Phasmids are herbivores, whereas mantids eat other animals.
The two groups are remarkably different in ecology and how they feed themselves. Phasmids are often confused with mantids because they are both experts at blending in. These insect groups share a common trait in having young that are similar in shape to the adult form and do not have a life-cycle that includes a larval stage like most other insect groups such as bees, wasps, flies, ants, moths, butterflies and beetles. Phasmids are related to other groups of insects including mantids, grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and cockroaches. Most phasmids feed on either or both Eucalyptus (gum trees) and Acacia (wattles) however some are specialists such as the Peppermint Stick Insect, Megacrania batesi, which only eats the leaves of the Screw pine, Pandanus tectorius, and receives its name from the peppermint-like smelling secretion it produces when alarmed.Īustralian stick Insects range in size from a few centimetres long to the longest species the Titan Stick Insect, Acrophylla titan, which can grow up to 250mm from head to tail, and often appear longer when the front legs are stretched forward.
Some, such as the Goliath Stick Insect are found in the forested areas of eastern Australia, there are also species which occur in arid, coastal and monsoonal environments. Phasmids are found in a range of habitats and have adapted to both resemble and feed on a variety of plant species. There are estimated to be approximately 200 species of phasmids in Australia with a total worldwide number of 3000 with new species being discovered by scientists regularly.