The family Phylliidae (often misspelled Phyllidae) contains the extant true leaf insects or walking leaves, which include some of the most remarkable leaf mimics in the entire animal kingdom. They occur from South Asia through Southeast Asia to Australia. At present, there is no consensus as to the preferred classification of this group; some sources treat Phylliidae as a much larger taxon, containing the members of what are presently considered to be several different families. Leaf insects use camouflage to take on the appearance of a leaf. They do this so accurately that predators often arent able to distinguish them from real leaves. In some species the edge of the leaf insects body even has the appearance of bite marks. To further confuse predators, when the leaf insect walks, it rocks back and forth, to mimic a real leaf being blown by the wind.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 07:55:55 +0000