Genus
Species
Stock
CLP
512
PSG
116a
Culture status
Probably lost
Foodplants
Privet (Ligustrum spp.)
Lonicera nitida
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Breeding notes
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)
General Notes
- Redtenbacher (1906) described this species first as Phasma bispinosum
- 2010 - imported and cultured for the first time by Bruno Kneubuehler
- 2010 - identified by Oskar Conle as Pseudophasma bispinosum
_________________
Origin
- Tena (Ecuador)
_________________
Females
- very elegant appearance
- about 8.5 - 9.5 cm long
- basic colour are different shades of brown with some black areas
- black thighs (femorae)
- light brown lower legs (tibiae)
- forewings (tegminae) are elongated into two pronounced yellow spikes
- black eyes
- dark antennae which are longer than the forelegs
_________________
Males
- appearance and colouration is the same as for the females
- but they are thinner
- about 7 - 8 cm long
- antennae distincly longer than forelegs
_________________
Nymphs (L1)
- about 1,5 cm long
- brown with many fine, light-coloured dots - especially on the legs
- antennae tip with a light-coloured area
- antennae longer than forelegs
- distinguishing sexes is easily possible by L2 by means of the presence (male) or absence (female) of a poculum
_________________
Eggs
- about 3 x 2 mm
- brown to grey-brown
- light-coloured micropylar plate
- strongly furrowed
- not shiny
_________________
Food Plants
- nymphs do feed well on privet (Ligustrum sp. - especially the wild growing European species), Lonicera nitida (a common ground covering plant in gardens), deadnettle (different Laminum spp. - one of the first plants to grow in spring)
- young nymphs like fresh leaves a lot
- adults feed well on privet (Ligustrum sp.) Lonicera nitia and Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
_________________
Behaviour
- freshly hatched nymphs are quite active and wander about also during the day
- older nymphs like to hide out in a dark place during the day
- nypmhs and adults try to crawl away from danger, just to freeze again after a short distance
- males fly well
- females can also fly, but do so for just a short distance
- if adult specimens feel very much threatened, then they can spray a defensive liquid from glands just behind their head (which they do only rarely)
- males can stay for some days together with the same female
- females start laying eggs about 2 - 3 weeks after their final moult
- eggs are just dropped to the ground
_________________
Breeding Notes
- an easy to breed species
- incubation with the HH-method (on slightly damp sand) yields a good hatching ratio
- some moss spread over the eggs reduces mould growth and strongly facilitates successful hatching
- incubation time at room temperatures (20 - 23°C) is about 3 -4 months
- hatching ratio for the first generation was very high (75+ %)
- 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
- move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
- nymphs and adults can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cages)
- 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
- males will be adult after about 3 months (at 20 - 23°C), females after 4 months