Genus
Species
Stock
CLP
493
PSG
357
Culture status
In culture
Foodplants
Bramble (Rubus spp.)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Firethorn (Pyracantha)
Breeding notes
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)
General Notes
- Westwood described this species as Phasma graniferum (1859)
- this species is distributed over several islands of the Philippines
- 2010 - a new breeding stock has been imported from Samar Island (Philippines) and is in culture (Bruno Kneubuehler)
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Origin
- Mt. Capotan (Samar Island, Philippines)
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Females
- typical stick insects - about 8 to 8,5 cm long
- upper body colour is a strong, shiny green, with blue-green segment joints
- legs (blue-green), eyes (orange-brown), body underside (orange)
- body surface is strongly granulated, especially in the area of the Meso- and Metathorax segments
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Males
- about 7 to 7,5 cm long
- very colourful insects, with shiny colours
- green (head, Prothorax segment, rear part of abdomen from S3 till S7), blau (leg joints, knees, eyes), orange (Meso- and Metathorax segments, front area of the abdomen), black (antennae, legs, abdominal ending)
- colouration of the lower side corresponds to the upper side
- body surface is also heavily granulated, especially in the area of the Meso- and Metathorax segments
- even pre-subadult males and especially subadult males show the gorgeous coloration of the adult males
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Nymphs
- freshly hatched nymphs are about 17 mm long and brown in colour with a darker abdominal ending
- antennae are longer then fore legs
- in the course of 1 - 2 weeks (after they have started to feed), their colour changes to mainly green
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Eggs
- reddish-brown
- irregularly shaped
- about 2 x 2 mm
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Food Plants
- bramble (Rubus sp.) is accepted
- at least the adults do also feed on Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
- firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) (Philippe van der Schoor, pers. comm.)
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Behaviour
- this is a very fidgety species
- nymphs drop to the ground and wriggle about when being disturbed (like when being touched when changing the food plants)
- this is also true for the adults. Especially the males behave frantically - and they do not calm down quickly
- this hectic behaviour can make changing their food plants (especially when many specimens live in the same cage) nerve-racking situation
- males do also often elegantly wave their abdomen - in a whale like manner
- matings are often to be observed
- couples break up after mating
- males mature after about 2 - 2,5 months, females after 3 - 3.5 months
- it seems that the lifespan of males is considerably shorter than for females
- males live 2 - 3 months, while females can live 4 - 7 months
- 2 - 3 weeks after their final mould, females start to lay eggs
- they lay up to 40 - 50 eggs per week
- eggs are just dropped to the ground
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Breeding Notes
- an easy to breed and beautiful species
- only there is relatively high mortality for L1 nymphs (about 30 - 40 %), as many do not start to feed on bramble
- therefore one should start with at least 50 eggs
- incubation with the HH-method (on dry sand) yielded a good hatching ration of 50+ %
- incubation time at room temperatures (20 - 23°C) is about 4 months
- keep the nymphs in a cage with good ventilation
- take care that the humidity does not drop too low
- a constantly wet paper towel on the floor of the cage helps raising humidity
- nymphs and adults can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cage)
- cover the lid of the fauna box with a stocking for L1 nymphs, otherwise they might escape
- move older nymphs and adults to a cage which is appropriate to their size
- I have never sprayed nymphs or adults with water
- make shure that nymphs, which are about to undergo their adult moult, do not find places in the cage which would not offer them enough space beneath to moult successfully