The Phasmid Study Group

C J l A l X i Mrs J u d i t h M a r s h a l l

D e p a r t m e n t o f K n t o a o l o g y , Tha N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Muaeua,

C r o m w e l l Road, L o n d o n SW7 5BD ( T a l 0 1 7 1 938 9344

Fax 0 1 7 1 938 8 9 3 7 )

T r a a a u r a r / M a i n b a r s h i n i P a u l B r o c k

• P a p i l l o n " , 40 T h o r n d i k a Road, S l o u g h , B a r k s SL2 1SR

( T a l 0 1 7 5 3 - 5 7 9 4 4 7 )

S a e r a t a r v i P h i l B r a g g

51 L o n g f l e l d L i n t , I l k a s t o n , D a r b y s h i r a DS7 4DZ

( T a l i 0 1 1 5 9 3 0 5 0 1 0 )

MARCH 1995 N E W S L E T T E R No 62 ISSN 0268-3806

DIARY DATES 1995

M A R C H 26th, M I D L A N D S SPRING ENTOMOLOGICAL FAIR.

Granby Halls Leisure Centre, Aylestone Road. Leicester.

APRIL 22nd. PSG M I D L A N D S MEETING at Phil Bragg's house at Ilkeston.

There wi l l be a meeting open to all PSG members on Apri l 22nd at Phil Bragg's house, from 12.00 to 1700.

Usual facilities available: tea. coffee. WC. Phil's live and dead Phasmids wi l l be on display, and his library

available for use. Slides w i l l be available for showing i f people want to see them.

Bring your own lunch, and livestock to exchange.

Members requiring route directions can either phone Phil or send an SAE to either Phil or the Newsletter

Editor.

JULY 22nd. PSG S U M M E R M E E T I N

The Natural History Museum, South Kensington. London.

EXHIBITION & MEETINGS REPORTS

LEICESTER CHRISTMAS SHOW. Granbv Halls Leicester, by Paul Taylor (No 852)

The PSG had one table at this show which had the usual displays on it. As has been throughout the show

season, considerable interest was shown in our stand, large quantities of insects brought in for exchange

soon disappearing to eager hands. A large number of people took away information on the group, so many

in fact that we ran out of new membership forms, we just have to hope that everybody joins, boosting our

numbers even more.

As is usual many thanks go to all members who came and helped out on the stand, giving Paul Jennings

and myself a well earned break.

PHASMID STUDY GROUP A N N U A L GENERAL MEETING

This was held on the 21st January at The Natural History Museum. London, and was extremely well

attended. Unfortunately the usual Demonstration Room was unavailable and we therefore had to use a

somewhat smaller room which with the 73 members that attended was. to put it mildly, crowded.

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The sour point of the day was the Livestock Exchange, which as the letter by Stan Pack explains at the end

of this report, spoiled the day for some members. A large number of species where eventually distributed

including a quantity of cockroach species from our German friends.

Other than that, Phil Bragg gave a most interesting illustrated talk on his recent two trips to Borneo. It

showed some of the areas that he has collected in, the problems involved in getting to various sites, and

some of the wildlife (including sticks) that he had found.

It was most encouraging to see so many people attend the meeting, including a large contingent of members

from Europe, whom I understand where found sleeping places in various parts of Southern England.

TREASURER'S REPORT by Paul Brock (No 26)

1994 ended with a record number of members - 406 (1993 - 349), which were, as usual, enrolled from

various sources. Considerable interest in the Group's activities was shown following a BBC Wildlife

Magazine article, and this largely accounted for 52 new members joining before the end of 1994 (and not

included in the figure above).

Liz Newman's new design of "T - Shirt" was printed towards the end of 1993 and sales have been

encouraging.

Once again, costs were kept very low in 1994, mainly due to very low printing costs arranged by Dr. David

Robinson. The cost of Phasmid Studies has been much lower than was originally budgeted for by the

Committee, with the result that surplus income has been high in 1994 (£693.93) as in 1993 (£568.39). Both

figures include very generous donations to the Group's funds, leaving the Group in a strong financial

position, with a General Fund of £2396.18

Members requiring a copy of the accounts should send a SAE to The Treasurer, Paul Brock.

EDITOR'S REPORT

Phasmid Studies by Phil Bragg (No 445)

For a variety of reasons Phasmid Studies 3(2) was delayed and not published until 24th January 1995.

Unfortunately page 37 was not printed correctly. A replacement page 37 should be included with this

Newsletter.

More contributions are needed for Phasmid Studies, please send to Phil Bragg as soon as possible.

Newsletter by Paul Taylor (No 852)

As in Phasmid Studies, contributions are always needed, but the articles sent in need only be a few lines.

Perhaps you have been to a show, seen Sticks on the television, or just want to share your experiences with

other members, ALL your articles are used, and are needed. What would be nice, would be some more

illustrations and cartoons in the Newsletter, so come on members, get your thinking caps on, put pencil (or

computer) to paper and send those articles in.

LIBRARIAN'S REPORT by Dr. David Robinson (No 29)

To make the reprinting of the back copies more economical, they are now being done in batches, which

may mean that you are lucky, and can have your request returned in a few days. Should you have missed a

reprinting session, then you may find that your request could take upto 6 - 8 weeks, depending on the

demand. Members are therefore requested to be patient should your back copies seem to take along time,

you will eventually receive them.

EXHIBITION & MEETING OFFICER'S REPORT by Paul Jennings (No 80)

The Phasmid Study Group will be having stands at the usual venues in 1995. The Midlands Spring and

Winter Entomological Fairs, The Oldham Creepy Crawly Show and The AES Exhibition at Kempton Park.

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Members who would like to help in the running of any of these stands should contact me. We have been

approached to exhibit at The Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society Show in March and also the

Portsmouth Reptile and Amphibian Society Show in November. Perhaps some members in these areas

would like to get together and run a display, or should any members like to display at other exhibitions, and

need any advice, then again contact me.

The other request to members is for ideas for speakers at forthcoming PSG meetings. Could YOU give a

talk, show some slides, show a video or even a do a demonstration at one of our meetings. I f you have any

suggestions or ideas, please let me know as soon as possible.

Paul's address: 89 Brackensdale Avenue, Kingsway, Derby, DE22 4AF. Tel: 0332 343477

LIVESTOCK CO - ORDINATOR'S REPORT by Ian Abercrombie. (No 628)

There has been a considerable increase in the amount of livestock distributed in the past twelve months,

which has left the Livestock Co - Ordinator and Panel members short of some species. I f you have any

spare ova or stock of some of the less common species, then please contact Ian or a Panel member as soon

as possible. One species in particular Acrophylla wuelfingi is in great demand at present, so, therefore, i f

you have any spare ova, please forward them as soon as possible.

Following the problems encountered at the beginning of the meeting as regards Livestock distribution, Ian

would like to point out to members that Livestock Exchange is not a free for all, and in future livestock will

only be distributed at the stated time on the Agenda.

ELECTION OF OFFICER'S & COMMITTEE

The existing Committee was re-elected. This was proposed by E. Blackwell (No 926) and seconded by R.

Reeve (No 1305) and unanimously agreed by all members attending the AGM.

E. Blackwell thanked the committee for the work that had been done in the past twelve months.

OTHER BUSINESS

A fax had been received from Jean-Luc Lambert (No 89) regarding La Pepiniere Entomologique. The fax

had been sent in French, and unfortunately it was not able to be translated in time for the AGM. Kim

D'Hustler very kindly took it back with him and translated the letter-

First of all, my apologies to the Group and organisers for not being able to attend the winter meeting on

21.01.95.

I would like to pass on some information to you all that I think could be of interest. I have created "La

Pepiniere Entomologique"(P.E.), the goal of which is to inform people about insects, i.e. their roles, their

usefulness, and to some their existence. Assisting with this is Marie-Helene with her valuable know-how

of communication in the tourist sector. "P.E. " provides the material which is then used on a multimedia

PC with CD-Rom, which allows us to create our own audio-visuals like diaporama or video tapes.

As well as this I have organised trips in connection with insects in France, particularly in the "Pays de la

Loire" around the castles; around the "Abbaye de Fontevraud" and all along the river Loire.

We would like to ask your help in providing live material, ideas, advice in all directions and to find some

knowledgeable contributors, professional or otherwise, that you know and we are unaware of.

To contact the "P.E." simply send your letter along with a s.a.e. and an International Reply Coupon

(International "stamp"), we keep in touch with many people this way. We will always endeavour to follow-

up any enquiries. It is taken for granted that the "P.E. " will try to stay true to the aims of the P.S.G., as

they are also my aims.

We have written an article on Clonopsis gallica, which will be sent to you. We will then start on other

articles and studies, on the topics you want in the work of the Group, and also material for the Group. For

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this we ask the Group to convey our real and concrete needs for exotic or European material, in the form of

eggs, nymphs or advice and cultural techniques. We also require the latter for groups of insects we already

have in culture.

Starting in May we shall be distributing Clonopsis gallicq nymphs, and also the ova of Saturnia piry, and

of the host plants we have in the "Pepiniere"; we can exchange these with members of the P.S.G. It is also

possible for us to keep for the Group 10-15 species of Phasmids. We have a very large stock of host

plants as food for exotic species and very large quantities of Quercus, Guava, Rubus, and fern. This would

allow certain large species and Phyllium to be cultured. I f we could produce and disperse more species in

larger numbers, this would further our cause for greater knowledge amongst others.

Charles Hair, a neighbour of mine, will be travelling to Japan in February. If any contacts need to be

established, he will be willing to help as he knows Japan very well.

"La Pepiniere" also requires any species of Salix, as we wish to create our own "Salicetum", and also for

the genus Buddlea (Buddleja) which is very important for us entomologists. We think that following this

request we could generate articles for the Newsletter on the use of Salix in artificial habitats for Phasmids.

Jean-Luc Lambert, La Pepiniere Entomologique, Les Pictieres, 49730 Varennes Sur Loire, France.

(Editor's note: Many thanks go to Kim D'Hustler for translating the above)

A D E S P E R A T E P L E A FOR A NAME by Doug Chinn (No 1385)

At the A.G.M., held at the Natural History Museum, a member brought along ajar of nymphs. They were

in a small, plastic, screw top jar with a white lid. On the side of the jar was the long perished remains of a

rubber band. There may have been more than one species in the jar, but they were all slender types. I f you

recognise this jar, please what are they7 Best guess so far is Sipyloidea sp. ( i 03). I f you can help,

please, drop a line to: Doug Chinn, 28a Cavendish Road, Henleaze, Bristol, BS9 4EA.

A.G.M R E P O R T by Stan Pack (No 99)

After not being able to attend the PSG/AGM's for two or three years due to personal reasons, I was very

pleased that I was fit enough to attend the one on January 21st, 1995 at The Natural History Museum, but

things started to go wrong when I went to sign in as a PSG member giving me free entry. To my dismay I

found that I was directed to a different part of the building than that which had been in the letter. This room

was far too small for the amount of people that attended and great difficulty was experienced in trying to

get about the room to speak to people, especially as I had to carry my two bags around with me all the time.

About mid afternoon I had to leave because my asthma became a problem.

As a PSG Meeting, it was no different from the past ones, certain members taking eggs and livestock

without seeing the Livestock Co-Ordinator, Ian looked very upset with the situation, and, even with the

assistance of his nephew Adam, it did not make any difference. I saw peoples containers, and Ian's holdall

opened, and sorted through. This cannot continue to happen at future meetings and I feel that some system

can and should be arrived at to secure items for distribution at the correct time, and by the Livestock Co-

Ordinator, it is a difficult position to hold and should be given the maximum of help.

Perhaps members could fill in a request for what they would like to receive, and then items could be sorted

out ready, also, all stock should be put in a secure place as it is very difficult to police this with so many

people about.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Change of address for PSG member 715, Detlef Grosser.

Ernst-Lemmer-Ring 119, 14165 Berlin, Germany.

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S O M E R E P L I E S T O Q U E R I E S IN T H E L A S T N E W S L E T T E R by Phil Bragg.

A number o f questions were asked, or comments made, which need some answers or clarification.

a) James Waddicor's note on "mating" in Carausius morosus. The thing to remember is that these so

called "males" are not males. They are andromorphs i.e. females with the external appearance o f males.

From a genetic view point they are female and cannot mate with another female (although they can try!). I

think Andromorphs result from imperfect duplication of the chromosomes during parthenogenesis, but I'm

not sure.

b) Robert Graham's stunted Extatosoma tiaratum. I think there was a similar note in a Newsletter several

years ago but I have been unable to locate it. There is certainly plenty of evidence that the number o f

instars, development time and sizes can vary, e.g. females vary from 6-9 instars, and males 5-6 (Carlberg,

U. (1980) Number o f nymphal instars in Extatosoma tiaratum (Macleay) (Phasmida: Tropideroderinae)

with notes on biology. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 116: 59-65). However the problem reported by

Robert appears to be the insect's inability to shed its skin, rather than just a delay. I f for some reason it was

unable to produce the enzyme necessary to loosen the old skin, it would be forced to remain at the same

size. It might then survive quite a long time, eating enough to stay alive but not enough to continue

growing. Eventually it would die from some other problem which resulted from its inability to develop any

further.

c) Mark Johnson's rubbing Epidares nolimetangere. This is common behaviour in this species, in nymphs

and adults o f both sexes. It may be an attempt to clean the sensor patches on the underside o f the

presternum and mesosternum. Before anyone asks, I don't know the function o f these patches, but they

referred to as a "sensory area" by Rehn J.A.G. & Rehn J.W.H. (1938) The Orthoptera o f the Philippine

Islands, Part 1. - Phasmatidae; Obriminae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of

Philadelphia, 90: 389-487 [reference made on page 405].

d) Chris Clark's coloration in Phenacephorus cornucervi. They w i l l not have cross bred with Lamponius

guerini; the differences are just due to the variation which exists in P. cornucervi. They are probably the

most variable species o f Phasmid, showing variation in colour and in the lobes and tubercules of the head,

thorax and abdomen, and in the lobes on the mid femora. There are several causes o f the variations which

occur. The shape of lobes is at least partly genetic, this is clear from the results o f material that I have

reared from the wi ld and from the original PSG stock. However humidity plays a large part in determining

colour; with high humidity green and yellow lobes become more common, in dry conditions they tend

towards a uniform brown; white markings occur quite commonly in all conditions. I found one specimen

on Mt. Kinabalu which was almost pure black, something I've not seen in captivity.

e) Ewan Mhor's blowing light bulbs. The problem can be reduced by using a thermostat with wider range

settings. This w i l l give a less constant temperature but means the bulbs w i l l be going on and off less

frequently. Wiring bulbs in series should also help. Personally I have never found it necessary to use a

thermostat for invertebrates: select the correct power of bulb and leave it on all the time (with a simple

timer to turn it on or off i f night and day settings are required).

f) Ewan Mhor's question about parthenogenesis. There are several mechanisms which can result in

parthenogenesis. The mechanism in Phasmids is known as automictic parthenogenesis; the eggs are

produced in the normal manner and then become diploid. One possible explanation involves mitotic

division in the haploid egg, anaphasic restitution in some cells resulting in the production o f some diploid

cells, the break down of the remaining haploid cells, and development of the embryo from the diploid cells.

N E W A D D I T I O N S T O T H E P.S.G. S P E C I E S L I S T by Phil Bragg

There are four recent additions, the first three brought into culture by Peter Heusi, are Baculum-like

species, and feed on Bramble. A l l three are from Vietnam, south of Hanoi, at the edge of the great plain of

the Red River in the Ninh Binh province. Peter said all are quite easy to rear; the males are very agile and

tend to loose legs very easily. I have not seen the adults yet; Peter provided the brief descriptions below. I

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have added brief descriptions to distinguish the eggs. With three similar species being added to the list

together people w i l l have to be very careful to get the PSG culture numbers correct until the species are

identified!

PSG 157 Female green, 19cm. Male brownish, 15cm. Similar in some respects to Baculum insignis.

Eggs - Brown; flat, almost rectangular; opercular end slightly narrower, polar end indented; length 5mm.

PSG 158 Female grey-brown, 14cm, with horns on the head. Male brownish. Eggs - Grey; micropylar

plate indented; length 3mm.

PSG 159 Female reddish-brown, 14cm, without horns. Male brownish. Eggs - Brown; slightly flattened;

no notch at the polar end; length 3mm.

PSG 160 Trachythorax maculicollis (Westwood). This small species in the subfamily Necrosciinae, feeds

on Pyracantha. I've not been told where the culture originated, but I understand that there are several

established cultures.

B A C K I S S U E S O F N A T U R E M A L A Y S I A N A & S I N G A P O R E S C I E N T I S T

Several articles which include colour photographs of Phasmids have appeared in recent articles o f

Singapore Scientist and Nature Malaysiana (see Abstracts section of Phasmid Studies). Back issues o f

Nature Malaysiana may be ordered from : The circulation Co-Ordinator, Tropical Press Sdn. Bhd., 56-2

Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (US $3.30 per copy, includes postage, -

payable to Tropical Press Sdn. Bhd.)

Copies o f Singapore Scientist may be available, enquires should be directed to: Singapore Science Centre,

Jurong, Singapore 2260.

S P R A Y I N G Aretaon asperrimus (PSG 118^ by Oliver Zomphro (No 1185)

When cleaning out my Aretaon cage, and taking the sticks off the stalks a fourth instar nymph sprayed

some drops o f water like fluid on my hand. It was not possible to see from which part o f the body the

female nymph sprayed the fluid, but like in Wim Potvin's experience (Newsletter 60:10) the fluid did not

smell or cause any pain. It is therefore necessary that one should not only be careful when working with

the species Pseudophasmatinae, but with Heteropteryginae also.

U N E X P L A I N E D D E A T H IN Heteroptervx dilatata fPSG 18^ by Mark Jackson (No 1321)

Two weeks ago my last-instar female Heteropteryx nymph, which I had been expecting to shed to

adulthood at any time, stopped eating. I thought little of this, as I have noticed several species apparently

stop eating for a short time before shedding. I realised all was not well with her when, after approximately

five days without eating, she began to excrete a gel-like grey/brown paste. A few days later I noticed her

hanging on to a branch by only one o f her front legs. When I picked her up she made no attempt to escape

or use her back legs defensively as she usually did and I realised that she had become very weak.

A few days later I discovered her lying dead on the bottom of the cage. No one I have asked seems to know

why this should have occurred, although a number of members said that they had heard o f something

similar happening to other specimens, and not necessarily just Heteropteryx. Does anybody know the

reason for this or have any ideas on how it could be prevented?

A M A Z I N G S T O R I E S : P S G 18 Heteroptervx dilatata by Kim D'Hustler (No 372)

1. Better late than never!

Everybody who has bred H. dilatata knows that they have to be very patient: hatching can take a very long

time! It is after an incubation period of 12 to 14 months that the first nymphs appear. Each year I incubate

at least 150 eggs at a temperature of 20 - 24'C. A first loss: 30 to 35 "bad" eggs must be thrown away, there

being mould on or around the capitulum and sometimes a yellow substance appears.

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After the normal waiting time some 80 nymphs hatch (50/50%; males/females). From the 30 odd eggs that

are still left, 50% never develop; the other half seems to contain embryos that grow very slowly. After a

further prolonged incubation, up to 3 to 3.5 years they hatch, 99% of the nymphs here are males!

2. Did you see a fluo-yellow H. dilatata female?

Some years ago at the AES exhibition, I saw an imported H. dilatata female that was completely

fluorescent yellow on the back The belly was brown - green like old Oak leaves. A fantastic insect! The

price was triple the usual rate for the standard colour variant (near £60). The insect was bought by a PSG

member, his intention was to conserve this strain in the PSG Group. Disappointment, for of more than 100

eggs that were incubated only standard green females emerged! Fluo-yellow seems not to be the dominant

hereditary characteristic.

How then, do you breed yellow H. dilatata's?

I have been breeding H. dilatata's for several years and at the moment 25% of my females are fluorescent

yellow. The appearance of the yellow colour has certainly a lot to do with the humidity. I f the newly

hatched nymphs are reared in a big and very humid cage at a temperature of 20 - 25C, the chances of

getting yellow specimens rises up to about 25%.

I f I put Phasmids that have already changed skins several times, in a humid condition, I get no yellow H.

dilatata females at all! Is humidity the crucial factor?

3. Striped or not striped?

Sometimes H. dilatata males are born with a clear long white stripe on the back. The stripe stays for the

rest of the lifetime (covered partly by the elytra). I find regularly striped males in my cultures, but I am

unable to explain why. Has anyone any ideas? Is this a recessive hereditary characteristic?

4. One ecdysis short.

Sometime ago I had a female H. dilatata that had two more sheddings to go before adulthood. She simply

skipped one ecdysis (too impatient?) and became an adult, resulting in a midget - Phasmid with small elytra

and small ovipositor. This dwarf lived for more than one year, laying more than 50 eggs (mostly

misshapen, deformed and two small). Nevertheless, the few nymphs that did hatch became normal adults.

CURIOUS OBSERVATION IN Parahyrtacus gorkomi (PSG 901 by Mark Jackson

I currently have several young adult Parahyrtacus gorkomi which I house in a large tank together with a

single female Anisomorpha buprestoides. Recently I discovered one female Parahyrtacus gorkomi on the

bottom of the tank. On further investigation I found that all her legs were missing from one side of her

body and the back leg was missing from the other side. The two remaining legs had lost their tarsi and both

her antenna had been broken and were unusually brittle. She still seemed to be quite alert and completely

conscious, and obviously appeared to be fairly distressed.

I can think of few feasible explanations why an apparently healthy stick should suddenly suffer such sever

limb loss and deterioration in this way. My only thought was that maybe this could have been a result of

being sprayed by the Anisomorpha buprestoides. Does anybody know if this could possibly have been the

cause? I would be extremely interested to hear from any other members who may have experienced this

kind of occurrence or from anyone who may be able to offer an alternative explanation for this.

OVA C O L L E C T I N G WITH Parahvrtacus gorkomi fPSG 901 by R. Reeve (No 1305)

We all know how some species like to make ova collecting difficult for us. If you have a culture you may

leave them alone, but when members start requesting ova, then your problems can start.

With regards to one particular species Parahyrtacus gorkomi (PSG 90), they like to insert their ova into

peat, litter, cracks and crannies in bark or the inaccessible corners of the cage. The ova is cylindrical and

62:8

not sticky but hard to separate from the aforementioned places, especially when accompanied by the usual

frass.

I have discovered the following solution. Lay a sheet o f two-ply kitchen roll on the cage floor, weighted

down with the plant water jar. The sticks obligingly insert their ova between the two layers. It only

requires the careful removal o f the sheet, shaking off the loose frass. etc.. peeling the two layers apart

gently and pouring the clean, dry, frass free ova into a pot. Job done!! I have found that once I started

doing this they no longer laid anywhere else.

Calvnda sp. ? (PSG 152) P R O B A B L Y NOT A

Calynda by Wim Potvin (No 916)

Last year I noticed that the males o f Calynda sp?

have two very small "wing buds" on their

methathorax (fig. I). This made me think about

the Latin name of this species. As far as I know

not even a single species of the subfamily

Heteronemiinae has wing or wing buds, so I

assume that this particular species does not

belong to this subfamily. The adults are very

similar to those o f Bacteria sp. (PSG 47). and in

some Bacteria species the males have very well

developed wings The eggs are also fairly

similar, although they look like large eggs of

Calynda brocki (PSG 52) at first sight. The

males o f Calynda sp? (PSG 152) do not have

large cerci (that look like claspers) like the males

of Calynda brocki have, but their last few

abdominal segments are also "blown up" like

those o f the male Bacteria sp. (PSG 47). Further

the dorsal exoskeleton o f the females is to rough

to be closely related to Calynda brocki.

A l l these differences and comparisons are also

noticed with two other species: Calynda sp.?

(found in Martinique) and another Calynda sp.?

from Venezuela. Neither o f these are noted on

the species list yet. The eggs of Calynda sp.

(Martinique) are even more similar to those of

Bacteria sp. (PSG 47)! I conclude that these

three species should rather be three Bacteria spp.

V A L U A B L E S T I C K S by Stan Pack (No 99)

I have been doing my usual tour o f outlets that

sell invertebrates, to what is supposed to be the

fastest growing hobby at the moment, and.

looking at the prices of Phasmids. i f you count

your stock in the terms o f cash, then you are

holding a potential goldmine:

PSG 1 Carausius morsus £1.50

PSG 4 Sipyloidea sipylus £3.00 F ^ ^ ^ ^ W ^ £ > i»*

DP

fig I

62:9

PSG 9 Extatosoma tiaratum £19.95 pair PSG 23 Eurycantha calcarata £9.95 each

PSG 111 Eurycantha coriacea £20.00 pair

PSG 84 Oreophoetes peruana £21.50 pair PSG 118 Aretaon asperrimus £9.95 each

The outlets certainly seem to have a good supply!

J U M P I N G IN Sipvloidea sp. N Y M P H S (PSG 103) by Michael Groves (No 893)

Having nymphs hatching everywhere in my room due to lost eggs, I often encounter them while cleaning

up. I f nymphs o f PSG 103 are knocked off their surface, they w i l l glide down (much like a sky diver) with

their legs splayed out. Having picked up a nymph and watching it walk about on my hand, it climbed up

one of my fingers, felt around for somewhere else to go and not finding anywhere, it deliberately jumped

off and glided to the floor.

Could this behaviour be a means o f defence ,or a means of finding another leaf to feed on. I could easily

picture a nymph gliding down through the leaves onto another leaf in the wild. I have not noticed this

behaviour in any other species that I keep.

E G G C A M O U F L A G E ? by Michael Groves.

Having peat on the floor of most o f my stick cages, I have noticed a considerable variation in the colours o f

the eggs, especially with PSG 9 and 5. After moving them, and incubating the eggs on sand, I noticed that

they went a lot paler, the Extatosoma tiaratum eggs going predominately white with a few pale brown

markings, as do the Baculum extradentatum. Could this be some sort o f camouflage.

DO S T I C K S S W I M ? by Stan Pack (No 99)

In my room I have a large fish tank behind which is growing some pots of tropical grasses. A n adult PSG

118 (Aretaon asperrimus) must have remained free after a feeding session, because a few days later I

found it had made a meal of the tropical grasses behind the tank, it either swimming or traversing the thin

glass edge of the tank to reach the grasses.

I have also found that PSG 23 {Eurycantha calcarata) and PSG 111 {Eurycantha coriacea) appear to like to

graze on the shoots o f young grass.

One o f my tanks contains a mixture of sticks, and I have put in a shallow tray filled with water. Certain

sticks like to lie down in the water as well as using the water for drinking purposes.

How many metres o f Bramble do you collect to feed your sticks? I have worked it out that I use 30 metres

per week, so therefore I collect 1,500 metres a year at least, that is without all the other types o f herbage.

P R E D A T I O N O F E G G S O F Clonopsis gallica (PSG 45) B Y C R I C K E T S by Michael Guye (No 1290)

I have a culture of the stick insect Clonopsis gallica (Charpentier) which is now in its fourth year. This

species is found in my garden, located 30 km. south of Bordeaux, where it feeds on rose and bramble

species. During 1993 I became interested in studying some local cricket species belonging to the

Tettigoniidae family. Three cricket species were captured for observation, being kept in the aquarium

containing the stick insect culture.

Two male and two female Leptophyes punctatissima (Speckled Bush Cricket) were kept for several months,

being fed on the same foodplant (bramble) as the stick insects. During this period, two further cricket

species, Meconema thalassinum (Oak Bush Cricket) and Ruspolia nitidula (Large Conehead), were

captured and placed in the same aquarium for observation. However the latter two species were only held

captive for a relatively short period.

During February 1994, the frass and stick insect eggs were removed from the aquarium. However during

this operation a curious observation was made. The majority of the stick insect eggs had been eaten into

62:10

from one side and the contents removed. Since the crickets were the only other insects sharing the

aquarium with C. gallica, I could only conclude that either M. thalassinum, R. nitidula or L . punctatissima,

or any combination o f the these species, was responsible. Bellmann (1985) states that L . punctatissima

feeds almost entirely on plants while M. thalassinum is entirely predaceous, feeding nocturnally on small

insects, suggesting that the latter species is a possible candidate. However Bellmann (1985) does not

mention the food source o f R. nitidula: I did not observe this cricket species feeding in captivity. I would

be interested to hear from anyone who may have noted any other case of predation o f stick insect eggs.

Note: The observation reported above has been submitted elsewhere in modified form for publication as a

minor part of an article entitled, "Some cricket species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Gryllidae and

Gryllotalpidae) found in South Western France: observations under field and captive conditions" (Guye M .

G., 1995, AES Bulletin (in press).

References: Bellmann H. , 1985, "A Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets o f Britain and Northern

Europe. Collins, London 1988. (English translation). 213pp.

I L L P H A S M I D S by Wim Potvin (No 916)

From time to time a stick insect w i l l die for an unknown reason. Twice I have had an " i l l " adult female

Heteropteryx dilatata (PSG 18).

The first time it was a female specimen I had imported from an exhibition. She did not seem to be that well

looked after, and as soon as I placed her in the cage, she started burying eggs, and continued for a whole

day. She continued laying non stop the next day as well, and over the two days she laid over 35 eggs!

After that, she started to try to climb upwards, with no success. I fed her by hand during the following two

weeks, every evening, the routine taking an hour. She did not get any healthier, and laid no more eggs. A

few days later she had died.

The second time it was when a female did not moult properly, and again being unable to climb up the

foodplant. Once again I started feeding by hand and giving water to drink, but after a fortnight, this one

eventually succumbed.

This shows that it is difficult to help " i l l Phasmids", but you can help your stick preventively.

Last summer I had a large culture o f Paraphasma rufipes (PSG 85) nymphs. One day I found one that had

a black fluid coming from the abdomen, and was very smelly, as i f it was rotting from the inside. The next

day it was dead. Many more nymphs followed the same tragic way, and after a week I found that

something needed to be done before I lost my whole culture. I removed the healthiest nymphs (about 50%

of what I originally had ) and rehoused them in another cage. Apart from the odd one, they all survived, but

the others in the original cage all died within the week.

In such cases o f epidemic disease attacking a culture it shows that swift action in removing the healthy ones

can perhaps save a culture.

N Y M P H M O R T A L I T I E S IN Extatosoma tiaratum by Michael Groves

Having received three batches o f PSG 9 eggs at the June A G M , I kept them in a plastic box, on sand, and

sprayed the every day with warm water.

The first batch started hatching after about two weeks, I had twenty two nymphs hatch, but most were weak

and spindly, refused to eat, and died within a few days. I had one nymph survive which is now in its third

instar.

The second batch is now hatching and is doing well with most nymphs feeding and just one loss (a suicide,

it leapt into a bowl o f water). I have concluded that the first batch had some genetic defect possibly caused

by inbreeding, something which seems to becoming a problem with some cultures within the PSG.

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INDUCING HATCHING IN PSG 9 AND PSG 25 OVA by Michael Groves

My Extatosoma tiaratum ova are kept on sand (almost dry) in a plastic box with a lid on. The nymphs

seemed to hatch on a very irregular basis.

I decided to raise the humidity which seemed to induce regular hatchings between 1700 hrs and 2200 hrs

every night. However the opposite seemed to happen with Pharnacia serratipes ova which I kept the same,

but humid. After having only two nymphs hatch in two months, I decided to try and see i f the hatching

became more regular by decreasing the humidity. This improved the hatch rate, with three nymphs

hatching per week.

SOME OBSERVATIONS REGARDING T H E D E F E N C E - S E C R E T I O N OF AnLwmorpha sp.

^Belize) (TSG 122) by Ingo Fritzsche (No 990)

In January of 1992,1 obtained some ova of this interesting species at the AGM in London, from Michael

and Frances. As it turned out, it is an easy species to keep, and pleasing in appearance too.

Michael warned me about the defence secretion, so I was always quite careful in my approach to the cage.

As I wear glasses, I do not use protective goggles.

At the beginning of 1993,1 had the following experience when feeding the insects, I failed to notice that

one of them was on the side wall of the cage. This is an especially spray - happy variety, as opposed to A.

buprestoides, and the secretion is ejected at the slightest contact. As in this case, I received a very plentiful

dose in the nose.

It is an extremely pungent odour, and most painful. My eyes began to water at once, and sneezing resulted.

The watering in the eyes lasted about half an hour, the sharp pain in the nose about two days. A week after

the incident I still could not smell normally, I could only smell the secretion. As I was extremely sensitive

to the odour, I had to have my parents do the feeding.

After three weeks, I made the first attempt to feed the insects. When I opened the cage, the symptoms as

those of the mishap returned immediately, although none of the insects had sprayed any secretion.

Even today, I still have difficulty when I feed this species. The intense watering of the eyes no longer

occurs, but the stabbing pain in the nostrils occurs every time, which in turn causes the eyes to water

somewhat.

I advise anyone who has anything to do with these insects to protect themselves thoroughly, to avoid any

injury when keeping this species.

Many thanks for the translation for Ms. Pankow.

HUMIDITY & T E M P E R A T U R E INFORMATION WANTED by R. Reeve

Is there such a thing as a preferred temperature and humidity chart for species that are on the current

Species List. I f there is no such thing, which would be most useful for one of the "new boys" like myself,

perhaps one of the "old boys" could draw one up to go with the Species List.

I thought something simple like - H 50% - 70%; T 60'F - 85'F inserted after Note 4 on the list, or even a

separate sheet, in PSG order, with this information only.

This information would greatly assist the siting of stock and cages with similar basic requirements in our

Phasmid Houses.

62:12

"T - SHIRTS" Z^L^

"T - Shirts" with the designs of Aretaon asperrimus and Heteropteryx dilatata are now available from The

Editor, Paul Taylor (address at end of Newsletter). Sizes available are Medium, Large & Extra Large and

the cost, still only £5.00 plus p&p. (UK mainland £1.00 p&p; Overseas £1.50 p&p)

Cheques should be made payable to "The Phasmid Study Group" and don't forget to state your size, name

& address and which "T - shirt" Aretaon asperrimus or Heteropteryx dilatata.

WANTS & E X C H A N G E

Wanted: Set specimens of adult female Sipyloidea sipylus (PSG 4) for Scientific Study.

Also required, an adult female of Heteropteryx dilatata (PSG 18), to replace recently deceased. Please do

not keep my adult male waiting!

Contact: Robert Graham (1252), 6 Groesfford Fach, Llwyn Meredydd, Carmarthen, Dyfed, SA31 1EB.

Ova of the following species required: PSG No's 7, 27, 30, 39, 68, 95, 96, 107, 115, 116, 119, 120, 133,

135, 136, 137, 139. I have several other species for exchange..

Please contact: Oliver Zomphro, Zoologisches Institut der Universitat, Okologie, Germany 24098 Kiel.

Mark Jackson (No. 1231) wants ova or nymphs of the following species: PSG No's 10, 13,28,30,47,58,

72,82, 125, 127, 129, 133 & 149. He has surplus ova of: PSG 1,52,61,73,90, 101, 118 & 152 and

surplus nymphs of: PSG 1, 4 & 90.

Please contact Mark Jackson, 9 St. Merryn Close, Plumstead, London, SE18 2RF (Telephone: 081 855

4096 evenings, 081 317 4564 daytime)

NEXT N E W S L E T T E R

Please send all contributions to the Editor-

Paul Taylor, 24 Forge Road, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 2AU. England.

Tel: 01675 481578. to reach me by 1st May 1995, or preferably earlier.

Contributions can be accepted in the following forms:

a. Hand-written. b. Typed c. On IBM compatible computer disk providing it

is sent on a 3.5" double or high density disk. Files can be accepted as Dos Text, Microsoft Word for

Windows, Microsoft Works or as ASCII files.

Al l contributions to the Newsletter will be deemed to be submitted to the French GEP Le Monde des

Phasmes, the Belgian-Dutch Phasma and the German Arthropoda for translation.