Family PHYLLIIDAE Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893
Compiler and date details
John Balderson, D.C.F. Rentz & A.M.E. Roach CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- PHYLLIDAE Brunner von Wattenwyl, C. 1893. Révision du système des Orthoptères et description des espèces rapportées par M. Leonardo Fea de Birmanie. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova 2a 13: 1-230 [published September].
Type genus:
Phyllium Illiger, 1798.
Introduction
The Phylliidae comprise eight subfamilies (Key 1991), only one of which the Phylliinae is present in Australia.
The Phylliinae is represented in Australia by three genera, Chitoniscus, Phyllium and Nanophyllium. Species of Phyllium are among the world's most spectacular insects because of their strong resemblance to leaves and twigs. The body is strongly dorso-ventrally flattened and the legs bear broad lamellate expansions.
Phylliidae occur widely in South-East Asia and New Guinea but are encountered only rarely in Australia. All three Australian records are from northern Queensland; one may represent and introduction. For the single specimen of Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher recorded from Australia, Rentz (1988) reported that the specimen appeared to be a female as a nymph, being strongly flattened and green and bearing short antennae, but after the last moult a surprising change took place. The individual was elongate and black, and resembled a wasp with long antennae and it was definitely a male.
See Brock and Hasenpusch (2009) for further information.
General References
Bradley, J.C. & Galil, B.S. 1977. The taxonomic arrangement of the Phasmatodea with keys to the subfamilies and tribes. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 79: 176-208
Brunner von Wattenwyl, C. 1893. Révision du système des Orthoptères et description des espèces rapportées par M. Leonardo Fea de Birmanie. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova 2a 13: 1-230 [published September]
Günther, K. 1956. Phasmatoptera. pp. 7-93 in Hanström, B., Brinck, P. & Rudebeck, G. (eds). South African Animal Life. Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951. Stockholm : Almqvist & Wiksell Vol. 3.
Kevan, D.E.McE. 1982. Phasmatoptera. pp. 379-383 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw Hill Vol. 2.
Key, K.H.L. 1991. Phasmatodea (Stick-insects). pp. 394-404 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 1 xiii 542 pp.
Rentz, D.C.F. 1988. Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae: Phylliinae), a leaf insect recently recognized in Australia. Australian Entomological Magazine 15: 3-5