Timema californicum

Males distinguished by smaller body size, different coloration, and prominent cerci adapted for grasping females during mating. Adults show pronounced sexual dimorphism compared to the phenotypically identical hatchlings. As a Timema species, it lacks wings and has a compact body form relative to other phasmids.

California; specifically collected in Saratoga County. Natural habitat requirements not well documented.

Endemic to California, United States.

Eggs hatch in early winter; nymphs develop through spring, reaching maturity in late spring. Adult and hatchling stages do not co-occur temporally.

Hemimetabolous development with egg, nymph, and adult stages. Eggs hatch in early winter. Nymphs undergo several moults before reaching adulthood in late spring. Males have one moult fewer than females. Three developmental stages characterized: hatchling (sexually monomorphic), third juvenile stage (minor phenotypic differences), and adult (pronounced sexual dimorphism).

• Other Timema speciesTimema is a small genus of wingless walkingsticks; species identification requires examination of male genitalia and cerci structure
• Winged phasmidsTimema species are uniquely wingless among Phasmida, distinguishing them from most other walkingsticks

• Phasmida
• Timematidae
• walkingstick
• stick insect
• California endemic
• sexual dimorphism
• hemimetabolous
• X0 sex determination

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
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• Dynamics of sex-biased gene expression during development in the stick insect Timema californicum.