''Acanthoxyla prasina'', the prickly stick insect, is a stick insect in the order Phasmatodea and the family

Phasmatidae The Phasmatidae are a family of the stick insects ( order Phasmatodea). They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea. Like many of their relatives, the Phasmatidae are capable of regenerating limbs and commonly repr ...

. It is found throughout

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, although it is less frequently reported than "common" stick insect species. It has been introduced to Britain, predominantly Cornwall and Devon, and to the south-west region of the Republic of Ireland. It has a thorny skin, which is used as

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

.Insect poses prickly questions
on '' Otago Daily Times'' website, viewed 2013-10-16 The species reproduces 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 ...

, producing eggs without the help of a male, and the population is entirely female. No male had ever been seen until 2016 when one was discovered in the introduced population in Cornwall. He was likely the result of a rare mutation and is now part of the collection at the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

References

External links

* ''Acanthoxyla prasina'' discussed on RNZ ''

Critter of the Week ''Critter of the Week'' is a weekly RNZ National programme about endangered and neglected native plants and animals of New Zealand. Beginning in 2015, ''Critter of the Week'' is an approximately 15-minute discussion between Nicola Toki of the ...

''
17 September 2021
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13705567 Phasmatidae Phasmatidae of New Zealand Insects described in 1977 Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic insects of New Zealand

See also

References

External links