Clitarchus hookeri
(White, 1846)
Smooth Stick-insect
Taxonomy:
Phasmida>>Phasmatidae
Status: British Isles non-native species.
Description: Either green or brown. The Unarmed Stick-insect and the Smooth Stick-insect appear similar at first glance. They can distinguished because the Smooth Stick-insect has a near continuous black line along its thorax, has pointed cerci, and has no opercular spine, whereas the Unarmed Stick-insect has a black line on the pronotum only, has rounded cerci, and has a stout opercular spine.
Habitat: Native to New Zealand. In the UK only known from the Isles of Scilly.
Phenology: The species can breed parthenogenetically, that is, eggs develop without the need for fertilization by a male. Males of the Smooth Stick-insect are common in New Zealand, but none have been found in Britain.
Distribution: The records held by the National Biodiversity Network are shown in the map below.
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Only the following datasets are included:
- Biological Records Centre - Grasshopper and Cricket (Orthoptera) and related species records from Britain and Ireland to 2007
Other datasets on the gateway may hold additional information.