Stick insect. Ghost insect

The story "Ghost Insect. Stick Insect"

Khamidulina Almira Idrisovna
Position and place of work: teacher primary classes, MBOU pro-gymnasium “Christina”, Tomsk
Description of material: This story will be useful for students junior classes, as well as for adults. The story about the stick insect can be used when preparing a teacher for extracurricular activities, for reading with the family and just for general development.
Target: acquaintance with an unusual stick insect.
Tasks:
- talk about the characteristics of the stick insect;
- develop attention, imagination, curiosity, observation, speech;
- cultivate interest in the study of insects, instill a love for the world around them.
stick insect- one of the most amazing animals on Earth, which has more than 2,500 species. Its name comes from the ancient Greek language and is associated with the concepts of “ghost”, “ghost”. The insect really has unusual camouflage abilities, with the help of which it can quickly disappear from sight. It has a head, chest, abdomen, antennae, legs, which is common to all insects. He very artistically becomes similar to the most in different parts plants: thin stem, dry twig, leaf unusual shape. Looks like a ghost, doesn't it? Stick insects live in hot countries. Well-developed eyes are located on the small round head. The Indian stick insect has a long and thin abdomen.
The Australian one, on the contrary, is wide and similar to the shape of a leaf.

You will quickly understand the aptness of the name if you watch a stick insect: it clings to a branch with its legs, hangs, or bends its body to the side at a large angle. The hind legs become elongated, like a soldier’s, the antennae and straight front legs fold together, and our friend, “having turned” into a twig or dried leaves, “disappears.” Often a person knows for sure that a prankster is hiding among the branches, but it is very difficult to find him.

Such a cunning creature, you must admit, is very difficult to find! After all, the stick insect easily “turns” into stones, branches, stems and grass. Master! Not everyone is the best bird of prey will consider! Yes, we don’t see him, but he sees us perfectly. After all, he has very developed eyes! Realizing that he has been noticed by enemies, he defends himself perfectly, skillfully taking a difficult threatening pose. Often it emits a strong-smelling liquid to respond to the attacker. There are many examples in nature when, having realized that life is still more valuable, they part with their leg if they were grabbed by it. For the stick insect this is not a big problem, because the leg will partially recover. True, the leg will no longer be as good! But a life has been saved!
The color of the insect is protective, changing from light to dark. It depends on heat and light. This process lasts slowly.
In nature, there are stick insects in “armor.” This is when the body is equipped with cones and spinal ridges. Not so harmless ghost insects! It’s easier to find other prey than to swallow these living spines!

When the stick insect sits in a protective position, it becomes very flexible. If you give the stick insect any position, it will remain in that position until it comes out of the special state of protection.
These amazing ghost insects often live in dense thickets of bushes, small lawns with tall grass, and in the forest. Stick insects are harmless eaters of eucalyptus leaves.

But sometimes they become quite numerous and cause significant damage to the forest. Stick insects are active at night when there are no predators. Body length ranges from 3 to 36 cm. Insects with a body length of 32 cm or more are recognized as the largest in the world. Females are much larger in size than males. By the way, much fewer males are born than females.
Only two species of stick insects live on the territory of Russia - Far East(Ussuri) and within Bashkiria.

Thank you for your attention!

The scientists were not joking at all when they called whole squad ghost insects. The title reflects the essence of these amazing creatures. Appearance, and also more way in real life they resemble ghosts. You carefully examine the plant, and suddenly some of its branches come to life and crawl into the thick of the foliage, where they are immediately lost from sight. These are ghost insects, or stick insects, of which there are more than 2.8 thousand species. Although stick insects have achieved complete resemblance to the branches and leaves of the plants on which they feed, they are no different in structure from other insects: the body is divided into a head, chest and abdomen, and the thoracic segment bears three pairs of legs, usually long. Stick insects themselves are quite large insects: from 2 to 50 centimeters long.

Stick insects appeared about 250 million years ago, and Mesozoic era among them there were many good flying species - aeroplanoids.

The head is small, slightly elongated, with compound eyes and antennae in front of them. The antennae act as probes, and until the stick insect feels the obstacle in front of it with them, it will not move, says neurobiologist Andre Krause from the University of Bielefeld. “Moreover, well-coordinated movements of the antennae are akin to the movement of other paired limbs.” In leaf insects (Phyllium), these appendages are used not only for touch, but also for communication. Thus, the larvae chirp with the help of antennas in a range inaudible to humans, warning individuals of their species that the edible plant is already occupied. Stick insects spend their entire lives grinding leaves. Their upper jaws - mandibles - are equipped with powerful teeth, and their lower jaws - maxillae - are equipped with special palps with a variety of receptors, with which they taste food and water. By the shape of the jaws you can judge whether it is a stick insect or another insect trying to pretend to be a twig, such as the long-headed locust (Proscopia). Often the femoral segments of the stick insect's front legs have grooves, and when it extends the legs along the body, the head fits perfectly into the niche between the thighs. This pose turns the insect into a complete resemblance of a twig. There are species in which the front legs are widened and bear concave scutes: when the scutes are folded together, a tube is obtained in which both the head and antennae are hidden. Most ghosts live for about a year, and while the larva, which looks like an adult, grows, it must shed (change its skin) five or six times. Stick insects appeared about 250 million years ago, and in the Mesozoic era there were many good flying species - aeroplanoids - among them. In nature, stick insects are found mainly in dense forests humid tropics and subtropics. Therefore, only two species (both rare) live in Russia: in the Far East - the relict Ussuri stick insect (Baculum ussurianum) and in Bashkiria - Ramulus bituberculatus. However, due to the fact that stick insects attracted people, today they can be found all over the world in living collections of keepers - people involved in breeding exotic animals for study and simply for their own pleasure. For example, the Peruvian stick insect (Peruphasma schultei) is very beautiful view velvety black color with yellow eyes and small bright red wings - was discovered only ten years ago in northern Peru, but unusual appearance helped it spread throughout the world: it ended up in zoos and private collections. In the Cordillera del Condor mountains, at an altitude of 1200–1800 meters, its range is limited to a small reserve of five hectares, and the staff of the Biological Research Institute of the Eastern Cordillera, with the support of the Peruvian government, take care of the protection of this endemic. In nature, this twilight insect feeds only on plants of the genus Shinus, hiding during the day in bromeliads, and in captivity it eats common privet, as well as lilacs, honeysuckle and some violets. Breeding ghosts at home is not difficult due to the fact that they are polyphagous - they can easily switch from one food plant to another. In nature, stick insects eat the leaves of Rosaceae, legumes (especially acacia), as well as hibiscus, rhododendron, ivy and evergreen oaks. In captivity, many of them switch to raspberries, blackberries, bird cherry, lilac, linden, honeysuckle, and pedunculate oak. So for successful breeding these insects do not need to be raised botanical garden, just walk around the area and you will probably find some kind of substitute plant. Although the question of how exactly the stick insect chooses a replacement plant for itself, unfortunately, has not been studied. Yes, sometimes the insect itself finds a flower to taste, so you shouldn’t keep pots with rare plants close to stick insects. In a world where everything is subordinated to a cruel race for survival, the stick insects have chosen the “middle path.” They do not have sharp teeth or claws, they do not run fast, preferring a measured life in the crowns of trees or in the branches of bushes. And yet they were able to find the perfect way to protect themselves - they became invisible. And stick insects have someone to hide from. Their main enemies are small insectivorous birds; wandering spiders that hunt in the forest floor for ghost larvae; insectivorous mammals. So the stick insects have developed different ways protection from predators. Phytomimitry occupies a special place: these insects brought it to perfection, bringing their body closer in shape and color to the branches and leaves of the plants on which they live. Leafhoppers, tucking in several legs, perfectly resemble leaves and even sway along with the foliage when the wind blows. And the Costa Rican mossy stick insect (Trychopeplus laciniatus) blends in with the moss. Ghosts adapt well to new conditions. When pets are given complete freedom, after a while they hang among bamboo wickers or on the tassels of curtains, similar to the insects themselves. Special pads on the tips of their paws also help stick insects disappear among the branches, with the help of which they move along a completely smooth vertical surface and even upside down.

In the mountains of Chile there is a stick insect, which, when alarmed, sprays a caustic liquid that causes temporary blindness in people.

“When pressed, this pad expands, increasing the area of ​​adhesion to the surface of the substrate,” says entomologist Walter Federl from the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. “In addition, it releases a sticky liquid, which, when the pressure is released, is absorbed back into the pad.” Another way to deceive the enemy is catalepsy: the stick insect freezes in a bizarre pose until the threat passes, because many predators see only moving objects. At this moment, even if you catch the stick insect with your paw, wing or beak, it will fall into the litter, simulating a broken off twig or leaf. Then you can find it only by smell, which shrews and possums are capable of. Flying stick insects can confuse their pursuers with flashes, revealing their brightly colored hind wings. A predator, fascinated by the movement, will lose sight of the stick insect as soon as it sits down and folds its wings under its camouflage elytra. If you grab a stick insect by one of its limbs, it will easily throw it off, like a lizard throwing off its tail, but in stick insects, legs grow only during molting, and the new limb will always be shorter than the previous one. However, in order to walk, a stick insect only needs to retain half its legs, or even two. The Australian leaf stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) looks like a spiny acacia leaf. If it is discovered, the stick insect curls its abdomen into a spiral and becomes one large thorn, which is unlikely to be flattered by anyone. If the predator doesn't give up, the time comes active protection: after all, you can frighten and drive away the enemy, even wound him. In some species, such as the leaf-shaped Malaysian stick insect (Heteropteryx dilatata), the inside of the thighs and legs are completely covered with spines; or bears several large spines - like the New Guinea Eurycantha calcarata. When an unsuspecting predator attacks such a prey, it turns its back to it, bends its abdomen towards its head, opens its spiny legs and sways from side to side, rustling its elytra or opening its bright wings. If the enemy continues to press, the stick insect pinches him with his feet and stabs him, preventing him from escaping. After such educational work, the predator’s interest in the potential victim greatly weakens. But the most powerful weapon of stick insects, which helps them cope even with humans, is chemical defense. Some species have special glands that secrete poisons. Usually the discharge is simply repelled by a sharp, nasty odor. However, in the mountains of Chile at an altitude of 1500–4000 meters, the stick insect Agathemera elegans is found, which, in case of alarm, sprays a caustic liquid that causes temporary blindness in people. The Cordilleran stick insect is less cruel: it produces an irritating secretion similar in effect to tear gas. In order not to waste precious liquid, the insect first gives a warning signal by showing bright red wings. Scientists at All Thing Bugs are dedicated to studying the secrets (in both senses of the word) of stick insects to create new products to combat mosquitoes and fire ants. A matter of life for any creature, be it higher mammal or bacterium, is procreation. It’s not enough to just have children, you need to ensure their safety so that at least a few offspring grow up and, in turn, leave offspring. Stick insects, of course, do not look after children, and it seems that they even scatter eggs at random. But it is worth observing carefully the ghostly ones during reproduction, and the opinion of them as bad parents will change. Most stick insects rely solely on phytomimitry to preserve their offspring: their eggs resemble plant seeds. For complete camouflage, the female scatters them randomly: she arches her abdomen and, as if from a catapult, shoots an egg into the litter. And the female leaf-shaped Malaysian stick insect pierces the ground with a beak-shaped ovipositor and, pumping hemolymph along the abdomen, tries to push the egg as deep as possible. The Australian leaf-shaped stick insect transfers its eggs to the protection of the ubiquitous ants. It happens like this. The female drops the egg on the ground, where ants discover it. Thanks to the edible shell, the ants mistake it for a seed and take it to the anthill, where they eat the “peel” without harming the embryo. Then a black larva hatches, looking like an ant. At first she moves as quickly as ants, but eventually she finds her food plant, and her life takes on the usual slow course. Female stick insects can reproduce parthenogenetically - laying viable eggs without the participation of males.

Female stick insects from the genus Timema have survived without males for two million years.

For the most part, females also emerge from such eggs, but the appearance of males is not excluded. The alternation of sexual and asexual methods of reproduction allows this order of insects to survive unfavorable times. Parthenogenesis, for example, is often observed in captivity when there are not enough males. However, as geneticist Tanya Schwander from the University of Lausanne has established, females from the genus Timema have been without males for two million years. Lovers of domestic exotics have been breeding stick insects for two decades. And every year new species are found that replenish the keepers’ collections. For example, last year on the Philippine island of Mindanao, entomologist Marco Gottardo from the University of Siena discovered a stick insect that combines the characteristics of several different subfamilies and was therefore named Conlephasma enigma, that is, “mysterious.” Getting stick insects is easy: just buy a small one vertical terrarium and find suitable food (rose hips, lilac, oak). And insects can be purchased at a pet store or through the online community of keepers. These are fans of their business, ready not only to offer rare species ghosts, but also to share all kinds of information about them, which is very important, especially for beginners.

stick insect– amazing insect, it belongs to the order of ghosts. There are more than 2500 species of them. Outwardly, it resembles a stick or leaf. You can verify this by looking at photo of stick insect.

He also has a head with antennae; body covered with chitin; and long legs. The stick insect is recognized as the most long insects. A record holder lives on the island of Kalimantan: its length is 56 cm.

On average, these insects are from 2 to 35 cm. Their color is brown or green. It can change under the influence of heat or light, but rather slowly. Special cells containing pigments are responsible for this.

There are eyes on the small round head; by the way, stick insects have excellent vision, and oral apparatus gnawing type, capable of overpowering branches and hard veins of leaves.

The body is narrow or with a flattened abdomen. The legs are covered with thorns or spines and look like stilt sticks. They end with suction cups and hooks that secrete a sticky liquid.

A stick insect can move quickly using this, even across glass wall. Some species have wings, which they can use to fly or glide.

These amazing stick insects live in the tropics and subtropics next to fresh water bodies. Most of all they love thickets of succulent bushes. Although there are exceptions, the Ussuri stick insect can also be found in the Far East of Russia, in the Caucasus and in the mountains Central Asia.

Character and lifestyle of the stick insect

Stick insects- these are masters of phytomimyry, or simply camouflage. If he sits on a branch in bushes or trees, it is simply impossible to find him. Thanks to its body shape, stick insect looks like a twig.

But his enemies react to movement, so he is also characterized by thanatosis. At the same time, he falls into a stupor and can be in the most bizarre and unnatural position, very long time.

While camouflaging, a stick insect can be in the most bizarre and uncomfortable positions for a long time.

Stick insects begin their movement at night, but even then they do not forget to take precautions. They cannot be called nimble insects. Very slowly and smoothly, freezing at every rustle, they move along the branches, eating succulent foliage.

This is a fairly large non-flying insect, 12 cm long and one and a half cm wide. Now, having artificially propagated the population, they have allocated an entire island as a reserve, having previously destroyed all the enemies.

Most insects use two methods of defense. The first is to actively respond to the attack. But for this you need to have a weapon no less formidable than the attacker. The second method comes down to hiding as quickly as possible. And for this we need strong legs or wings.

Its large size and inactivity made the stick insect a tasty morsel for predators.

Enemies of stick insects

• Birds. Stick insects are often caught by small birds searching for food among trees and bushes.
• Spiders. Stick insects rarely get caught in spider webs, but their larvae, which often live in the litter, become prey for stray spiders prowling both the ground and vegetation.
• Mammals. In some areas, small arboreal mammals prey on stick insects.

How can unarmed and slow stick insects escape from their enemies? These insects have found a very unusual way: the body shape of stick insects is almost identical to the shape of the branches of the plants on which they live. This similarity is enough to make them almost invisible to predators. Moreover, insects not only resemble twigs in their shape, but can also imitate the position and movement of branches. When a light breeze moves the vegetation, the stick insects move in time with the surrounding foliage.

The stick insect takes a protective pose, stretches out its front legs and antennae and looks like a pointed twig. This method of protection, in which the insect is likened to a plant, is called “phytomimyry”. To find a stick insect hiding on a branch, you just need to lightly shake the plant: when frightened, the insect will begin to move along the branch.

In addition, they are able to maintain absolute stillness, plunging into a cataleptic state of “imaginary death” and emerging from it when the threat has passed.

The protective (critical) posture of the stick insect is characterized by a special adaptive property - the so-called catalepsy. In this state, the appendages of the insect’s body acquire “waxy” flexibility and it can be given any unnatural pose. For example, an insect can be placed head down, while the abdomen and legs can be bent in the most bizarre way. Even amputation of a limb will not bring the stick insect out of catalepsy. This condition is regulated by the nervous system.

Species such as leaf stick insects mimic leaves.

But it happens that the disguise fails, and the predator attacks the stick insect. In this case, some stick insects have powerful spines on their bodies and limbs, with which they can inflict painful injections on the enemy. Other species adopt a threatening posture, similar to how scorpions do. Finally, some species of stick insects have " chemical weapons": special glands in the thoracic region produce a caustic substance that is similar in effect to tear gas. When threatened, they spray this substance at the predator through ducts that open behind the head. The attacker has no choice but to leave the stick insect alone. The toxins it produces are so strong that they can cause severe pain even in humans if they get into the eyes or mucous membranes.

Sly insects

All animals try to make the most of environment. Some of them, in particular stick insects, have adapted to use even other animals for their benefit.

Perhaps the most responsible activity for many animals is caring for their offspring. Mammals, birds, some reptiles (for example, crocodiles) and even fish (cichlids) tend to take care of their offspring. This phenomenon, as a rule, is not characteristic of invertebrate animals. At first glance, stick insects, like most insects, do not care about their offspring at all. It would seem that the female laid her eggs in a suitable place and forgot about them. But this “irresponsible” approach is far from simple. The female stick insect lays eggs singly on the surface of the soil or on plants. The eggs are similar to seeds and have a dense shell, which allows them to be camouflaged and protected from potential enemies. The shell of eggs contains fats that attract ants. They pick up the eggs and take them to their anthill. After eating the outer shell, they leave the egg at the foot of the anthill. They fearlessly defend their home, and their bites are quite painful, so it is a rare animal that dares to approach an anthill. Not surprisingly, stick insect eggs are relatively safe here.

This strategy is called “myrmecochory.” Scientists believe that in this way stick insects have adapted to expand their habitat, since the ability of adult individuals to move is very limited.

Some properties of stick insects are so unusual that research centers are studying them.

Parthenogenesis

Some species of stick insects are characterized by parthenogenesis, i.e. a method of reproducing offspring without the participation of a male. But it manifests itself only under certain conditions. An example is the Indian stick insect Carausius morosus. In his natural environment habitat in the forests of India, males and females of this species mate to reproduce, like other stick insects. Moreover, in laboratory conditions, females deprived of males can lay eggs without fertilization. The ability to reproduce in the absence of males is the subject of a number of scientific studies.

Regeneration

As a rule, animals are not able to regenerate lost limbs. But stick insects (some species) are an exception to this rule. They can regenerate lost parts of their body. For stick insects, this is one of the ways of protection. This phenomenon is called “autotomy” and is expressed in self-amputation of the injured limb - separation of joints, etc. Lost body parts are restored quite easily.

If you decide that stick insects, which will be discussed are animals, then this is a mistake. Phasmatodea or Phasmida is a family of insects with about three thousand species.

Origin and disguise

The origin of its name goes back to the ancient Greek language: phasma means “ghost”, “ghost”. The insect really has amazing camouflage abilities that allow it to quickly disappear.

Stick insects are herbivores and harmless, making them easy prey for insectivores. So over time they had to invent very unusual ways of protecting themselves from predators. Greenish or brownish insects are camouflaged both in color and shape as the plants they eat. When they don't move, you can hardly distinguish them from a twig. When moving, stick insects sway like branches from gusts of wind. You can also see the following picture: an insect that is frightened by something falls “dead” to the ground, and then “comes to life” as if nothing had happened.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Tropical forests are the typical habitats of these insects, whose soft body allows them to be quite safe on the treetops. They are often mistaken for scorpions. There is no coincidence in this, after all. Stick insects live on eucalyptus trees, where there is a lot of appetizing, lush greenery, masquerading as dried leaves. However, if they sense danger, they bend so that they become similar to a scorpion.

Stick insects consume food at night. During the daytime, they rest, being motionless. The body of these insects has a tight chitinous shell, which is usually eaten after molting. Thus, the protein supply is replenished, and the habitat is well hidden from predators. Eggs are very similar to plant seeds, which also does not attract the attention of “offenders.”

Some types

A message about stick insects would be incomplete without mentioning at least some of their species. Barbed giant stick insect, scientifically speaking, Extatasoma tiaratum is the most popular species of these insects. Large females with small wings and a body with spines measure twelve to fifteen centimeters. Males of this species are sleek and slender with well-developed wings. The color of such stick insects is very exotic. It ranges from light peach to dark red-orange. There are also greenish individuals.

A close relative of the above insect is Eurycantha calcarata, better known as the Prickly Devil. The name clearly refers to its body, which is covered with hard spines. Insects are quite warlike. This is evidenced by the often adopted threatening pose. This is especially true for males, who have big thorns, capable of injuring or killing an opponent.

The report on stick insects can be continued, because this type insects is very interesting. After all, they are bred even at home.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you