Rods are unusual insects that live mainly in tropical tropical countries. They perfectly mastered the art of camouflage, impeccably imitating various parts of plants. In nature, they are represented by a huge number of species, about one of them - the Annam stave, information is presented in this publication.
Ghost squad
Today, 455 genera and about three thousand species of stick insects are known. All insects of this order have an outstanding appearance, allowing them to be invisible to predators. With the help of a special color, body shape and various outgrowths, they copy the leaves and branches of trees. Thanks to this skill, they are called stick-sticks, leaf-trees, ghosts, and even horror stories.
These insects look very different. For example, the Phyllium giganteum looks like a wide bright green leaf, and Dryococelus australis is painted black or brown, has a wide body and is a bit like a bear. The Annam stick is one of the most famous representatives of the detachment and more than any other justifies its name. It has a very long body and really resembles a branching twig. Having met him in nature, you can not guess that in front of you is a living creature.
Description and photo of the Annam
Wands often evoke mixed feelings on the verge of surprise and disgust. They have an elongated cylindrical body and thin elongated limbs. Their head is small, with small round eyes and a filiform tendrils that constantly move. The mouth of the gnawing type is adapted for eating leaves and slightly protrudes forward. Above on the head are two outgrowths in the form of small horns.
Females of the Annam stave grow up to 12 centimeters. Males are much smaller and reach only 7-8 centimeters in size. Their limbs are located at right angles to the body and make up almost half its length. At the ends they are equipped with special suction cups that allow you to attach to various surfaces and move around even on glass. The Annamite sticks have no wings at all, but in some species they are present and serve mainly to scare away ill-wishers.
Disguise and behavior
The Anamma sticks are usually slow, inactive and very calm. They sit in the crown of trees or bushes and are active mainly at night.
The sticks are painted green or brown, the shades of which vary depending on the lighting and the internal condition of the insect. The coloring pigment is located in special cells of the upper layers of their skin. When expanding or narrowing, they give the stickman a brighter or duller color.
To completely merge with the plants, the body of the insect is covered with tiny spikes and irregularities, and the limbs are curved, like real branches. But the special realism of the image is achieved by the ability to be in a bizarre position for a long time, while maintaining absolute immobility.
If the enemy has crept too close and has already grabbed the stick, he can drop one of the limbs to try to escape. For some time, the torn off part of the body moves and twitches on its own. In its place at the stickman a new limb may appear, which will slightly differ from the rest.
Habitat
The Annamite sticks live in the hot and humid regions of Asia. They inhabit forests, thickets near roads, clearings and woodlands. For them, increased humidity and high ambient temperature are important, so they do not occur outside the tropics. However, in the world they are not very widespread and live within Indochina and the surrounding territories. The homeland of the pilgrims is considered to be Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Development and reproduction
Like all insects, stick insects go through several stages of development, making a series of transformations and molts. Interestingly, their reproduction can occur without the participation of the male, through parthenogenesis. In this case, exclusively females are born. If both individuals take part in breeding, then sticks of both sexes hatch from the eggs. Because of this, females are better distributed and are found in nature much more often than males.
The female can lay eggs when it reaches the size of 11 centimeters. The small sticks in them are in a twisted state; when they go outside, many of them are injured or die. This is not surprising, because the size of the egg reaches only 3 mm, and the length of the stick larva is about 1.5 centimeters.
Young insects appear two months after laying eggs. Over the next 5 months, they will need to shed about 6 times to become fully formed individuals. In the adult stage, they do not spend too much time - the total lifespan of stickmates is from eight months to a year.
