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Leaf Insects

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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Leaf Insects

 

(Phylliidae), a family of insects of the order of Phasmodea. The insects have broad flattened bodies and leaflike broadened legs. The females have no hindwings and are unable to fly; the form and vein pattern of the forewings, or tegmina, make them resemble a leaf (hence the name); this protective similarity (mimicry) is increased by the coloration, which blends with leaf colors. The males’ shortened tegmina are not leaflike; their hindwings are well developed, and the males are capable of flight. There are about 20 species, distributed primarily in tropical Asia.

REFERENCE

Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 3. Moscow, 1969.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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