Extatosoma tiaratum - Spiny leaf insect
species: Extatosoma
genus: tiaratum
species in genus: 1 Extatosoma tiaratum (Macleay, 1826) (Australia)
2 Extatosoma tiaratum tiaratum (Macleay, 1826) (imitates leaves)
3 Extatosoma tiaratum bufonium Westwood, 1874 (imitates lichen
4 Extatosoma popa popa Stål, 1875 (imitates leaves)
5 Extatosoma popa carlbergi Beccaloni, 1993 (imitates lichen)
Identification
Large when fully adult, can be found in a range of colours consisting mainly of green and different shades of yellow, females are bracypterous with not even wings that cover half the abdomen but only look like wing buds that are close to the meta thorax.
Females are spiny over abdomen with legs that are wide leafy shaped legs, similar to the phyllidae species found in malayisa, the females being parthenogenic can lay from 300 to nearly 1000 eggs in the insects life time and the eggs have been recorded hatching 2 years after the female layed them.
Males are slender with fully functional wings, nymphal males curl their tail but when adult the wings prevent this scorpion mimic from happening, males are not spiny at all and have thiner leggs with the same leafy shape as the female.
Plant food sources
E. tiaratum eats a variaty but the main one described for this species eats Eucalyptus wich maintains this yellow colour. Individuals shipped over seas has developed and has been able to switch food sources because Eucalyptus is only present on the country of Australia.
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extatosoma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extatosoma_tiaratum