How to Identify an Indian Stick Insect

The Indian Stick Insect is the common name for Carausius morosus. This is a large, hardy species that makes an excellent pet, but a permit is needed to keep them because the Indian Stick Insect is a potential pest. Stick insects are also known as phasmids; they are all members of the order Phasmatodea. The following steps will help you identify this insect.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Look for the distinctive red stripes along the upper insides of its legs to identify the Indian Stick Insect. Like most stick insects, females come in various shades of green and brown while males are exclusively brown.
2. Handle your Indian Stick Insect carefully, if at all. It is wingless and extremely thin. Adults can reach a length of 5 inches and they have three pairs of legs on each of four segments. The legs are delicate and can drop off if held, although they can be regenerated.
3. Watch Indian Stick Insects without fear of attack. All stick insects are docile and cannot harm humans. They are herbivores and can eat many different types of fresh leaves.
4. Observe their social behavior. Indian Stick Insects are social and can live in groups, but if they are overcrowded, they may eat each other in order to control their population. Males are extremely rare and frequently sterile, so females normally reproduce by parthenogenesis.
5. Find the Indian Stick Insect in many warm areas, although it is native to the Madura province in southern India. They are becoming more widespread because of their popularity as pets and have established populations in the wild in Madagascar, South Africa and California. They also can be found in Europe as a result of discarded cultures but usually die as a result of the temperate climate there.