Common Name: Dragon Leaf Insect

Latin Name: Extatosoma draconis

Specimen Sex: Female

First Described: AD 2091

Description and habitat: Descended from the genus of spiny leaf insects belonging to the family Phasmatidae, this very specialized insect has evolved to be perfectly camouflaged in the burnt / burning areas of forest commonly found in Australia and Indonesia where it lives. Usually black, brown and/or purple in colour, with either yellow or mossy green highlights, they exhibit notable sexual dimorphism, the females easily identified as being larger than the males, with a maximum recorded length of 30cm. Both species have wings, but only the males are able to fly any great distance. Having evolved to thrive on the wide variety of pollutants released by wildland fire such as greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), they also ingest photochemically reactive compounds such as carbon monoxide (CO).

Reproduction: E. draconis breed all year round. During the mating process, the male connects his abdomen to the lower part of the female's egg compartment. Mating can take up to 40 minutes and is repeated several times. The female's abdomen will swell with approximately 200 eggs (an individual will produce 2000 to 3000 eggs in its lifetime) and when ready, will flick each one to the ground. Covered with a nutritious fleshy layer under a hard, fireproof exterior, each egg is kept safe until they hatch, although incubation rates are heat dependent, ensuring they only emerge when fire has died down and circumstances are optimal. On rare occasions when conditions are extreme or prolonged, they can exhibit facultative parthenogenesis, where they can switch to asexual reproduction, developing unfertilized eggs into viable offspring.

Lifespan: Males 6 - 8 months. Females up to 18 months.