Orestes mouhotii "Tapah Hills"

(by Bruno Kneubühler)

General Informations

• this species has been described by Bates in 1865 as Acanthoderus mouhotii
• only females are known from nature and all captive bred cultures are parthenogenetic too
• in culture since quite some time - several culture stocks have been imported over the years
• 2009 - I have distributed a few eggs from my own culture stock

_________________

Origin

• Tapah Hills of Malaysia

_________________

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

_________________

Foodplants

• nymphs accept from the beginning bramble (Rubus sp.) easily
• apart from this they also like Salal (Gaultheria shallon) - other plants I have not tried out
• other sources also mention the following foodplants: oak (Quercus sp.), rose (Rosa sp.), Epipremnum (E. aureum) and beech (Fagus sp.)

_________________

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 months
• 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 - about 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