Phas'midæ — Chambers's Encyclopaedia

Phas'midæ (Gr. phasma, 'a spectre'), a family of insects, including walking-stick insects (Bacillus and Bacteria), spectre-insects (Phasma), and leaf-insects (Phyllium). With the exception of Bacillus, which occurs in south Europe, they occur in the tropics—in South America, Borneo, East Indies, &c. As their names suggest, they have a striking resemblance to the twigs and leaves of the plants on which they feed and live. See LEAF-INSECT, MIMICRY.