Indian green stick insect
The Indian green stick insect is a species of stick insect with a slender green body and thin yellow-green legs
Species
Insecta
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Herbivore
Conservation Status
Still to be evaluated
Indian green stick insect
Carausius morosus
Irish Name: Cipíneach glas Indiach
ICUN Status: Not Listed
The Indian green stick insect is a species of stick insect with a slender green body and thin yellow-green legs. The front legs have patches of red closest to the bodies. They can also range in colour from a darker green to brown. They can grow to between 8 and 10 centimetres in length.
They are native to southern India and Sri Lanka, but have been accidentally introduced into other countries including South Africa, Britain, Portugal, and the United States.
General Information
Zoo location
Discovery & Learning Centre
Animal class
Insecta
Animal order
Phasmatodea
Where do they live (Natural habitat)?
Indian green insects are typically found in grassland and forest habitats.
How long do they live?
They reach maturity between 6 and 8 months, and will live for approximately 14 to 18 months.
What do they eat?
The Indian green stick insect is an herbivore, feeding mainly on leaves. At Dublin Zoo, they are fed a mixed diet of bramble and privet leaves, but will also feed on oak, ivy, and rose leaves.
Group name
The collective name for a group of stick insects is a ‘bushel’.
Closest related species / sister species
Indian green stick insects are most closely related to other stick insects in the family Lonchodidae, of which there are over 1,000 species.
Fun Facts!
The Indian green stick insect
Behaviours
Indian green stick insects are primarily nocturnal. During the day, they remain very still to avoid detection by predators.
They will also bring all of their legs in close to their body, making themselves look like a curled up leaf or a seed pod to avoid predation. If they still feel that this is ineffective, they will allow themselves to drop to the ground in order to escape, where they might play dead to avoid detection. They will also “dance” in a swaying side-to-side motion to better resemble twigs blowing in the wind.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Indian green stick insects are exclusively female. There are no reports of males. Thus, the females have evolved the ability to self-fertilise and produce eggs. This asexual reproduction process is known as ‘parthenogenesis’. As the eggs are self-fertilised, all the nymphs that hatch are also female. Genetically, they are exact clones of the female who laid their egg.
The eggs will incubate in the soil for between 3 and 4 months before the nymph hatches. They reach maturity between 6 and 8 months, and will live for approximately 14 to 18 months. Throughout their lives, the insects will moult several times. This is because their outer bodies, known as an exoskeleton, is made of chitin, a tough protein that does not grow with them. As a result, they must shed their old skin whenever they grow. Most stick insects go through 6 to 8 moults in their lifetime.
Adaptations
Their eggs resemble seeds which are collected by ants. The eggs hatch safely in the ant nest, and the nymphs leave as soon as possible, climbing into the nearest tree for safety.
Indian green stick insects resemble seed pods or curled up leaves, allowing them to camouflage and hide from predators amongst tree branches.
Conservation
Not Listed
The Indian green stick insect is not listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is likely a result of its wide distribution and abundance, as well as popularity in the pet trade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Indian green stick insects are found in the grasslands and forests of India, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Britain, and the United States.
They are herbivores. In human care, they happily feed on privet, bramble, oak, and ivy leaves.
In the earliest stage of their lives, stick insects are referred to as ‘nymphs’.
Parthenogenesis is the process by which a female animal can reproduce asexually (without a mate) by fertilising their own eggs to produce offspring. These offspring are genetically identical to their mother, technically making them clones.
The stick insects can be found in the Discovery & Learning Centre at Dublin Zoo.
