NOTE by Pablo Valero (2024): The species has been synonymized with remiformis (Rehn, 1904) by Hennemann & Conle, 2024. So the valid name for the stock is Alienobostra remiformis "Santa Elena".
Source: Hennemann, F.H. & Conle, O.V. (2024) Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae). Zootaxa, 5444(1), 1–454. Available at https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5444.1.1
_____________________________________
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)
General Notes
- Hausleithner (1987) described this species first as Calynda brocki
_________________
Culture History
- Stock 1: Costa Rica, imported by a reasearch worker in the early 1980's
- Stock 2: Costa Rica, imported by an unknown person as "Calynda sp." in 2005
- Stock 3: Costa Rica, Santa Elena, Monteverde
_________________
Origin
- Santa Elena, Monteverde, Costa Rica
_________________
Females
- brown, bright green or dirty green, not winged phasmids
- the size of the F1 generation varied from 14 to 16 cm. Females in the wild only reached 12 cm to 13 cm
- two parallel bright stripes on the back
- 2 blunt spines on the head
- typical long subgenital plate
_________________
Males
- also typical phasmids - about 8 to 10 cm long
- they are not winged
_________________
Behaviour
- Males as females can behave very hysteric and stagger around when being touched
- this makes is not so easy to change food plants. You should handle them carefully. But they do not tend to drop legs
_________________
Eggs
- beige, about 3 mm long
- incubate the eggs at room temperatures (18-25°C) on some humid substrate, e.g. vermiculite
- incubation time is about 3 - 4 months
_________________
Food Plants
- bramble (Rubus spp.)
is very well accepted by nymphs and adults - privet (Ligustrum spp.)
is very well accepted by nymphs and adults - hazel (Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus spp.), rose (Rosa spp.) and raspberry (Rubus idaeus) have been mention in the literature as alternative host plants
- In nature the females have been found feeding on plants of the families Melastomataceae and Asteraceae
- firethorn (Pyracantha) is well accepted (info by Pietro Missiaggia)
_________________
Breeding Notes
- an easy to breed, attractive and quit big species
- during the day, nymphs are usually on the leaves of the food plants, sometimes with their abdomen in a "zigzag" position
- keep nymphs in a normal terrarium (for increased humidity)
- move nymphs to a bigger cage according to their size as they grow up
- adults can be kept in quite an airy cage
- adult moult will happen after about 3 to 4 months at about 23°C
- females lay several eggs per day, which they just drop to the ground
- nymphs and adults have been sprayed with water 3 to 4 times a week
- for a successful development and moult the terrarium was filled with a thin layer of moist vermiculite on the cage floor. Note that the original habitat of this stock is a very wet tropical mountain cloud forest
_________________
References
- Phasmida Species Files (www.phasmida.orthoptera.org)
- Phasmatodea.com
- Schulten. 1995. Wandelnde Blätter, Stab- und Gespenstschrecken, (Calynda brocki)
- Seiler, C. & et al. 2000. Phasmiden Pflege und Zucht von Gespenstschrecken, Stabschrecken und Wandelnden Blattern im Terrarium, (Calynda brocki)
- Eilmus S, Dernbach A. and Strumo R: Costa Rica - ein Reisebericht und Beobachtungen zu bemerkenswerten Vertretern der Stab- und Gespenstschrecken (Phasmatodea). ZAG Phoenix, ISSN 2190-3476, Jahrgang 3, Nr. 2, 2012
