American spiny stick insect

The **American spiny stick insect** (*Alloextatosoma acantha*), also known as the **American spiny leaf insect**, is a species of stick insect, most closely related to the Malaysian wood nymph (*Heteropteryx dilatata*), despite resembling the spiny leaf insect (*Extatosoma tiaratum*) of Australia in size, name, and appearance, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, and wooded shrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. Fully grown female American spiny stick insects are covered with thorn-like spikes for defense and camouflage. Their long, rounded bodies grow to about 20 centimeters long. The females are further described as "heavy-bodied, brachypterous and having numerous spines and integumental expansions on the face and legs, including a tuft of spines on the conical occiput of the hypognathous head". The wings of the female are too small for flying, especially when she is gravid. Exhibiting the sexual dimorphism of many similar insects (particularly other phasmids as well as mantises), males are small and thinner, growing only about 11 centimeters in length and have three ocelli. Males lack the thorny growths except for spikes around their faces. They have long wings and are good flyers who readily take to the air if disturbed or in search of females. The American spiny stick insects are herbivorous and primarily feed on fruits, leaves of native vegetation, and leaves of non-native vegetation (especially Eucalyptus). Both sexes, when threatened, adopt a threat pose, standing on the front and middle legs, pointing their abdomen up or to the side in a sort of "scorpion" pose. They fold back their legs to defend themselves if anything comes in contact with their abdomen; the pincer movement with the sharp spines on the rear legs can puncture human skin. Adults make clicking sounds and can release a defensive odor reminiscent of toffee. Males may attempt to startle predators by flashing their wings open. The American spiny stick insect makes use of both passive and active camouflage. It adopts a curved pose when it hangs inverted amongst foliage with "its highly procryptic abdomen curled over its back". Individual American spiny stick insects tiaratum vary in color and appear brown, mottled brown, green, reddish, cream, yellowish, or entirely white. Like many stick insects, the American spiny stick insect actively sways back and forth or side to side when disturbed or when there is a gust of wind, with a frequency distribution like foliage rustling in the wind. The swaying behaviour may be motion crypsis, preventing detection by predators, or motion masquerade, promoting misclassification (as something other than prey), or a combination of the two. American spiny stick insects typically reproduce through sexual reproduction and, in just 3 to 4 months after mating, produce eggs that hatch four months later. When no males are present in the population, this stick insect exhibits parthenogenesis instead. Eggs laid without fertilization take up to 7 months to hatch and produce mostly females. In either cases, the female "flicks" her eggs, swinging her tail, up to several feet to land on the forest floor. These eggs must be kept relatively cool or warm - under 40 °C (104 °F) - otherwise they are unlikely to hatch. The outside material of American spiny stick insect eggs consists of lipids and other organic compounds that ants identify as food. They carry these eggs to their colony, consume the edible outer portion, and dump the intact eggs into their waste piles. Luckily for the American spiny stick insects, the ants eating the edible outer layer is not crucial to development, so they will hatch just as healthy without the need for any removal of the outer layer, which is not easily visible. Newly hatched American spiny stick insect nymphs are ant mimics and resemble the insects in whose nest they are born. Their aposematic pattern—orange head, white collar, the rest black—mimics the ant genus Leptomyrmex and makes them appear toxic. Although most adult American spiny stick insects are notoriously slow, these nymphs are speedy, active, and quickly make their way to the trees. Their locomotion slows when they moult into their second and subsequent instars. Females acquire their distinctive spiky appearance through additional moults as well. Females live to about 3-4 years old, males to only 2 years. The conservation status of the American spiny stick insect is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the American spiny stick insect's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.