:) Did You Know That Some Insects That Don’t Need Males To Reproduce?
It’s true -- Carausius morosus, also known as the 'common', 'Indian' or 'laboratory' stick insect, are all female and reproduce by parthenogenesis, i.e. without mating. The eggs laid by the females hatch without being fertilized by males.
As the name suggests, a stick insect resembles the twigs amongst which it lives, providing it with one of the most efficient natural camouflages on Earth.
Here is an image of an Indian stick insect:
Stick insect species, often called walking sticks, range in size from the tiny, half-inch (11.6 millimeter) long Timema cristinae of North America, to the formidable 13-inch (328 millimeter) long Phobaeticus kirbyi of Borneo. This giant measures over 21 inches (546 millimeters) with its legs outstretched, making it one of the world’s longest insects. Females are normally larger than males.
There are currently over 2,500 known species of these “walking sticks”, and most are found in tropical areas. Their life span is only about one year.
Here are some images of stick insects:
Sources:
- Questions & Answers about the Natural World (ISBN 1-40541-682-3)
- http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_hoppers/StickInsect.htm