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
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
Anareolatae. The
Phasmatinae
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.
Tribes and genera
The ''Phasmida Species Fi ...
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)
*
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 ...
(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
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.
Tribes and genera
The ''Phasmida Species Fi ...
(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.
See also
*
James Wood-Mason
James Wood-Mason (December 1846 – 6 May 1893) was an English zoologist. He was the director of the Indian Museum at Calcutta, after John Anderson. He collected marine animals and lepidoptera, but is best known for his work on two other gro ...
*
List of Phasmatidae genera
References
*
Further reading
* 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