
Genus
Species
Stock
CLP
352
Culture status
Probably lost
Foodplants
Phoenix canariensis
Livinstona australis
Howeia forsteriana
Trachycarpus fortunei
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Bamboo (Phyllostachyus aurea)
Breeding notes
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)
General Informations
- 2007 - first successful cultivation of this species by Bruno Kneubühler
- 2007 - distributed to other breeders as Graeffea sp. "Russell island"
- 2008 - Joachim Bresseel identified this species as Graeffea leveri
- Günther described this species originally as Ophicrania leveri - but they belong to the genus Graeffea (J. Bresseel, pers. comm.)
- thanks a lot to the following breeders for their addtional notes: Rainer Galunder
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Origin
- Russell Islands (Solomon Islands). This is a small archipelago just north-west of Guadalcanal, the main island of the Solomon Islands (see map in the gallery)
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Females
- more sturdy than the males, about 9 – 10 cm long
- after their final moult they are usually greenish with some darker dots. Within the next few weeks they change colour to different shades of brown
- they do not become as dark in colour as the males
- forewings and the costal region of the hind wings are mottled with dark and light brown blots
- hindwings reach as far as the distal end of the 4th abdominal segment
- forewings about 7 mm long, hindwings about 25 mm
- the anal region of the hind wings is bright pink
- they open up their wings only rarely when handled and to not fly
- cerci are long
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Males
- slim, fully winged creatures, about 6,5 – 7 cm long
- just after the final moult they are light brown or greenish-brown in colour. Over time (within about 2-3 weeks) the colour darkens considerably
- older males have a dark-brown to almost black colour, especially the ventral side is almost black in the area of the thorax and legs
- forewings and costal region of the hind wings are dark brown with more or less light orange blots
- hindwings reach as far as the distal end of the 6th abdomial segment
- forewings are about 5 mm long, hindwings about 35 mm
- the anal region of the hind wings is bright pink
- they open their wings quite often when handled and they fly well even for a longer distance
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Eggs
- elongated, about 4,5 mm long (without capitulum) and 2,5 mm wide
- capitulum is pointed, oblique and 1 mm long
- colour is dark brown to light brown
- surface is matt and lightly granulated
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Food Plants
- nymphs took easily to different palm trees - like Phoenix canariensis, Livinstona australis, Howeia forsteriana, Trachycarpus fortunei and Chrysalidocarpus lutescens (the latter is a common plant in garden shops)
- an alternative food plant is bamboo (Phyllostachyus aurea)
- bamboo is not a hardy plant once you cut it. It needs a high humidity, otherwise the leaves will wither quickly. But luckily it is an evergreen plant even in the cold winters of Switzerland
- cultures raised on bamboo will switch readily back to palm leaves, which is certainly their prefered food plant
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Breeding Notes
- eggs take 3-4 months to hatch at room temperatures (about 18 – 24°C). During incubation, keep the eggs on a moderat moist ground, I do recommend sand with springtails
- females bury their eggs in the ground, thus provide them with some soil (like peat)
- both males and females are capable of spraying a defensive liquide from glands on the dorsal side of their prothorax
- this defensive spray reminded me of lemons and it shall be examined chemically in the near future. I assume that this spray could cause irritation to the human eye, as defensive sprays of other phasmid species do. So therefore a cautious handling of this species is advisable
- when bamboo leaves dry up they will roll up and may entrap a nymph which is sitting on it ! This happend some times in my culture. Therefore check the leaves when changing bamboo
- they grew up in quite a airy cage with wet paper towel on the bottom
- their cage is being sprayed regularly, about 3-4 times a week - otherwise the bamboo will wither quickly
- as the origin of this species is a relatively small island, I guess it is important to provide them with a good air supply. Thus an airy cage and a ventilator in the same room might be advantageous
- they reached adulthood after about 4-5 months
- about 3 weeks after maturing females start to lay eggs, about 5 – 8 eggs a week