Leaf Insect Walkingstick
Common Name: Leaf Insect Walkingstick Scientific Name: Phyllium bioculatum
Order: Phasmida
Range: Leaf insects occur mainly in the Indo-Australian region.
Diet: Foliage of many shrubs and small trees; seems partial to guava leaves.
Reader Rail Information: Leaf insects differ from most stick insects in that the forewings are useless for flight. Excellently camouflaged, leaf insects look identical to leaves, complete with veins. The legs may also bear leaf-like expansions. All phasmids (walking sticks) are predominately vegetarian and live in dense shrubbery where they remain immobile during the day. In some species, males are rare or entirely absent. As a result, reproduction is parthenogenetic, that is, the eggs do not need fertilization to develop.
Click to Print This Page
