Hermarchus (phasmid)
Genus of stick insects
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hermarchus[1] is a genus of very large stick insects within the order Phasmatodea and the tribe of Stephanacridini. Known species occur in New Guinea, Fiji, Australia, Philippines and New Caledonia.
| Hermarchus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phasmatodea |
| Family: | Phasmatidae |
| Tribe: | Stephanacridini |
| Genus: | Hermarchus Stål, 1875 |
Description and biology
Females are often 200 to 240 mm long (body length), depending on species. The males are winged, while wings are lacking in the larger females. In captivity, they are known to feed upon the leaves of plants such as eucalyptus, guava, bramble and acacia.
Species
The Phasmida Species File lists:
- Hermarchus apollonius (Westwood, 1859)
- Hermarchus differens Redtenbacher, 1908
- Hermarchus insignis (Kaup & Heyden, 1871)
- Hermarchus leytensis Zompro, 1997
- Hermarchus novaebritanniae (Wood-Mason, 1877)
- Hermarchus pythonius (Westwood, 1859) - type species (as Phibalosoma pythonius Westwood)
- Hermarchus trigonus (Thunberg, 1815)
- Hermarchus virga Redtenbacher, 1908