#spiny leaf insect

[onenicebugperday]

Spiny leaf insect, Extatosoma tiaratum, Phasmatidae

Photographed in Queensland by pennytaylor

[lizardposting]

My life so awesome

[bloosemood]

watch me decay, I’m just food for your garden

[critterconundrum]

Today I spotted a little nymph in my giant prickly stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) enclosure! She's very speedy, and hasn't stopped running around since I noticed her. She doesn't have a name quite yet, I'm thinking something herb-related to match her mother's name (Rooibos).

[the-mirror-sunflower-owo]

Giving my girls some fresh food! I still have so many 😭

[eclopsed]

First post here! Awhile ago I made a life size model and drawing of my favorite insect: The Spiny Leaf Insect <3

I used cardboard, paper towels, foil, and all purpose glue to make this :]

What's your favorite insect?

[characterisbug]

do you take user requests? if so then could u pretty please bugify @geewaysgreendayhoodie? if not then just ignore this lol

Tumblr user @geewaysgreendayhoodie is a Spiny Leaf Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum)

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Spiny Leaf Insect - Extatosoma tiaratum

It's been many years since I've laid my eyes on one of these magnificent creatures, and even longer since my days at U of T where I held one in my hand. As such, it was gratifying to see so many individuals on display at the Toronto Zoo and to soak in all their details and movements (mostly wobbles and slow, methodical steps) while observing them. With many female individuals, and a few different instars among them, I should have taken a video, but there was lots of excited screaming in the background from children happy to see the otters and reptiles. As much as I love animals, this blog is all about the insects, and so today we have pictures of these Giant Prickly Stick Insects. Today, they are known by many names such as Australian Walking Sticks, Spiny Leaf Insects, Macleay’s Spectres (named for British entomologist William Macleay and referencing their order Phasmatodea, whose name is derived from apparitions or more commonly, ghosts) or E. tiaratum. You can call them many names, just don't call them "Leaf Insects" as those are a different branch of Phasmid, of the family Phylliidae. Amazing as that family is are, these large armored insects also have a certain special quality to them. Maybe it's just how large and unusual they are compared to our fauna, but I certainly think that they're eye-catching when they can actually be found and observed. In the wild, finding them could be more difficult since their mottled, spiked, dried-in-appearance leafy armor is meant to hide them from their predators.

These peaceful, plant-eating giants need every advantage they can secure since they aren't aggressive and are burdened with slow movement due to their armor. In most cases, if anything gets close, their "scorpion" posture combined with a mild chemical defense and their sharp spines may be just enough. But what if you're a thinner, more agile male? If you've been observant, there is one such darker individual in the background of Picture 1! They're quite different in appearance from females, being much smaller and they are also quite rare! Moreover, a mild reliance on using parthenogenesis to reproduce and lay eggs, they can become even rarer! The thin male has functioning wings and can use them when in danger by either flying away or flashing them to a predator, startling them. Naturally, wings also allow for a wider dispersal and an expansion to the search for fertile females. In an environment within captivity, the presence of a male may be likely to discourage parthenogenesis and in fertilized eggs that will hatch earlier after females drop them to the soil floor. There were no eggs to be found, so if you plan to visit and search for them, look for brown and white, seed-like objects fitted with a capsule-like projection (capitulum). They are likely to be removed and stored, as the eggs of E. tiaratum are reported to need cooler conditions to successfully hatch. Their terrarium may simulate a warm, tropical environment too well in that case. In the wild, Ants fulfill this condition, bringing the "seeds" underground into their cooler subterranean food stockpile.

These insects are exhibited in the Toronto Zoo, so I’ve marked them with the Mantis icon. Pictures were taken August 27, 2023 at the Toronto Zoo with a Google Pixel 4. Please go and visit the animals (insects very much included).