Genus
Species
Stock
Culture status
Unknown
Foodplants
Bramble (Rubus spp.)
Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Oak (Quercus robur)
Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Rose (Rosa spp.)
Epipremnum sp.
Breeding notes
(by Bruno Kneubühler)
General Informations
- originally described by Bi & Li (1994) as Datames guangxiensis
- synonyms: Dares guangxiensis (Zompro, 2004)
- only females are known from nature and all captive bred cultures are parthenogenetic too
- 2009 - first time cultured by Bruno Kneubuehler
- 2010 - distributed as Pylaemenes guangxiensis "Taiwan"
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Origin
- North Taiwan
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Females
- sturdy insects - about 5 cm long
- very nice bark-like structure and colouration from different shades of brown
- antennae are shorter than the fore legs
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Foodplants
- nymphs accept bramble (Rubus sp.) easily, but adults refuse to feed on it
- nymphs and adults like cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), a very common and evergreen garden plant
- nymphs and adults like Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
- other sources also mention the following foodplants: oak (Quercus sp.), rose (Rosa sp.), Epipremnum (E. aureum) and beech (Fagus sp.)
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Nmyphs
- especially small nymphs often hide during the day along the edge of a leave. And here they are in danger of being bitten by adults, which start to feed from the edge of the leaves !
- therefore it is better to seperate small nymphs and adult specimens
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Breeding Notes
- an easy to breed species
- incubation on damp sand (not too wet!), with spring tails to reduce mould growth
- incubation duration at room temperatures (20-23°C) is about 4 - 6 months
- hatching ratio is low, only about 10 - 15 % in my culture....
- after hatching the nymphs remain inactive for quite some time - it can take up to two week before they will start to feed
- they grow up in a Faunabox (or similar cage) very nicely - also adults can be kept in such a small cage
- I do never spray them with water - a constantly wet paper towel on the cage floor provids enough humidity
- it is advisable to cover the container in which the food plants stand with cotton wool - to prevent the nymphs from drowning
- nymphs as well as adults will feign death when being touched or handled - a very handy species
- it takes a long time for the females to mature - up to 15 months
- about 6 weeks after the final moult they will start to lay eggs
- about 1-3 eggs per week
- they prefer to lay the eggs in a damp place