''Acanthoxyla''
is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
stick insect
The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's da ...
s in the family
Phasmatidae
The Phasmatidae are a family (biology), family of the stick insects (order (biology), order Phasmatodea). They belong to the Superfamily (zoology), superfamily Anareolatae of suborder Verophasmatodea.
Like many of their relatives, the Phasmatida ...
(tribe
Acanthoxylini).
All the individuals of the genus are female and
reproduce asexually by
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertiliz ...
. However, a male ''
Acanthoxyla inermis'' was recently discovered in the UK, probably the result of chromosome loss. The genus is the result of interspecific
hybridisation resulting in some
triploid
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than two paired sets of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two complete sets of chromosomes, one fro ...
lineages and some
diploid
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Here ''sets of chromosomes'' refers to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, ...
lineages. The genus is endemic to New Zealand,
but some species have been accidentally introduced elsewhere. The genus name ''Acanthoxyla'' translates from Greek as prickly stick (acantho = thorn; xyla = wood).
Species
The
Catalogue of Life
The Catalogue of Life (CoL) is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxono ...
lists:
* ''
Acanthoxyla fasciata''
(Hutton Hutton may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
* Hutton Cliffs, Ross Island
* Hutton Mountains
;Australia
* Hutton Sandstone Formation
;Canada
* Hutton, Alberta, a locality
* Hutton, British Columbia, a railway point
* Hutton railway station, Brit ...
, 1899)
* ''
Acanthoxyla geisovii''
(Kaup, 1866)
* ''
Acanthoxyla huttoni''
Salmon, 1955
* ''
Acanthoxyla inermis''
Salmon, 1955
* ''
Acanthoxyla intermedia''
Salmon, 1955
* ''
Acanthoxyla prasina''
(Westwood, 1859)
* ''
Acanthoxyla speciosa''
Salmon, 1955
* ''
Acanthoxyla suteri''
(Hutton Hutton may refer to:
Places
;Antarctica
* Hutton Cliffs, Ross Island
* Hutton Mountains
;Australia
* Hutton Sandstone Formation
;Canada
* Hutton, Alberta, a locality
* Hutton, British Columbia, a railway point
* Hutton railway station, Brit ...
, 1899)
See also
*
List of stick insects of New Zealand
Phasmatodea, Stick insects in New Zealand are found in a range of different environments, from cold high alpine areas to dry coastal bush. There are currently 23 different species described, from 10 genera . The most common species of the stick ...
References
[Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D. (eds) (2011). "]
Acanthoxyla
'". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, UK. Accessed 24 September 2012.
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q481696
Phasmatidae of New Zealand
Phasmatodea genera
Taxa named by Boris Uvarov
Phasmatidae