The Phasmatidae are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of the

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 (

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Phasmatodea The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an Order (biology), order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred ...

). They belong to the superfamily Anareolatae of

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

Verophasmatodea. Like many of their relatives, the Phasmatidae are capable of regenerating limbs and commonly reproduce 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 ...

. Despite their bizarre, even threatening appearance, they are harmless to humans. The Phasmatidae contain some of the largest

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s in existence. An undescribed species of '' Phryganistria'' is the longest living insect known, able to reach a total length of 64 cm (25.2 inch).

Subfamilies

Following the Phasmid Study Group, nine

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

are recognized in the Phasmatidae. Other treatments differ, sometimes recognizing as few as six. The Lonchodinae were historically often placed in the Diapheromeridae, the other

of the Anareolatae. The Phasmatinae are often expanded to include the two

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

s here separated as the Clitumninae, while the Extatosomatinae may be similarly included in the Tropidoderinae as a tribe. The ''Phasmid Species File'' currently lists: * Cladomorphinae (found in: Southern America, Madagascar, Java, Sulawesi) * Clitumninae (sometimes in Phasmatinae) * Extatosomatinae: contains the single genus '' Extatosoma'' Gray, 1833 (found in Australasia) * Lonchodinae (sometimes in Diapheromeridae: now includes the Eurycanthinae) * Megacraniinae (Asia, Australasia) * Pachymorphinae * Phasmatinae (sometimes includes Clitumninae) * Platycraninae (Asia, Australasia) * Tropidoderinae (sometimes includes Extatosomatinae) * Xeroderinae In addition, the extinct subfamily Echinosomiscinae is known from the genus '' Echinosomiscus'' from the

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ...

. In addition, a number of Phasmatidae

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

are here considered ''

incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'': * Tribe Achriopterini (Africa, Madagascar) ** '' Achrioptera'' Coquerel, 1861 ** '' Glawiana'' Hennemann & Conle, 2004 * Tribe not placed ** '' Monoiognosis'' Cliquennois & Brock, 2004 (Mauritius) ** '' Spathomorpha'' Cliquennois, 2005 (Madagascar) Consequently, numerous taxa are transferred or re-transferred to other genera, which results in 22 new or revised combinations or status of genera and species.

References

External links

* *
AnimalDiversity: Phasmatidae

{{Taxonbar, from=Q577953 Phasmatodea families

Subfamilies

See also

References

Further reading

External links