Western Short-horn Walkingstick
Parabacillus hesperus
This record describes Parabacillus hesperus (species). Recorded family: Heteronemiidae. Recorded order: Phasmida.
Identification and Appearance
Wikipedia reference for Parabacillus hesperus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabacillus_hesperus.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Phasmida (Walkingsticks)
- Family
- Heteronemiidae (Common Walkingsticks)
- Genus
- Parabacillus (Short-horn Walkingsticks)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
Chaparral and grassland
Geographic Range
California and Oregon in the west, east through Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico to Texas
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Eats various scrub and grassland plants
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: From Greek hesperos ('εσπερος)- "evening, the evening star, west", probably because it's a western species
About Walkingsticks: the wider group
Order-level background for Phasmida, the group containing Parabacillus hesperus. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Phasmida (stick insects and leaf insects) includes ~3,000 described species. The longest insect ever discovered is a stick insect - Phryganistria chinensis Zhao - measuring 64 cm (25.2 inches) found in China in 2016.
Ecological role of the group
Many stick insect species can reproduce without mating (parthenogenesis) - entire populations can consist of only females. Their eggs often mimic plant seeds and are dispersed by ants, which carry them to their nests.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Stick insects are among the most popular pet insects worldwide. The Indian stick insect (Carausius morosus) is widely used in schools and laboratories for biology education and genetic research.
Recorded sources for this group: Guinness World Records, entomology research. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Western Short-horn Walkingstick (3)
Photo credits: Contributed by Chuck Entz; Additional contributions by David Ferguson