Bactrododema hecticum "Windhoek"

Bactrododema hecticum "Windhoek"
Genus
Bactrododema
Species
hecticum (Lichtenstein, 1796)
Stock
"Windhoek"
CLP
665
Culture status
Probably lost
Foodplants
Bramble (Rubus spp.)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Acacia sp.
Prosopis sp.
Schinus sp.
Breeding notes

Bactrododema hecticum "Windhoek"  CLP 665
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

 

General Informations

  • provenience: Windhoek, Nambia
  • ID by Paul Brock (GB) in 2014
  • F1 CB culture in 2015 by Bruno Kneubuehler (CH)
  • further taxonomical informations ➤ phasmida.speciesfile.org
  • this is a pure culture, and serious breeders are asked to avoid mixing this culture with similar populations from a different provenience. When spreading this culture to other breeders, then always use the full name with provenience
  • this culture has the number CLP 665  (Online Phasma Culture List)

Females

  • big, long-legged, rather sturdy species
  • body length 15 - 16 cm
  • different shades of brown
  • few females are very ornamentally mottled
  • few (2 - 4) spines on the thorax
  • two borad tubercles on the head
  • membranous part of hind wings black with some white dots

Males

  • slender, long-legged
  • body length 11 - 12 cm
  • no spines on the thorax
  • two, often backward-bent spines on the head
  • ocelli are well visible just behind the spines on the head
  • long wings
  • membranous part of hind wings black-white chequered

Nymphs

  • freshly hatched nymphs are light brown and appear rather hairy
  • about 20 mm long
  • on how to distinguish between male and female nymphs - and pics on the right

Eggs

  • 6 x 2.5 mm
  • brown mottled
  • suface rough
  • operculum (egg lid) is slanting toward the longitudinal egg axis
  • a slanting operculum is a characteristic found in all phasmid species which glue their eggs (exept ooth-laying phasmids). This is an essential characteristic, which helps hatching nymphs to free themselves from a glued egg
  • Bactrododema hecticum "Windhoek" do not glue their eggs, yet they have an operculum (egg lid) which is slanting towards the longitudinal egg axis
  • it is safe to assume that B. hecticum "Windhoek" did glue it's eggs at some point in the past, but lost this ability along the way
  • another species of the same genus, Bactrododema cf. tiaratum "Etosha", does (still) glue their eggs

Food Plants

  • bramble  (Rubus spp.)
    well accepted by nymphs and adults
  • Salal  (Gaultheria shallon)
    well accepted by nymphs and adults
  • Acacia
    well accepted by nymphs and adults   (info Westley Price, NA)
  • Mesquite (Prosopis)
    very well accepted by nymphs and adults   (info Westley Price, NA)
  • pepper tree (Schinus)
    well accepted by nymphs and adults   (info Westley Price, NA)

Breeding, Behaviour

  • quite easy to breed
  • active mainly during the night
  • they try to escape when being touched, or they drop to the ground
  • they can spray a clear, non-smelling defensive secretion from glands behind their head (on the prothorax)
  • males can fly a few meters, females can not fly
  • males and females open up their hindwings with a rather loud rustling noise when they feel threatened (defence against potential predators). Sometimes they wander about like this for a short time ▷ defense display (Youtube video)
  • eggs just drop to the ground
  • about 10 eggs per female and week
  • the climat in their original habitat knows two main phases:
    • a rainy season October - February
      quite humid, often and strong rain falls, lush and dense green vegetation
    • a dry season March - September
      very dry, little or no rain, few green leaves remain on the trees
  • thus the eggs should be kept dry for the first 5 - 6 months, to simulate a dry period. During this period the eggs are just exposed to the humidity in phasmid room (room temperature)
  • after this dry-incubation period follows a humid-incubation phase (Cup-Incubation-method) on medium damp vermiculite at 20 - 23 °C
  • total incubation time can easily be 10 - 12 months, or even longer
  • eggs can be covered by vermiculite (about 5 mm high), which makes it easier for the nymphs to hatch without getting stuck in the eggs shell
  • eggs of this species are not prone to get mouldy
  • nymphs hatch during the night
  • a humidity of about 60 % seems to be good enough for nymphs and adults
  • best to be kept in a rather airy cage
  • one can spray them 1 - 2 times a week with chlorine-free water, but the water must dry up before spraying again
  • males and females will be adult after 8 - 12 months(at 20 - 24°C)
  • most probably they mature much quicker in their natural habitat, which temperatures often up to 40°C

Basics of phasmids breeding

  • keep only one species per cage, overpopulation is one of the main reasons for breeding failures
  • keep nymphs seperate from the adults, mainly to protect them during the crucial moulting phases
  • choose the cage big enough. When in doubt, too big is (usually) better than too small
  • a ventilator often supports good breeding results, as it seems to increase activity and feeding
  • provide enough light, but avoid direct sunlight (overheating)
  • try to keep day time temperatures below 25°C
  • a nocturnal fall of temperature is natural, and thus advantageous
  • do not spray too much, phasmids are no fish ! The water should dry up before you spray again
  • minimize disturbances (loud music, commotions, light at or during the night, opening up cages in the morning [often a moulting phase] ect.)

Useful informations