Acrophylla titan: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Species of stick insect}} |
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'''''Acrophylla titan''''', the '''titan stick insect''', is the second-longest [[stick insect]] found in [[Australia]]. First described by [[William Sharp Macleay]] in 1826,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Complete Field Guide to Leaf and Stick Insects of Australia | isbn=9780643094185 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yhk4VPZPdX0C&q=titan | last1=Brock | first1=Paul D. | last2=Hasenpusch | first2=Jack W. | date=2009 | publisher=Csiro }}</ref> it was considered to be the longest stick insect in the world until the discovery of [[Ctenomorpha gargantua]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ctenomorpha gargantua |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/119347685 |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=www.gbif.org |language=en}}</ref> |
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'''''Acrophylla titan''''', the '''titan stick insect''', is the second-longest [[stick insect]] found in [[Australia]]. |
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It is native to south-east [[Queensland]] and [[New South Wales]]. |
It is native to south-east [[Queensland]] and [[New South Wales]]. |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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[[File:Acrophylla titan eggs.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Titan stick insect eggs]] |
[[File:Acrophylla titan eggs.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Titan stick insect eggs]] |
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Titan stick insects are pale brown-grey in |
Titan stick insects are pale brown-grey in color and can grow up to {{convert|26|cm|in}} in body length. Their long, wavy cerci are a unique trait of the species.<ref name=":0" /> Males and females can be easily distinguished due to the females being larger and having sharp spines on the legs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=askzk.org.au |url=https://aszk.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Titan-Stick-Insect-Acrophylla-titan-Veenstra-J.-2013.pdf }}</ref> Males are able to fly but females are flightless. |
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=== Breeding === |
=== Breeding === |
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''A. titan'' breeds during winter/summer. During the mating process, the male connects his abdomen to the lower part of the female's egg compartment. Mating can take up to 40 minutes and is repeated several times. A single female will typically produce 200 to 1000 eggs in her lifetime. However, ''A. titan'' also holds the record for most eggs laid by a single phasmid due to one female laying over 2,050 eggs.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The females then flick their eggs to the ground. The eggs look |
The females then flick their eggs to the ground. The eggs look similar to those of the [[children's stick insect]] (''Tropidoderus childrenii'') but they are black-grey with a small white growth. Ants pick them up and eat the growth, and leave the egg in the refinery where they hatch. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Children's stick insect]] |
*[[Children's stick insect]] |
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*[[Goliath stick insect]] |
*[[Goliath stick insect]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q481994}} |
{{Taxonbar|from=Q481994}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Phasmatidae]] |
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[[Category:Insects of Australia]] |
[[Category:Insects of Australia]] |
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[[Category:Endemic fauna of Australia]] |
[[Category:Endemic fauna of Australia]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:00, 15 August 2024
| Acrophylla titan | |
|---|---|
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| Adult female (pinned specimen) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phasmatodea |
| Infraorder: | Anareolatae |
| Family: | Phasmatidae |
| Subfamily: | Phasmatinae |
| Genus: | Acrophylla |
| Species: | A. titan
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| Binomial name | |
| Acrophylla titan Macleay, 1827
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| Synonyms | |
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Acrophylla titan, the titan stick insect, is the second-longest stick insect found in Australia. First described by William Sharp Macleay in 1826,[1] it was considered to be the longest stick insect in the world until the discovery of Ctenomorpha gargantua.[2]
It is native to south-east Queensland and New South Wales.
Description
[edit]
Titan stick insects are pale brown-grey in color and can grow up to 26 centimetres (10 in) in body length. Their long, wavy cerci are a unique trait of the species.[1] Males and females can be easily distinguished due to the females being larger and having sharp spines on the legs.[3] Males are able to fly but females are flightless.
Breeding
[edit]A. titan breeds during winter/summer. During the mating process, the male connects his abdomen to the lower part of the female's egg compartment. Mating can take up to 40 minutes and is repeated several times. A single female will typically produce 200 to 1000 eggs in her lifetime. However, A. titan also holds the record for most eggs laid by a single phasmid due to one female laying over 2,050 eggs.[1]
The females then flick their eggs to the ground. The eggs look similar to those of the children's stick insect (Tropidoderus childrenii) but they are black-grey with a small white growth. Ants pick them up and eat the growth, and leave the egg in the refinery where they hatch.
See also
[edit]- List of Australian stick insects and mantids
- Spur legged phasmid
- Children's stick insect
- Goliath stick insect
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Brock, Paul D.; Hasenpusch, Jack W. (2009). Complete Field Guide to Leaf and Stick Insects of Australia. Csiro. ISBN 9780643094185.
- ^ "Ctenomorpha gargantua". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "askzk.org.au" (PDF).