Stats

Lifespan: About 1 yr
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

A slender, twig-mimicking insect of North American deciduous forests. Females are wingless and can reproduce parthenogenetically, occasionally producing localized population outbreaks that defoliate oak canopies.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Phasmida
Family: Diapheromeridae
Genus: Diapheromera
Species: Diapheromera femorata