Diapherodes gigantea "Grenada"

(by Giacomo Ricca)

General Notes

• etymology - from the Greek διαφέρω (diaphero) which means literally to carry or bear into different directions and from the Latin gigas which means gigantic
• until 2014 4 different Diapherodes species are or have been in culture – see PSG list on Phasmatodea.com
• this species is endemic to different Caribbean islands - e.g. Grenada

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Females

• big phasmids, 15-16 cm long
• beautiful green coloration over the whole body
• mesothorax and metathorax has laterally a row of pink spines
• spines on the metathorax legs
• yellow antennas 7 cm long
• some small humps on the mesothorax
• fore wings undeveloped
• suckers between nails which glue them to the branches
• yellow eyes

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Males

• medium sized, 11 cm long
• brown all over the body, with green spots on metathorax and mesothorax near legs
• brownish antennas 8 cm long
• fore wings as well as hind wings well developed
• first part of the hind wings are bordered with a white band
• hind wings color may vary from light brown to reddish

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Nymphs

• about 30 mm (L1)
• brownish with green head (L1)
• generally green from L2 on
• from L3 sex can be distinguished by naked eye

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Eggs

• about 5 x 3 mm
• dark brown
• surface slightly textured
• egg-shaped

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Food Plants

• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)
  well accepted at all stages. They eat mainly leaves but partially also fresh and soft branches. It is not the food plant in the wild!
• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  quite well accepted by adults
• oak (Quercus spp., Quercus ilex)

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Behavior

• males not able to fly but can make long jumps
• females wing do not jump
• females fling the eggs away  with a swing of their abdomen
• mating occurs at any time, males can stay with one female for some hours
• nymphs are calm, even when they are being touched
• adult males crawl away or even jump when threatened
• no other defensive behavior observed

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Development

• incubation (on a wet paper towels sheet or vermiculite) at 20-23°C takes about 8-9 months
• hatching ration can be very high (75%)
• males become adults in about 5 months and live for another 6 months
• females become adults in about 6 months and live for 9-12 months
• few weeks after mating, the females start to fling eggs away, 1-2 per day

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Breeding Notes

• easy to keep species and very beautiful
• humidity at 60% is fine for the whole development
• temperature can be between 20°C and 27°C
• a wet paper towels at the bottom of the cage keeps the correct humidity level
• spray once a day during summer, especially in the evening
• nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cages)
• make sure that they have always the space to molt, especially just before becoming adult
• nymph mortality is usually very low
• move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
• a cage of at least 60 x 49 x 30 cm should be provided 5 adult couples of this species