Acanthoxyla | |
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A prickly green stick insect (Acanthoxyla prasina) seen in Fairfield, Otago in 2012 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Phasmatodea |
Family: | Phasmatidae |
Subfamily: | Phasmatinae |
Genus: | Acanthoxyla Uvarov 1955 |
Acanthoxyla[1] is a genus of stick insects in the family Phasmatidae (tribe Acanthoxylini).[1] All the individuals of the genus are female and reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis.[2] However, a male Acanthoxyla inermis was recently discovered in the UK, probably the result of chromosome loss.[3] The genus is the result of interspecific hybridisation[4][5] resulting in some triploid[6] lineages and some diploid[7] lineages. The genus is endemic to New Zealand,[8] but some species have been accidentally introduced elsewhere. The genus name Acanthoxyla translates from Greek as prickly stick (acantho = thorn; xyla = wood).
The Catalogue of Life lists:[1]