Identification
Leaf insects, the better-camouflaged relatives to stick insects, mimic leaves and seeds. They are difficult to spot not only by humans. Leaf insects sometimes mistake one another for real leaves and eat chunks of one another&'s bodies. During a leaf insect&'s life cycle, it changes its skin several times, according to SA-Chameleons.com. It might have green or brown wings with textures like those of surrounding leaves. Tropical leaf insects often grow to be the largest species, reaching nine or 10 inches in length.
Reproduction
Male leaf insects have thinner bodies, larger wings and longer antennae. When they are ready to mate, males fly around to locate females. Female leaf insects lay eggs throughout most of their adulthood. Depending on the particular species, female leaf insects lay up to 1,000 eggs over their lifetime, dropping them onto the ground.
Egg
Depending on the species, eggs might stay on the ground until they hatch. In the case of spiny leaf insects, the eggs have special parts that are attractive to ants and encourage ants to carry the eggs back to their nest where the eggs are safe from predators. In captivity, leaf insect eggs are placed in a plastic box for incubation and are sprayed lightly every day. After four to six months, the eggs hatch. Warmer temperatures help the eggs to hatch sooner, according to LeafInsects.net.
Nymph
When it emerges from the egg, a leaf insect is in the nymph form. Small and brown, it looks like an adult leaf insect without the wings. It feeds on young, soft leaves after a few days. It needs humidity and clean surroundings to survive, and often mortality rates can be as high as 20 percent. In captivity, you can place several leaf insect nymphs in one cage to increase appetite. Unlike mammals, leaf insects do not have skin that grows as they become older. Instead, nymphs shed their skin several times to reveal bigger skin underneath, a process also known as molting. Depending on the particular species, a leaf insect might take weeks or months to reach adulthood.
Adult
At adulthood, female leaf insects tend to be bigger than males. For example, adult Javan leaf insect males range between 1.8 to 2.7 inches, while females often measure between 2.6 to 3.7 inches in length. When a leaf insect reaches adulthood, it begins to eat both young and old leaves. Leaf insects have a life expectancy of about one or two years, with females often outliving males, according to LeafInsects.net.