia) * Pachymorphinae * Phasmatinae (sometimes includes Clitumninae) * Platycraninae (Asia, Australasia) * Tropidoderinae (sometimes includes Extatosomatinae) * Xeroderinae In addition, the extinct subfamily Echinosomiscinae is known from the genus '' Echinosomiscus'' from the

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

. In addition, a number of Phasmatidae

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

are here considered ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'': * Tribe Achriopterini (Africa, Madagascar) ** '' Achrioptera'' Coquerel, 1861 ** '' Glawiana'' Hennemann & Conle, 2004 * Tribe not placed ** '' Monoiognosis'' Cliquennois & Brock, 2004 (Mauritius) ** '' Spathomorpha'' Cliquennois, 2005 (Madagascar) Consequently, numerous taxa are transferred or re-transferred to other genera, which results in 22 new or revised combinations or status of genera and species. Phobaeticus chani Bragg, 2008; Paratype Male

Phobaeticus chani Bragg, 2008; Paratype Male

References

* Balderson, J., Rentz, D.C.F. and Roach, A.M.E. (1998). ''in'' Houston, W.K.K. & Wells, A. (1998) (eds) ''Zoological Catalogue of Australia.'' Vol. 23. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia. pp. 347–376. * Bradley, J.C., and Galil, B.S. (1977). The taxonomic arrangement of the Phasmatodea with keys to the subfamilies and tribes. ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'', 79(2): 176–208. * Gurney, A.B. (1947). Notes on some remarkable Australasian walkingsticks, including a synopsis of the Genus ''Extatosoma'' (Orthoptera: Phasmatidae). ''Annals of the Entomological Society of America''. 40(3): 373–396. * Key, K.H.L. (1970). ''Phasmatodea (Stick-insects)''. pp. 394–404 in CSIRO (ed.) ''The Insects of Australia''. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, Vol. 1. * Kirby, W.F. (1904). ''A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera''. 8vo. Vol. 1. Orthoptera, Euplexoptera, Cursoria, et Gressoria (Forficulidæ, Hemimeridæ, Blattidæ, Mantidæ, Phasmidæ). London: Longmans & Co. x 501 pp. * Latreille, P.A. (1817). Volume 3: ''Les Crustacés, Les Arachnides et Les Insectes'', Cuvier, G.L.C.F.D. (1817). ''Le Régne Animal.'' Paris. * Rentz, D.C.F (1996). ''Grasshopper Country'', Chapter 16, ''Phasmatodea: Leaf and Stick Insects'', pp. 244–257.

External links

* *
AnimalDiversity: Phasmatidae

{{Taxonbar, from=Q577953 Phasmatodea families

Subfamilies

See also

References

Further reading

External links