Acrophylla titan

Taxobox
name = Titan stick insect (egg)


image_width = 200px
image_caption= 2nd last instar


image2_width = 200px
image2_caption = Adult female (pinned specimen)
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
subclassis = Pterygota
infraclassis = Neoptera
superordo = Exopterygota
ordo = Phasmatodea
familia = Phasmatidae
subfamilia = Phasmatinae
genus = "Acrophylla"
species = "A. titan"
binomial = "Acrophylla titan"
binomial_authority = Macleay, 1827

The titan stick insect ("Acrophylla titan") is the longest stick insect found in Australia. It is endemic to south-east Queensland and New South Wales. Titan stick insects are pale brown-grey in colour and can grow up to 30cm in length. The females can be easily identified as being larger than the males. Males are able to fly but females are not.

Breeding

Titans breed during winter/summer. During the mating process, the male connects his abdomen to the lower part of the female's egg compartment. Mating can take up to 40mins and is repeated several times. The female will end up with a fat abdomen and will produce a lot of eggs (200 to 1000) in her life time.

The females then flick their eggs to the ground. The eggs look like those of the children's stick insect, but they are black-grey with a small white growth. Ants pick them up and eat the growth, and leave the egg in the refinery where they hatch.

ee also

*Spur legged phasmid
*Children's stick insect
*Goliath stick insect

External links

* [http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_hoppers/Titan.htm Brisbane insects/Titan]
* [http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/inquiry/factsheets/Stick_Insects_20070605.pdf factsheet]
* [http://www.mdavid.com.au/insect/insect.html m. david Titan]
* [http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/education/programs/eco-online/courancove/pdf/wom/titan-stick-inesct.pdf qld museum Titan]
* [http://www.bugsed.com/fact_sheets/titan_stick_insect.html Bugs ed Titan]