''Diapheromera covilleae'', the creosote bush walkingstick, is a species of

stick insect The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida, Phasmatoptera or Spectra) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as ...

in the

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

Diapheromeridae Diapheromeridae is a family of stick insects ( order Phasmatodea). They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea. The family contains some huge species, e.g. '' Paraphanocles keratosqueleton'' which can grow to over ...

. They are about long depending on the sex, with large tarsal hooks at the end of each leg for superior grip to branches or other objects. They have small

eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

and horn-like spines on the head and anus. Since they do not have wings, they travel by walking along branches of trees and bushes, sometimes walking along the ground in search for the next perch or food source. Females are usually longer than males and have a larger body. Females are also grey in color while males are more brown. Creosote bush walkingsticks are

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

s, feeding on

creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of n ...

leaves, chunari leaves, and various other plants. Common predators of the walkingsticks include

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s and

lizards Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia althou ...

. Creosote bush walkingsticks are fairly common, but because they are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

and very well

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 ...

d, they are hard to spot. They inhabit

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s and

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

forests. They are found in the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...

, which extends throughout much of the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

and Northwestern Mexico.

Other information

The creosote bush walkingstick only moves and feeds at night. It has four mandibles in front of its compound eyes that can grab and chew leaves while still giving the insect perfect vision of its surroundings. The antennae can reach up to long and are used to sense prey, food, and nearby mates.

References

External links

* http://bugguide.net/node/view/93389 * http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/arthropoda/diapheromera_covilleae.html {{Taxonbar, from=Q5271765 Phasmatodea Insects of North America Insects described in 1909