Loss and recovery of wings in stick insects (2024)

FAQs

Do stick bugs regenerate? ›

Stick insects undergo incomplete metamorphosis. It is possible for a stick insect to regrow a lost limb but only when they moult again. This means that, if your stick insect is an adult, then it won't be able to regrow the lost limb.

Some stick insects got wings back after their ancestors lost them. Got wings? Some modern stick insects, like this Phasma gigas (top), regained wings, but others, like members of the Leprocaulinus genus (inset) still have to get around on their own six feet.

Major morphological structures are sometimes produced not once, but twice. For example, stick insects routinely shed legs to escape a predator or tangled moult, and these legs are subsequently re-grown.

The ancestors of the organism will have had good use of the organ but over successive generations the organ has not been needed and been reduced to the point where it can no longer function. A good example of a vestigial organ is the wings of some species of stick insects.

The process of insect limb regeneration can be generally divided into three stages: wound healing, blastema formation, and morphogenesis (regenerative growth, differentiation, and patterning) (Feleke et al. 2021; Zhou et al. 2021) (Fig. 1).

Some groups of insects have been shown to regenerate whole limbs, while others not at all. In general, regeneration capacity is linked to how an insect develops through metamorphosis.

Because they acquire their wings during their terminal moult, insects cannot repair wings and must rely exclusively on behavioural mechanisms for damage compensation. The most direct consequence of wing damage is the alteration of forces and moments due to the loss of aerodynamic surface.

If knocked off of their resting location some species pretend to be dead. If a stick insects falls from its perch whilst moulting it may be possible to save it by hanging it upside down by the loose old skin at the end of its tail.

In a Nutshell. Even if we develop wings, we will still be unable to fly. To support an adult human body, our wings need to be very big.

Stick insects feed on vegetation and are usually active after dark. They can be found on a variety of native plants in addition to some introduced plants common in gardens. When disturbed, stick insects will often fall to the ground and “play dead” for hours.

Do stick insects feel pain? ›

It is likely to lack key features such as 'distress', 'sadness', and other states that require the synthesis of emotion, memory and cognition. In other words, insects are unlikely to feel pain as we understand it.

Why are stick insects vulnerable in captivity? Stick insects are completely dependent on their owners to provide the correct accommodation and food. If they are given leaves which have been sprayed with pesticide they may die. If their home is too low and small they may not be able to climb out of their skins.

One of the most interesting things about stick insects is their ability to reproduce parthenogenetically. This is a form of asexual reproduction where the unfertilized females produce eggs that hatch into females. If a male fertilizes the egg, it has a fifty-fifty chance of turning out male.

Despite their size and sometimes fearsome appearance, none of these insects can inflict a painful bite or sting, although one American species can emit a chemical spray from special glands where its front pair of legs join the thorax, which may cause temporary blindness and considerable pain.

Some sure do, but like many insects, they do not fully develop wings until adulthood, and even then, there is variation in how functional the wings are for flight, or if wings are present at all!

They reach maturity between three months and one year, and usually live up to two years. More than 3,000 species of stick insect exist, many of which are susceptible to habitat destruction, pesticide use, and collection for the pet trade.

An adult stick insect measures about 7.5cm after about five or six skin moults and will live for about a year. Stick insects live in tropical and semi tropical areas of the world. They are vegetarians and eat the leaves of plants, shrubs and trees.

Life cycle

Stick insects lay eggs and the babies emerge as 'nymphs', which look like tiny adult stick insects. The life cycle goes:egg, nymph and adult. Females lay thousands of eggs within a lifetime. The eggs will drop from her to the base of trees and shrubs.