• PHYLLOIDEA 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].

History of changes

• 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

Brock, P.D. & Hasenpusch, J.W. 2009. The Complete Field Guide to Stick and Leaf Insects of Australia. Collingwoord, Victoria : CSIRO Publishing 204 pp.

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

History of changes

• Phylliinae 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

Records of the genus Phyllium Illiger, 1798 from Australia are based on material that has since been re-identified as belonging to other genera.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

PHYLLIIDAE: Phyllium Illiger, 1798 — Bank, S., Cumming, R.T., Li, Y., Henze, K., Le Tirant, S. & Bradler, S. 2021. A tree of leaves: Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae). Communications Biology 4(932): 1-12 [8, Fig 6]

History of changes

History of changes

• Nanophyllium Redtenbacher, J. in Brunner von Wattenwyl, K. & Redtenbacher, J. 1906. Die Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden. Lfg 1: Phasmidae areolatae. Leipzig : Verlag Engelmann 180 pp. 6 pls. [180].

  Type species:

   Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher, 1906 by monotypy.

Distribution

States

Queensland

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Queensland: NE coastal

Distribution References

History of changes

• Nanophyllium australianum Cumming, R.T., Le Tirant, S. & Teemsma, S.N. 2018. Northeastern Australia record of Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher, 1906, now recognized as a new species, Nanophyllium australianum n. sp. (Phasmida, Phylliidae). Faunitaxys 6(9): 1-5 [2].

  Type data:

   Holotype ANIC 15 000074 ♂ (Collected as nymph D.C.F. Rentz 28 June-4 July 1986, matured 25.XII. 86, died 9.I.87), 3km ENE of Mt. Tozer, near Iron Range National Park, QLD [12.44S 143.14E].

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher, 1906 [a misidentification]. —
  Rentz, D.C.F. 1988. Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae: Phylliinae), a leaf insect recently recognized in Australia. Australian Entomological Magazine 15: 3-5

Introduction

The only additional specimens of Nanophyllium collected in Australia, from close to the type locality, were nymphs that died before transforming to adults and cannot be confidently identified to species, see Rentz (1988) and Cumming et al. (2018) for further details.

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Near Iron Range National Park

Known only from type locality.

IBRA

Qld: Cape York Peninsula (CYP)

Ecological Descriptors

Arboreal, herbivore.

Extra Ecological Information

Male macropterous, female brachypterous.

History of changes

• Phylliini 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.

History of changes

• Chitoniscus Stål, C. 1875. Recensio Orthopterorum. Stockholm : Norstedt & Soner Vol. 3 pp. 4-105. [62] [note this name is a junior homonym of Chitoniscus Herrmannsen, 1846].

Distribution

IBRA

Wet Tropics (WT)

History of changes

• Phyllium lobiventre Blanchard, 1853.

Distribution

Extra Distribution Information

Single record from Cairns, may have been imported (see Brock & Hasenpusch 2009: 146)

IBRA

Wet Tropics (WT)

History of changes

• Walaphyllium Cumming R.T., Thurman J.H., Youngdale S., Tirant S.L. 2020. Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae). ZooKeys 939: 1-28 [5].
  Zoobank Registration Number:http://zoobank.org/5416BF7D-0ED2-4825-859D-690662F3FC20

Introduction

Originally described as a subgenus of Phyllium, raised to genus level following Bank et al. (2021) and Cumming & Le Tirant (2022)

Distribution

States

Queensland

IBRA

Qld: Wet Tropics (WT)

General References

Bank, S., Cumming, R.T., Li, Y., Henze, K., Le Tirant, S. & Bradler, S. 2021. A tree of leaves: Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae). Communications Biology 4(932): 1-12 [4]

Cumming, R.T. & Le Tirant, S. 2022. Three new genera and one new species of leaf insect from Melanesia (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae). ZooKeys 1110: 151-200

History of changes

• Phyllium (Phyllium) monteithi Brock, P.D. & Hasenpusch, J. 2002. Studies on the leaf insects (Phasmida: Phyllidae) of Australia. Journal of Orthoptera Research 11(2): 199-205 [Date published 2003] [200].

  Type data:

   Holotype QMBA no register number given ♂ (i.1990; J. Hasenpusch), Mt Lewis, near Julatten, north QLD, Australia.
  Paratype(s) QMBA no reg. numbers given for paratypes ♂ (3.xii.1986, A. & M. Walford-Huggins), Windsor Tableland, NE Mt Carbine, north Queensland; QMBA ♀ (1935, H. Smith), Australia: Innisfail, north Queensland,; QMBA ♂ (27.xii.1976, A. Walford-Huggins; ex. UQIC), Mt. Windsor Tableland, north QLD; ANIC ♂ (3.iii.1983, R. Straatman; labelled Phyllium siccifolium), Kuranda, north QLD; AMSA ♂ (28.xii.1989, M.S. & B.1. Moulds), Mt. Lewis, nr end of road w. of Mossman, north QLD; QDPC ♀ (17.v.1965, S. Elder), Atherton Tableland, north QLD; QDPC ♀ and 8 eggs (2.x1.1964), Cadgarra State Forest, nr Lake Tinaroo, north Queensland,; QMBA (ex UQIC), Cairns district, north QLD.

Generic Combinations

• Walaphyllium monteithi (Brock & Hasenpusch, 2003). —
  Bank, S., Cumming, R.T., Li, Y., Henze, K., Le Tirant, S. & Bradler, S. 2021. A tree of leaves: Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae). Communications Biology 4(932): 1-12 [7, Fig 5] (new combination)
• Phyllium (Walaphyllium) monteithi (Brock & Hasenpusch, 2003). —
  Cumming R.T., Thurman J.H., Youngdale S., Tirant S.L. 2020. Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae). ZooKeys 939: 1-28 (new combination)

Distribution

States

Queensland

IBRA

Qld: Wet Tropics (WT)

General References

Cumming R.T., Thurman J.H., Youngdale S., Tirant S.L. 2020. Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae). ZooKeys 939: 1-28 [14]

History of changes