Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida) comprises 3000 species worldwide with only 15 species known in Europe. Stick-insects are found in nearly all temperate and tropical ecosystems. Species are mostly nocturnal and phytophagous. Phasmatodea bears several common morphological characters that clearly defi ne the order: an emarginated labrum, a pair of exocrine glands located inside the prothorax, and a thorax fused with the first abdominal sternum. Phasmids undergo an incomplete metamorphosis (four to eight instars), with the young nymphs resembling miniature, albeit wingless, adults.
Order Phasmida is also known as Order Phasmatodea.Walking sticks (or stick insects) use camouflage for protection.Their morphology resembles sticks or leaves.They young are usually green in color and the adults are usually brown.Adults are usually seen from midsummer to late fall. They can also release a foul odor that may ward off predators.They are able to regenerate or partially regenerate lost limbs and have compound eyes.They can be anywhere from 2.5 centimeters to a little over a foot in length.They live in tropical areas all over the world, including South America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the United States.All species in the United States (except one in Florida) are wingless.More than 3, 000 species are currently described.Walking sticks feed on the leaves of shrubs and trees.Females can lay eggs without a male and the eggs will all be exact female copies of the mother.The nymphs molt several times before becoming an adult.Walking sticks can be seen in the fossil record as far back as the Eocene.
