Haaniella gintingi "Sibayak"

Genus

Species

Stock

CLP

497

Culture status

In culture

Foodplants

Bramble (Rubus spp.)

Breeding notes

(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

General Notes

described as Haaniella gintingi by Hennemann et al. (2016)
this culture stock was formerly known as Haaniella sp. "Sibayak"
the genus Haaniella has been set up by Kirby in 1904, to honor the dutch zoologist Wilhem de Haan
at the moment (January 2013) the genus contains 7 acknowledged species
the herewith presented species is a new one, which significantly differs from the other species known from Sumatra (H. jacobsoni, H. muelleri)

_________________

Culture History

_________________

Origin

_________________

Females

very sturdy phasmids
yet compared to other Haaniella species, they are almost petite
about 9 – 9.5 cm long
basic coloration is a lighter or darker brown
few females can be reddish-brown – especially at night
upper surface of forewings is usually darker in color than the body
lateral margins of forewings are green, especially when freshly adult
there are two faintly green stripes alongside the lateral margin of the prothorax
big and branched spines on the head
only one big pair of spines on the thorax, inbetween the joint of the forewings
otherwise just a few small spines on the thorax and abdomen
legs with many spines
antennae longer than forelegs
forewings cover the hindwings completely
hindwings are black
the abdomen tip is formed into an ovipositor-like structure
alongside the lateral margin of the abdomen, the openings (spiracles) of the respiratory system are clearly visible
the „area apicalis“, a morpholocial detail of taxonomic value, is very clearly visible on the legs (see photos on the right)

_________________

Males

robust phasmids
about 6 – 6.5 cm long
the coloration of the males is rather uniform
basic coloration is brown
mesothorax reddish-brown
lateral margin of the forewings is light yellow
a green double-line along the lateral margin of mesothorax
big, and also branched spines on the head
prothorax and mesothorax with a big pair of spines. the latter is just between the joints of the forewings
many spines on the legs and lower body side
spines often with a green base and a dark, almost black tip
antennae longer than forelegs
hindwings are black
the „area apicalis“ on the legs is also well visible

_________________

Nymphs

about 23 mm long (L1)
freshly hatched nymph already have the „crown of thorns“ on the head
even when freshly hatched it is easy to see the difference between males and females by comparison of their abdomen tip (see photos on the right)

_________________

Eggs

_________________

Food Plants

bramble (Rubus sp.)
is very well accepted by freshly hatched nymphs, older nymphs and adults
no other food plants have been tested by me (so far)

_________________

Behaviour

nymphs and adults are passiv during the day, while they walk about and feed at night
they like to hide out in a dark place during the day, for example a big piece of bark which leans against a side of the cage
especially nymphs can be observed to congregate in groups duing the day. At first this looks like some sort of social behaviour. Yet this behaviour might just arise because of the very limited number of dark hiding places in the cage
nymphs usually try to feign death when feeling threatened
adults can also defend themselves actively when disturbed, by making a loud rustling noise with their wings, raising their abdomen and trying to jam the assailant with their spiny hindlegs
female defend themselves more frequently and vehement than the males
the can emit a clear defensive secretion from gland just behind the head on the prothorax (H. Dräger, pers. comm.) This defense secretion might be irritative to our mucous membranes, but this has not been tested
maitings are common during the night, males do not stay together with the same female for a long time
females lay their egg clusters into a suitable substrate with the „ovipositor“
about 6 - 10 eggs per clutch, about 1 clutch per month

_________________

Developement

incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about 8 – 10 months (F1)
but nymphs can hatch also from eggs which are 12 or more months old
spread some dried (!) moss over the eggs - this will make it much easier for the nymphs to hatch unscathed and it also reduces mould growth to some extend
hatching ratio in F1 was very high (> 50%)
males will be adult after about 5 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 6 – 7 months
females start laying eggs after about 4 – 5 weeks
about 15 eggs per month and female
adults can live for at least one year

_________________

Breeding Notes

my general notes on how to breed phasmids are an integral part of this care sheet ...
it is very easy to breed this species
freshly hatched nymphs are already quite big, therefore the incubation container should be big enough
take care that the humidity does not drop too low
ventilation can be minimal
a constantly wet paper towel on the floor of the cage helps raising humidity
a humidity level of about 60+ % rH (for adults) and 75+ % rH (for nymphs) seems to be fine
nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cages like Faunarium)
move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
a cage of at least 30 x 30 x 30 cm should be provided for 3 adult couples (or considerably larger if the cage also contains other species !)
generally I advise to keep different phasmid species seperately - unfortunately, overcrowed cages are still too common ...
I have never sprayed nymphs, adults or their cage with water
make sure that nymphs, which are about to undergo their adult moult, do not find any places within the cage which would not offer them enough space beneath to moult successfully
one (or more) low boxes filled with dry sand are well accepted to lay the eggs (see photos on the right). But these boxes must be places in the corners of the cage, otherwise the females will not find them
if try sand is being offered for the females to lay their eggs, then one should sieve out the eggs once a week so that they do not dry up