Megacrania batesii

Megacrania batesii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Phasmatodea
Family: Phasmatidae
Genus: Megacrania
Species:
M. batesii
Binomial name
Megacrania batesii
Kirby, 1896
Synonyms[2]

Megacrania batesii, commonly known as the peppermint stick insect, is an unusual species of stick insect found in northeastern Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea,[3] and possibly as far north as the Philippines.[4][5] It is notable for its aposematic coloration, as well as its robust chemical defense mechanism. Its common name refers to the irritating fluid — with an odor resembling peppermint — that it sprays as a defensive action[6] from a pair of glands located at its prothorax when threatened,[1] as well as the cylindrical, twig-like shape of its body. A member of the subfamily Megacraniinae, it was first described by English naturalist and explorer Henry Walter Bates in 1865.[7]

Within their distribution, the habitat of these large insects occurs in complex mesophyll vine forests (lowland tropical and subtropical rainforests), at the transition area between the forest and the beach.[8] They can be found in small numbers in such places, resting on the upper surfaces of the leaves of various species in the Pandanaceae family. Some of the isolated subpopulations of this species in northern Queensland are at risk for local extinction as a result of natural or anthropogenic hazards.[1]

This species appears to reproduce primarily by parthenogenesis, although sexual reproduction has also been observed. Predators of this insect include spiders, centipedes, green tree ants, mantises, katydids, and some birds. At least one species of parasitoid wasp has been observed to lay their eggs in the eggs of M. batesii.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Cermak, M; Hasenpusch, JW (2000). "Distribution, biology and conservation status of the peppermint stick insect, Megacrania batesii (Kirby) (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae), in Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 46: 101–6.
  2. ^ "Megacrania batesii Kirby, 1896". Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  3. ^ Hsiung, Chia-Chi (2007). "Revision of the genus Megacrania Kaup (Cheleutoptera: Phasmatidae)". Journal of Orthoptera Research. 16 (2): 207–21. doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2007)16[207:ROTGMK]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 20066587. S2CID 85588084.
  4. ^ Lit, Ireneo Latunio; Eusebio, Orlando (2008). "A new species of the genus Pharnacia (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae: Phasmatinae: Pharnaciini) on mango trees in Sibuyan Island with notes on stick insects found on agricultural crops". Philippine Agricultural Scientist. 91: 115–22.
  5. ^ Baker, Edward (2015). "The worldwide status of phasmids (Insecta: Phasmida) as pests of agriculture and forestry, with a generalised theory of phasmid outbreaks". Agriculture & Food Security. 4 (22). doi:10.1186/s40066-015-0040-6. hdl:10141/615363. S2CID 17881709.
  6. ^ "Leaf and stick insects". The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Cairns, Queensland: Wet Tropics Management Authority. 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  7. ^ Bates, HW (1865). "Descriptions of Fifty-two New Specimens of Phasmidae from the Collection of Mr. W. Wilson Saunders, with Remarks on the Family". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 25 (2): 347.
  8. ^ Tracey, J. G. (John Geoffrey) (1982), The Vegetation of the Humid Tropical Region of North Queensland, pp. 13–24