The family Phylliidae (often misspelled Phyllidae) contains the extant true leaf insects or walking leaves, which include some of the most remarkably camouflaged leaf mimics (mimesis) in the entire animal kingdom. They occur from South Asia through Southeast Asia to Australia. Earlier sources treat Phylliidae as a much larger taxon, containing genera in what are presently considered to be several different families.[1]
Leaf insects are well camouflaged, taking on the appearance of leaves. They do this so accurately that predators often are not able to distinguish them from real leaves. In some species, the edge of the leaf insect's body has the appearance of bite marks. To further confuse predators, when the leaf insect walks, it rocks back and forth, mimicking a real leaf being blown by the wind.[2]
Leaf insect (Pulchriphyllium species) in Pakke Tiger Reserve
The scholar Antonio Pigafetta probably was the first Western person to document the creature, though it was known to people in the tropics for a long time. Sailing with Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigational expedition, he studied and chronicled the fauna on the island of Cimbonbon as the fleet hauled ashore for repairs. During this time he documented the Phyllium species with the following passage:[3]
In this island are also found certain trees, the leaves of which, when they fall, are animated, and walk. They are like the leaves of the mulberry tree, but not so long; they have the leaf stalk short and pointed, and near the leaf stalk they have on each side two feet. If they are touched they escape, but if crushed they do not give out blood. I kept one for nine days in a box. When I opened it the leaf went round the box. I believe they live upon air.[4]
Tribes, genera and speciesedit
The subfamily Phylliinae has been divided into two tribes since 2003. This classification is not confirmed by more recent molecular genetics investigations. In addition to the fossil genusEophyllium, the subfamily distinguishes thirteen recent genera, eight of which have been described since 2017.[5] Within the genus Phyllium, the subgenus Pulchriphyllium, set up by Achille Griffini in 1898, has been distinguished from Phyllium since 1898.[6][7] With Comptaphyllium and Walaphyllium two more subgenera became in 2019 and 2020.[8][9] As of 2021, all three subgenera are considered separate genera.[10]
Since 2021, in addition to morphological, molecular genetic studies have also increasingly been included in clarification of the phylogeny of Phylliidae. Their results show the general relationship between the genera, but when comparing female and male representatives, they do not yet provide a clear phylogenetic picture of the recent genera.[11]
Cladograms of the Phylliidae species determined on the basis of molecular genetics analysis and morphological investigations according to Cumming and Le Tirant (2022):[11]
A 47-million-year-old fossil of Eophyllium messelensis, a prehistoric ancestor of Phylliidae, displays many of the same characteristics of modern leaf insects, indicating that this family has changed little over time.[13]
Referencesedit
^Bradley, J.C.; Galil, B.S. (1977). "The taxonomic arrangement of the Phasmatodea with keys to the subfamilies and tribes". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 79 (2): 176–208.
^Bergreen, Laurence (2003). Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe. William Morrow. ISBN0-06-621173-5.
^Pigafetta, Antonio. "Anthony Pigapheta, Patrician of Vincenza, and King of Rhodes, to the very illustrious and very excellent Lord Philip de Villers Lisleaden, the famous Grand Master of Rhodes, his most respected Lord." Alderley, Lord Stanley of. The First Voyage Round the World, by Magellan. New York: Burt Franklin, n.d. 35-163.
^Cumming, R. T.; Le Tirant, S. & Büscher, T. H. (2021) Resolving a century-old case of generic mistaken identity: polyphyly of Chitoniscus sensu lato resolved with the description of the endemic New Caledonia Trolicaphyllium gen. nov. (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae), ZooKeys 1055: 1–41 (2021), doi:10.3897/zookeys.1055.66796
^Cumming, R. T.; Bank, S.; Bresseel, J.; Constant, J; Le Tirant, S.; Dong, Z.; Sonet, G. & Bradler, S.: Cryptophyllium, the hidden leaf insects – descriptions of a new leaf insect genus and thirteen species from the former celebicum species group (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)ZooKeys 1018: 1–179 (2021)
^Cumming, R. T.; Teemsma, S. N. & Valero, P. (2018) Description of Phyllium (Phyllium) conlei, new species, and a first look at the Phylliidae (Phasmatodea) of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Insecta mundi. Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc., Gainesville, FL USA. 2018
^Cumming, R. T.; Le Tirant, S. & Hennemann F. H. (2019) Review of the Phyllium Illiger, 1798 of Wallacea, with description of a new subspecies from Morotai Island (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae: Phylliinae), Faunitaxys, 7(4), Saint-Etienne, 2019: 1 – 25.
^Cumming, R. T.; Thurman, J. H.; Youngdale, S. & Le Tirant, S. (2020) Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae) ZooKeys 939:5 (2020)
^Bank, S.; Cumming, R. T.; Li, Y.; Henze, K.; Le Tirant, S. & Bradler, S. (2021) A tree of leaves: Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae)
^ abcdCumming, R. T. & Le Tirant, S. (2022) Three new genera and one new species of leaf insect from Melanesia (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae), ZooKeys 1110: 151–200 (2022), doi:10.3897/zookeys.1110.80808
^Brock, P. D.; Büscher, T. H. & Baker, E. W.: Phasmida Species File (Version 5.0/5.0): Phylliidae, (accessdate 7 July 2022)
^Wedmann, Sonja; Bradler, Sven; Rust, Jens (9 January 2007). "The first fossil leaf insect: 47 million years of specialized cryptic morphology and behavior". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (2): 565–9. doi:10.1073/pnas.0606937104. PMC1766425. PMID 17197423.
External linksedit
Media related to Phylliidae at Wikimedia Commons
Phasmid Study Group: Phylliidae
April 11, 2024
phylliidae, family, often, misspelled, phyllidae, contains, extant, true, leaf, insects, walking, leaves, which, include, some, most, remarkably, camouflaged, leaf, mimics, mimesis, entire, animal, kingdom, they, occur, from, south, asia, through, southeast, a. The family Phylliidae often misspelled Phyllidae contains the extant true leaf insects or walking leaves which include some of the most remarkably camouflaged leaf mimics mimesis in the entire animal kingdom They occur from South Asia through Southeast Asia to Australia Earlier sources treat Phylliidae as a much larger taxon containing genera in what are presently considered to be several different families 1 Leaf insectsTemporal range Eocene RecentPulchriphyllium from the Western GhatsScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass InsectaOrder PhasmatodeaSuborder EuphasmatodeaSuperfamily PhyllioideaBrunner von Wattenwyl 1893Family PhylliidaeBrunner von Wattenwyl 1893Generasee text Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Tribes genera and species 2 1 Phylliini 2 2 Nanophylliini 3 Captivity 3 1 Extinct species 4 References 5 External linksCharacteristics editLeaf insects are well camouflaged taking on the appearance of leaves They do this so accurately that predators often are not able to distinguish them from real leaves In some species the edge of the leaf insect s body has the appearance of bite marks To further confuse predators when the leaf insect walks it rocks back and forth mimicking a real leaf being blown by the wind 2 nbsp Leaf insect Pulchriphyllium species in Pakke Tiger ReserveThe scholar Antonio Pigafetta probably was the first Western person to document the creature though it was known to people in the tropics for a long time Sailing with Ferdinand Magellan s circumnavigational expedition he studied and chronicled the fauna on the island of Cimbonbon as the fleet hauled ashore for repairs During this time he documented the Phyllium species with the following passage 3 In this island are also found certain trees the leaves of which when they fall are animated and walk They are like the leaves of the mulberry tree but not so long they have the leaf stalk short and pointed and near the leaf stalk they have on each side two feet If they are touched they escape but if crushed they do not give out blood I kept one for nine days in a box When I opened it the leaf went round the box I believe they live upon air 4 Tribes genera and species editThe subfamily Phylliinae has been divided into two tribes since 2003 This classification is not confirmed by more recent molecular genetics investigations In addition to the fossil genus Eophyllium the subfamily distinguishes thirteen recent genera eight of which have been described since 2017 5 Within the genus Phyllium the subgenus Pulchriphyllium set up by Achille Griffini in 1898 has been distinguished from Phyllium since 1898 6 7 With Comptaphyllium and Walaphyllium two more subgenera became in 2019 and 2020 8 9 As of 2021 all three subgenera are considered separate genera 10 Since 2021 in addition to morphological molecular genetic studies have also increasingly been included in clarification of the phylogeny of Phylliidae Their results show the general relationship between the genera but when comparing female and male representatives they do not yet provide a clear phylogenetic picture of the recent genera 11 Cladograms of the Phylliidae species determined on the basis of molecular genetics analysis and morphological investigations according to Cumming and Le Tirant 2022 11 Cladogram of Phylliidae Phylliidae RakaphylliumVaabonbonphylliumChitoniscusPulchriphyllium nbsp Comptaphyllium nbsp AcentetaphylliumNanophyllium nbsp Trolicaphyllium nbsp Walaphyllium nbsp Cryptophyllium nbsp Phyllium nbsp MicrophylliumPseudomicrophylliumRelationships of the Phylliidae genera after examining females from 27 species 11 Cladogram of Phylliidae Phylliidae Rakaphyllium nbsp VaabonbonphylliumChitoniscusPulchriphyllium nbsp Comptaphyllium nbsp Acentetaphyllium nbsp Nanophyllium nbsp Trolicaphyllium nbsp Walaphyllium nbsp Cryptophyllium nbsp Phyllium nbsp MicrophylliumPseudomicrophylliumRelationships of the Phylliidae genera after examining males from 28 species 11 The Phasmida Species File V 5 0 lists the following genera in two tribes 12 Phylliini edit Auth Brunner von Wattenwyl 1893 Chitoniscus Stal 1875 Pacific Chitoniscus feejeeanus Westwood 1864 Chitoniscus lobipes Redtenbacher 1906 Chitoniscus lobiventris Blanchard 1853 type species as Phyllium lobiventre Blanchard Comptaphyllium Cumming Le Tirant amp Hennemann 2019 Australasia nbsp Comptaphyllium caudatum male from the collection of D GrosserComptaphyllium caudatum Redtenbacher 1906 type species as Phyllium caudatum Redtenbacher Comptaphyllium regina Cumming Le Tirant amp Hennemann 2019 Comptaphyllium riedeli van de Kamp amp Hennemann 2014 Cryptophyllium Cumming Bank Bresseel Constant Le Tirant Dong Soner amp Bradler 2021 SE Asia Selected species Cryptophyllium athanysus Westwood 1859 Cryptophyllium celebicum De Haan 1842 type species as Phyllium celebicum Haan W de Cryptophyllium westwoodii Wood Mason 1875 Microphyllium Zompro 2001 Northern Philippine Islands Microphyllium haskelli Cumming 2017 Microphyllium spinithorax Zompro 2001 type species nbsp Pulchriphyllium giganteum in the permanent collection of The Children s Museum of IndianapolisPhyllium Illiger 1798 Sundaland Philippine Islands Wallacea Australasia Selected species Phyllium bilobatum Gray G R 1843 Phyllium hausleithneri Brock 1999 Phyllium jacobsoni Rehn J A G amp Rehn J W H 1934 Phyllium letiranti Cumming amp Teemsma 2018 Phyllium siccifolium Linnaeus 1758 type species as Gryllus siccifolius Linnaeus Pseudomicrophyllium Cumming 2017 Northern Philippine Islands Pseudomicrophyllium geryon Gray G R 1843 Pseudomicrophyllium pusillulum Rehn J A G amp Rehn J W H 1934 type species as Pseudomicrophyllium faulkneri Cumming Pulchriphyllium Griffini 1898 Seychelles India Western Indonesia continental Asia Selected species Pulchriphyllium bioculatum Gray G R 1832 Pulchriphyllium giganteum Hausleithner 1984 Pulchriphyllium pulchrifolium Serville 1838 type species as Phyllium pulchrifolium Serville Rakaphyllium Cumming amp Le Tirant 2022 New Guinea and Ayu Islands Rakaphyllium exsectum Zompro 2001 Rakaphyllium schultzei Giglio Tos 1912 type species as Pulchriphyllium schultzei Giglio Tos Trolicaphyllium Cumming Le Tirant amp Buscher 2021 Pacific nbsp Trolicaphyllium sarrameaense female from the collection of D GrosserTrolicaphyllium brachysoma Sharp 1898 type species as Phyllium brachysoma Sharp Trolicaphyllium erosus Redtenbacher 1906 Trolicaphyllium sarrameaense Grosser 2008 Vaabonbonphyllium Cumming amp Le Tirant 2022 New Guinea and Solomon Islands Vaabonbonphyllium groesseri Zompro 1998 type species as Phyllium groesseri Zompro Vaabonbonphyllium rafidahae Cumming amp Le Tirant 2022Walaphyllium Cumming Thurman Youngdale amp Le Tirant 2020 Australasia Walaphyllium lelantos Cumming Thurman Youngdale amp Le Tirant 2020 Walaphyllium monteithi Brock amp Hasenpusch 2002 Walaphyllium zomproi Grosser 2001 type species as Phyllium zomproi Grosser Nanophylliini edit nbsp Nanophyllium asekiense female from the collection of D GrosserAuth Zompro amp Grosser 2003 Acentetaphyllium Cumming amp Le Tirant 2022 New Guinea Acentetaphyllium brevipenne Grosser 1992 type species as Phyllium brevipennis Grosser Acentetaphyllium larssoni Cumming 2017 Acentetaphyllium miyashitai Cumming Le Tirant Teemsma Hennemann Willemse amp Buscher 2020 Acentetaphyllium stellae Cumming 2016 Nanophyllium Redtenbacher 1906 Southern Indonesia New Guinea NE Australia Nanophyllium adisi Zompro amp Grosser 2003 Nanophyllium asekiense Grosser 2002 Nanophyllium australianum Cumming Le Tirant amp Teemsma 2018 Nanophyllium chitoniscoides Grosser 1992 Nanophyllium daphne Cumming Le Tirant Teemsma Hennemann Willemse amp Buscher 2020 Nanophyllium frondosum Redtenbacher 1906 Nanophyllium hasenpuschi Brock amp Grosser 2008 Nanophyllium keyicum Karny 1914 Nanophyllium pygmaeum Redtenbacher 1906 type species Nanophyllium rentzi Brock amp Grosser 2008 Nanophyllium suzukii Grosser 2008 Captivity editSeveral species have gained in popularity as pets including Cryptophyllium celebicum Cryptophyllium westwoodii Phyllium jacobsoni Phyllium ericoriai Phyllium siccifolium Phyllium letiranti Phyllium monteithi Phyllium philippinicum Phyllium rubrum Phyllium tobeloense Pulchriphyllium bioculatum and Pulchriphyllium giganteum Extinct species edit A 47 million year old fossil of Eophyllium messelensis a prehistoric ancestor of Phylliidae displays many of the same characteristics of modern leaf insects indicating that this family has changed little over time 13 References edit Bradley J C Galil B S 1977 The taxonomic arrangement of the Phasmatodea with keys to the subfamilies and tribes Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 79 2 176 208 Hidden Beauty Archived Bergreen Laurence 2003 Over the Edge of the World Magellan s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe William Morrow ISBN 0 06 621173 5 Pigafetta Antonio Anthony Pigapheta Patrician of Vincenza and King of Rhodes to the very illustrious and very excellent Lord Philip de Villers Lisleaden the famous Grand Master of Rhodes his most respected Lord Alderley Lord Stanley of The First Voyage Round the World by Magellan New York Burt Franklin n d 35 163 Cumming R T Le Tirant S amp Buscher T H 2021 Resolving a century old case of generic mistaken identity polyphyly of Chitoniscus sensu lato resolved with the description of the endemic New CaledoniaTrolicaphylliumgen nov Phasmatodea Phylliidae ZooKeys 1055 1 41 2021 doi 10 3897 zookeys 1055 66796 Cumming R T Bank S Bresseel J Constant J Le Tirant S Dong Z Sonet G amp Bradler S Cryptophyllium the hidden leaf insects descriptions of a new leaf insect genus and thirteen species from the former celebicum species group Phasmatodea Phylliidae ZooKeys 1018 1 179 2021 Cumming R T Teemsma S N amp Valero P 2018 Description of Phyllium Phyllium conlei new species and a first look at the Phylliidae Phasmatodea of the Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesia Insecta mundi Center for Systematic Entomology Inc Gainesville FL USA 2018 Cumming R T Le Tirant S amp Hennemann F H 2019 Review of the Phyllium Illiger 1798 of Wallacea with description of a new subspecies from Morotai Island Phasmatodea Phylliidae Phylliinae Faunitaxys 7 4 Saint Etienne 2019 1 25 Cumming R T Thurman J H Youngdale S amp Le Tirant S 2020 Walaphyllium subgen nov the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species Phasmatodea Phylliidae ZooKeys 939 5 2020 Bank S Cumming R T Li Y Henze K Le Tirant S amp Bradler S 2021 A tree of leaves Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects Phasmatodea Phylliidae a b c d Cumming R T amp Le Tirant S 2022 Three new genera and one new species of leaf insect from Melanesia Phasmatodea Phylliidae ZooKeys 1110 151 200 2022 doi 10 3897 zookeys 1110 80808 Brock P D Buscher T H amp Baker E W Phasmida Species File Version 5 0 5 0 Phylliidae accessdate 7 July 2022 Wedmann Sonja Bradler Sven Rust Jens 9 January 2007 The first fossil leaf insect 47 million years of specialized cryptic morphology and behavior Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104 2 565 9 doi 10 1073 pnas 0606937104 PMC 1766425 PMID 17197423 External links edit nbsp Media related to Phylliidae at Wikimedia Commons Phasmid Study Group Phylliidae Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Phylliidae amp oldid 1215835646, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
