Megacrania batesii

Megacrania batesii, commonly known as the peppermint stick insect, is a bluish-green coloured stick insect that only lives on the midribs of the leaves of the "screwpine" Pandanus tectorius. If disturbed during the day, it emits a fine spray of a milky substance with an odor resembling peppermint.[1] They do not use their hind legs for locomotion.[2][3]

Megacrania batesii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Platycraninae
Genus:
Megacrania
Species:
M. batesii
Binomial name
Megacrania batesii
Kirby, 1896
Synonyms
  • Megacrania batesi Redtenbacher, 1908

Taxonomy

This species was first described by William Forsell Kirby in 1896.[4] Another Megacrania species, M. alpheus should possibly be included in M. batesii.[5]

Distribution

The species occurs in Queensland, as well as several islands in the Pacific Ocean, for example the Solomon Islands, Ambon Island, New Guinea, the New Hebrides and the Philippines.[6]

gollark: you monoapiochylohazard.
gollark: It is afternoon, apiomurohazard.
gollark: Night night? It's not night, apioform.
gollark: ddg! goosemod
gollark: +>markov

References

  1. Costa, James T. (2006). The Other Insect Societies. Harvard University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-674-02163-1.
  2. "Peppermint Stick Insect (Megacrania batesii)". www.ozanimals.com. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  3. Miller, Peter (12 February 2003). "Megacrania batesii". home.swiftdsl.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  4. Kirby, W. F. (1896). "On some new or rare Phasmidae in the Collection of the British Museum". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 2. 6 (6): 447–475. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1896.tb00546.x via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. Hsiung, Chia-Chi; Yang, Jeng-Tze (December 2000). "Systematic Study of Megacrania Species of Australia (Cheleutoptera: Phasmatidea)". Journal of Orthoptera Research (9): 71–75. doi:10.2307/3503636. JSTOR 3503636.
  6. Cermak, M; Hasenpusch, J W (2000). "Distribution, biology and conservation status of the peppermint stick insect, Megacrania batesii (Kirby) (Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae), in Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 46: 101–106 via Biodiversity Heritage Library.


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