Editing Phasmatodea (section)

{{short description|Order of stick and leaf insects}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Stick insect|Stick grasshopper|Stick mantis|Water stick insect}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Jurassic|Recent}}
| image = Le Caylar fg01.JPG
| image_caption = ''[[Pijnackeria hispanica]]''
| taxon = Phasmatodea
| authority = [[Georgij Georgiewitsch Jacobson|Jacobson]] & [[Valentin Lvovich Bianchi|Bianchi]], 1902
| display_parents = 4
| subdivision_ranks = Subgroups
| subdivision = {{extinct}}[[Susumanioidea]]<br />
[[Timematodea]]<br />
[[Euphasmatodea]] (=Verophasmatodea)
}}
[[File:Pitcher plant and Stick insect.JPG|thumb|upright|Phasmid in marginal forest on a [[pitcher plant]] in the [[Philippines]]]]
The '''Phasmatodea''' (also known as '''Phasmida''' or '''Phasmatoptera''') are an [[Order (biology)|order]] of [[insect]]s whose members are variously known as '''stick insects''', '''stick bugs''', '''walkingsticks''', '''stick animals''', or '''bug sticks'''. They are also occasionally referred to as '''Devil's darning needles''', although this name is shared by both [[Dragonfly|dragonflies]] and [[Tipuloidea|crane flies.]]<ref>{{Cite book |first=Vance |last=Randolph |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/868269974 |title=Ozark Magic and Folklore. |date=2012 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=978-1-306-33958-2 |oclc=868269974}}</ref> They can be generally referred to as '''phasmatodeans''', '''phasmids''', or '''ghost insects''', with phasmids in the family [[Phylliidae]] called '''leaf insects''', '''leaf-bugs''', '''walking leaves''', or '''bug leaves'''. The group's name is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|φάσμα}} ''{{transliteration|grc|phasma}}'', meaning an [[Apparitional experience|apparition]] or [[Ghost|phantom]], referring to their resemblance to vegetation while in fact being animals. Their natural [[camouflage]] makes them difficult for [[predators]] to detect; still, many species have one of several secondary [[antipredator adaptation|lines of defense]] in the form of [[startle display]]s, spines or toxic secretions. Stick insects from the genera ''[[Phryganistria]]'', ''[[Ctenomorpha]]'', and ''[[Phobaeticus]]'' include the world's longest insects.

Members of the order are found on all continents except [[Antarctica]], but they are most abundant in the [[tropics]] and [[subtropics]]. They are herbivorous, with many species living unobtrusively in the tree canopy. They have an [[incomplete metamorphosis]] life cycle with three stages: egg, [[Nymph (biology)|nymph]] and adult. Many phasmids are [[parthenogenic]] or [[Androgenesis|androgenetic]], and do not require fertilized eggs for female offspring to be produced. In hotter climates, they may breed all year round; in more temperate regions, the females lay eggs in the autumn before dying, and the new generation hatches in the spring. Some species have wings and can disperse by flying, while others are more restricted.