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Superfamily Phasmatoidea Karny, 1923
Synonymy
Anareolatae Redtenbacher, 1906, Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden, p 20.
Phasmidae Karny, 1923, Treubia III (2): 230-242.
Bacterioidea Brues, Melander and Carpenter, 1954, Bull Mus Comp Zool 108: 18, 102.
Phasmatidae Beier, 1957, Bronns Klassen und Ordnungen des Tierreichs, 5. Bd., III. Abt., 6. Buch, 2. Lief.: 425, 432.

Description
Body form slender, often extremely stick- or blade-shaped, rarely more compact. The posterior four tibiae without a ventroapical area apicalis (areola). Tarsi clearly five-segmented.

Distribution
Found throughout the range of the order, with an origin in the Australian-Melanesian realm.

Key to Families
(translated from Beier, 1957: 426-427)
1. Antennae stoutly built and clearly segmented, usually shorter than the anterior femora but never as long as the body; in those with longer antennae, the ventral carinae of the middle and posterior femora usually distinctly and uniformly serrate or dentate; winged, or the median segment is at least as long as the metanotum.
2
1'. Antennae filiform, indistinctly segmented, especially in the middle and near the end, longer than the anterior femora, often as long as the body; ventral carinae of the middle and posterior femora not uniformly serrate, usually only with a few small distal teeth or unarmed; wingless, usually thin, rod-shaped.
9
2 (1). Antennae either longer than the anterior femora or the anterior femora, at least in the female, are dorsobasally clearly serrate; with wings, wing rudiments, or wingless.
3
2'. Antennae clearly shorter than the anterior femora; ventral carinae of all femora smooth, neither serrate nor dentate; elongate and stick-like or compact in form, in which case they are small, usually unarmed; anal segment of the male not split or lobed.
Family Pachymorphidae Karny, 1923
3 (2). Anterior femora usually clearly quadrate in section, seldom triangular; if quadrate, never unadorned basally or with the upper carina serrate; if triangular, completely unarmed (with the exception of the wingless Cladoxerini and Phibalosomatidae).
4
3'. Anterior femora triangular in section, at least dorsobasally serrate; winged or with wing rudiments or the median segment is longer than metanotum (a few thin, stick-like Indian species with dorsobasally non-serrated anterior femora and short median segment are recognizable by a split, bilobed male anal segment).
Family Phasmatidae Karny, 1923
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