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Extatosoma tiaratum
Found this small (5cm) leaf insect (stick insect) in the rainforest at night eating the leaves of a tree. After a picture he curled up his tail pretending to be a scorpion so that I wouldn't eat him.
Spotted on Jul 25, 2012
Submitted on Aug 9, 2012
24 Comments
Thanks everyone and thank you SanjaySaklani for the awesome info.
Congrats, Scott! This is an intriguing insect, and your photo series is just wonderful!
Congratulations!
Great spotting! Please add a reference link or two. Thanks
Spiny Leaf Insect Facts:
Spiny leaf insects and stick insects are phasmids. Phasmids are generally insects that eat leaves and resemble leaves or sticks.
They are also known as Macleay's Spectre Stick Insect.
Males can fly (have wings), females can't.
The female insects can lay eggs without the help of a male. This biological miracle is called parthenogenesis and means that all the phasmids born will be female.
Females live to about 18 months old, males to only 6-8months.
Females can lay thousands of eggs in their lifetime.
The eggs have a knob, which attracts ants. The ants carry the eggs to their underground nests, eat only the knob and leave the rest of the egg in the nest, protected from other animals that may eat it.
The young look like small species of ants with tiny curly bits on their tails.
Eggs can take up to 2 years to hatch.
Longest Australian phasmid is the Titan Stick Insect which can grow to 25cm long
150 species of phasmids are found in Australia
When disturbed, a phasmid may sway, imitating a dead leaf or stick swaying in the breeze.
A baby spiny leaf insect is called a nymph.
The Lord Howe Island Phasmid or Land Lobster may be the rarest insect in the world (according to the Australian Museum). They were re-discovered on the island in 2001 after presumably being extinct (due to rats) for 80 years
The adult female spiny leaf insect which can reach over 30cm and are bright green with yellow stripes.
Congratulations!
Very cool!
Congratulations Scott. Very nice spotting.
Wow - awesome spotting!
Congratulations on your SOTD!
Thanks peter and thank you everyone, that was my first time finding one, hopefully I can find a full grown one next time
spectacular!
This awesome species is also parthenogenetic. The females can lay unfertilized eggs that will all hatch out as females.
Congratulations!
Congrats!
Congrats Scott, this amazing encounter was chosen as spotting of the day!
"Doesn't this Spiny Leaf Insect look more like a cactus than a twig? Check out its fascinating display of camouflage and defence in today's spotting of the day! Also known as the Giant Prickly Stick Insect, this Spiny Leaf Insect was found in the rainforest of Queensland, Australia. It has an amazing defense strategy: it will mimic a scorpion when threatened. If they are disturbed, they will curl up their tail to mimic a scorpion."
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Fantastico muy buen disparo::
Fantastic!
Thanks
Very nice!
Great series!!
I know! For everything I find I wonder how much I miss.
Amazing find! Our planet is full of life under our noses and we probably miss seeing 90% of it.
Wonderful!