AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Giant Prickly Stick InsectExtatosoma tiaratum

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Giant Prickly Stick Insect profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 40 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Franklin Park Zoo, Zoo New England

Giant Prickly Stick Insect. Franklin Park Zoo, Zoo New England.

The page saysA leaf-mimic that sways like a branch in the breeze, and hatches looking like an ant.
The source saysgently sway back and forth like branches moving in the breezeNote: tagline; the ant half is the next claim
The page saysTropical forests of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea
The source saysThese leafy insects live in tropical forests throughout northern Australia and also Papua New Guinea.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysMostly eucalyptus leaves
The source saysfeed primarily on eucalyptus leavesNote: stats.diet
The page saysFranklin Park Zoo lists females at 4 to 5 inches long (about 10 to 13 cm) and males at 3 to 4 inches (about 8 to 10 cm).
The source saysMale: 3-4 inches long Female: 4-5 inches longNote: converted: 4-5 in = 10.2-12.7 cm, 3-4 in = 7.6-10.2 cm
The page saysMales have wings and can fly.
The source saysMales have wings and are capable of flight
The page saysFemales have very short wings and cannot fly, but spiny projections on their legs and abdomen help deter predators.
The source saysspiny projections on their legs and abdomen that help deter predators
The page saysThis insect lives in tropical forests in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The source saysThese leafy insects live in tropical forests throughout northern Australia and also Papua New Guinea.
The page saysIt is arboreal, meaning it lives in trees, and nocturnal, meaning it is active at night.
The source saysarboreal, nocturnal insect
The page saysIt feeds mostly on eucalyptus leaves.
The source saysfeed primarily on eucalyptus leaves
The page saysIt often curls its abdomen to look like a dry, dead leaf, and it sways gently like a branch in the breeze.
The source saysThey often curl their abdomens to resemble dry, dead leaves and gently sway back and forth like branches moving in the breeze
The page saysThe curled abdomen looks like a scorpion's tail, but the insect has no stinger.
The source saysIts curled abdomen resembles a scorpion's tail, but unlike a scorpion, it has no stinger.
The page saysIf threatened, an adult can release a strong-smelling odour.
The source saysIf threatened, adult giant prickly stick insects can release a strong-smelling odor as a defense
The page saysBats, birds and reptiles still eat it.
The source saysthey are still preyed upon by bats, birds and reptiles
The page saysFemales can reproduce without a mate. This is called parthenogenesis.
The source saysFemales are also capable of reproducing without a mate, a process called parthenogenesis.
The page saysEggs made this way take longer to develop.
The source saysEggs produced this way take longer to develop
The page saysFemales are the larger sex.
The source saysthe larger, wingless females
The page saysIts main defence is camouflage.
The source saysthey rely primarily on their remarkable camouflage for protection
The page saysthe insect sways gently back and forth like a branch moving in the breeze
The source saysgently sway back and forth like branches moving in the breezeNote: vibe.reason

Source
02

Britton

Britton. Leaf and Stick Insects: Order Phasmatodea. The Australian Museum.

The page saysA leaf-mimic that sways like a branch in the breeze, and hatches looking like an ant.
The source sayslook and behave like red-headed black antsNote: tagline (ant half)
The page saysHatches looking and behaving like an ant
The source sayslook and behave like red-headed black antsNote: stats.superpower
The page saysThe mother flicks her eggs onto the ground below her perch.
The source saysflicking them onto the ground below their perch
The page saysEach egg has a knob, called a capitulum, that ants find attractive.
The source saysThe eggs have a knob, called a capitulum, which is attractive to ants.
The page saysAnts carry the eggs back to their underground nests.
The source saysAnts carry the eggs back to their underground nests
The page saysThe young stick insects, called nymphs, hatch after one to three years underground and look and behave like red-headed black ants.
The source saysThe young phasmids (or nymphs) hatch after one to three years underground and look and behave like red-headed black ants.
The page saysThey emerge from the nest and climb rapidly upwards, looking for soft green leaves.
The source saysThey emerge from the ant nest and climb rapidly upwards, looking for soft green leaves.
The page saysThe ants eat only the knob, says the Australian Museum, and leave the rest of the egg in the nest, protected from other animals that might eat it.
The source sayseat only the knob, and leave the rest of the egg in the nest, protected from other animals that might eat it
The page saysThe Australian Museum says females live for about 18 months, while males survive for around 6 to 8 months.
The source saysThe females live for about 18 months, while the males are only short-lived, surviving for around 6-8 months.Note: Museum (Australian institution, sex-specific) preferred over FPZ's unsexed 10-12 months
The page saysOnly the males. They are long and slim, with fully developed wings. The females have very large bodies but very short wings, and cannot fly.
The source saysThe females of this species have very large bodies but very short wings and are unable to fly. The males are long and slim with fully developed wings.Note: FAQ 1; FPZ says 'wingless', but the Museum and sexually-2022 ('vestigial wings') say the wings are very short
The page saysFemales have very short wings and cannot fly, but spiny projections on their legs and abdomen help deter predators.
The source saysThe females of this species have very large bodies but very short wings and are unable to fly.Note: wing half; FPZ's 'wingless' contradicts the Museum and the vestigial wings in sexually-2022
The page saysThe giant prickly stick insect, Extatosoma tiaratum, hatches as a fake ant.
The source sayslook and behave like red-headed black ants

Source
03

Rudolf & Brock 2017

Rudolf & Brock (2017). Extatosoma tiaratum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T80201037A104413678.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF's copy of the Red List, taxon id 80201037 matches the DOI
The page saysThe IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).

Source
04

Zeng et al. 2020

Zeng et al. (2020). Canopy parkour: movement ecology of post-hatch dispersal in a gliding nymphal stick insect ( Extatosoma tiaratum ). Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysA study found that newly hatched nymphs travelled more than 100 metres within 60 minutes.
The source saysNewly hatched nymphs ascend with high endurance, travelling >100 m within 60 min.
The page saysResearchers found that newly hatched nymphs answer touch and a potential threat with a self-dropping reflex.
The source saysrespond to tactile stimulation and potential threat with a self-dropping reflex, resulting in aerial descent
The page saysGliding then helps them recover after a drop.
The source saysgliding is then an effective mechanism enabling recovery after predator- and perturbation-induced descent
The page saysThey can also jump across gaps.
The source saysNymphal E. tiaratum also use directed jumping to cross gaps

Source
05

Alavi et al. 2016

Alavi et al. (2016). Novel microsatellite markers suggest the mechanism of parthenogenesis in Extatosoma tiaratum is automixis with terminal fusion. Insect Science.

The page saysFertilised eggs produce sons and daughters, and unfertilised eggs produce female offspring.
The source saysFertilized eggs produce sons and daughters through sexual reproduction and unfertilized eggs produce female offspring via parthenogenesis.
The page saysNo. Researchers describe the species as facultatively parthenogenetic, meaning females lay eggs continuously whether or not they have mated. Unfertilised eggs hatch as daughters.
The source saysExtatosoma tiaratum is a facultatively parthenogenetic Australian insect (Phasmatodea), in which females oviposit continuously throughout their adult lifespan irrespective of mating.Note: FAQ 3
The page saysUnfertilised eggs hatch as daughters.
The source saysunfertilized eggs produce female offspring via parthenogenesisNote: FAQ 3 last sentence

Source
06

Burke & Bonduriansky 2022

Burke & Bonduriansky (2022). Sexually but not parthenogenetically produced females benefit from mating in a stick insect. Functional Ecology.

The page saysIn one study, daughters produced by parthenogenesis were smaller than sexually produced females and more prone to deformities in their vestigial (leftover, tiny) wings.
The source saysparthenogenetically produced females were smaller and more prone to deformities in vestigial wings

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.