Medauroidea extradentata

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Vietnamese walkingstick

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Phasmatodea
Suborder:	Verophasmatodea
Superfamily:	Anareolatae
Family:	Phasmatidae
Genus:	Medauroidea
Species:	M. extradentata

Binomial name

Medauroidea extradentata
Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1907

Medauroidea extradentata, commonly known as the Vietnamese or Annam Walking Stick, is a species of the family Phasmatidae. They originate in Vietnam and are commonly found in tropical forests there. They eat a variety of foliage, though in captivity they commonly eat blackberry bramble, hawthorn, oak, red maple and rose.

1 Physical Characteristics
2 Reproduction
3 Life Cycle
4 Notes
5 References

[edit] Physical Characteristics

Vietnamese walking sticks are approximately 4-5 inches (10-12 cm) in length. Their heads are elongated and oval shaped, with thread-like antennae sprouting from its head. Their chewing mouthparts are specially adapted for eating plant material. Along its thorax are a number of small pointed bumps. Their middle set of legs show small flanges and minute spikes. These walking sticks are brownish in color, and have six legs, which is a characteristic of all insects. Male Vietnamese walking sticks have a full set of wings, while females have no wings ^[1]

[edit] Reproduction

Medauroidea extradentata is mainly parthenogenetic, meaning they are asexual, making males very rare in the species. The female drops hundreds of eggs onto the forest floor, which hatch in a few months. Eggs are mottled with black and white and capped with black.

[edit] Life Cycle

The Vietnamese walking stick is short lived, living between 5-7 months. Nymphs look nearly identical to their parents, except miniature. They molt about 6 times before they become adults. At 3 months of age they become able to reproduce. Their main predators are birds and small mammals, though their camouflage helps them combat this.