Tirachoidea biceps "Java"

(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

General Notes

• Redtenbacher described this species as Pharnacia biceps (1908)
• 2012 - first successful culture by Bruno Kneubuehler
• 2012 - this species has been distributed as Tirachodea biceps „Java“

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Origin

• Java

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Females

• big phasmids
• about 19 – 20 cm long
• colored in different red-brown shades
• 2 bumps on the hind head
• legs with many spines
• antennae about half as long as the forelegs
• no winged (apterous)

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Males

• typical phasmids
• about 12 – 14 cm long
• body and legs mainly brown
• two distinct bumps on the hind head
• lateral area of the hindwings with a light green area
• ventral side of thorax and some area of the ventral side of the abomen are green
• legs with many spines
• antennae shorter than the forelegs
• fully winged
• membranous part of hind wings (alae) is transparent, grey and with dark veins

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Nymphs

• about 25 mm  (L1)
• the two bumps on the hindhead are already present (L1)
• braun (L1)
• antennae short
• by L1 it is quite easy to draw a distinction between ♀♂ (by the naked eye)

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Eggs

• about 4 x 4 mm
• dark-brown with almost white areas
• glossy
• roundish
• capitulum is very distinctly on egg lid (operculum)
• micropylar plate big and very typically shaped for the genus

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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)

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Behaviour

• nymphs and adults react rather frantically when they feel threatened (like when they are touched). They drop down, wriggle about and freeze again after a few steps
• otherwise nymphs as well as adults are passive during the day and they usually feed during dawm / night
• males can fly, their flight appears rather clumbsy and is quite short
• matings occur during the night and couples stay together for a few hours only
• a defensive spray has not been observed

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Developement

• incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about 3 - 4 months  (F1)
• 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 3.5 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 4 – 4.5 months
• females start laying eggs after about 2 – 3 weeks
• eggs are flinged away forcefully - with a swing of the abodmen
• about 30 – 40 eggs per female and week
• adults can live for several months

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Breeding Notes

• my general notes on how to breed phasmids are a integral part of this care sheet ...
• it is very easy to breed this species
• as the freshly hatched nymphs are already quite big, therefore the incubation container should be big enough
• keep the nymphs in a cage with good ventilation, but take care that the humidity does not drop too low
• a constantly wet paper towel on the floor of the cage helps raising humidity
• a humidity level of about 65 % rH (or higher) seems to support a healthy growth very well
• nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cages)
• move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
• a cage of at least 40 x 40 x 60 cm (high) should be provided for 2 couples of this 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 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