Acanthoxyla prasina

Prickly stick insect
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Phasmatodea
Family: Phasmatidae
Genus: Acanthoxyla
Species:
A. prasina
Binomial name
Acanthoxyla prasina
(Westwood, 1859)
Synonyms
  • Acanthoderus prasinus Westwood, 1859
  • Acanthoxyla speciosa Salmon, 1955

Acanthoxyla prasina, the prickly stick insect, is a stick insect in the order Phasmatodea and the family Phasmatidae.[1] It is native throughout New Zealand, although it is less frequently reported than "common" stick insect species. It has been introduced to Britain, predominantly Cornwall and Devon, and to the south-west region of the Republic of Ireland.[2][3] It has a thorny skin, which is used as camouflage.[4]

  1. ^ "Acanthoxyla prasina (Westwood, 1859)". phasmida.speciesfile.org. 2021. Archived from the original on 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  2. ^ "Acanthoxyla prasina (National Biodiversity Network Atlas)". nbnatlas.org. 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  3. ^ Lee, Malcolm (1998). "An updated survey of the distribution of the stick insects of Britain" (PDF). Phasmid Studies. 7 (1): 18–25. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  4. ^ "Insect poses prickly questions" on Otago Daily Times website, viewed 2013-10-16