Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Bank S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8329230 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Bank Sarah S Cumming Royce T RT Li Yunchang Y Henze Katharina K Le Tirant Stéphane S Bradler Sven S
Communications biology 20210802 1
The insect order Phasmatodea is known for large slender insects masquerading as twigs or bark. In contrast to these so-called stick insects, the subordinated clade of leaf insects (Phylliidae) are dorso-ventrally flattened and therefore resemble leaves in a unique way. Here we show that the origin of extant leaf insects lies in the Australasian/Pacific region with subsequent dispersal westwards to mainland Asia and colonisation of most Southeast Asian landmasses. We further hypothesise that the ...[more]