The Phasmid Study Group Chair: Mrs Judith Marshall Department of Entomology. British Museum (Natural History). Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

Treasurer/Membership: Paul Brock (Phone 0753-79447) "Papillon". 40 Thorndike Road, Slough, Berks SL2 1SR

Secretary: Adrian Durkin (Phone 0562-882420) 8 Foley Road. Pedmore, Stourbridge. W. Midlands, DY9 ORT

December 1989 NEWSLETTER NO. 41 ISSN 0268-3806

DONATIONS - This is the fourth bumper issue of the year and the resulting increased printing and postage costs have been a drain on the Group's funds. A section for, donations is now included on the Membership Renewal Form, and any additional sum you feel able to send would be welcome.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REMINDER - 27th January 1990 in the Natural History Museum Demonstration Room. Further details on a separate sheet.

LIVESTOCK CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT by Phil Bragg (No. 445)

Many members come to meetings and exhibitions and ask for livestock or eggs of particular species. A large number of them do not get what they want because there are none at the meeting; yet a few weeks later I may have lots of eggs of those species and no one to send them to. If you want a particular species, your chances of getting it are better if you contact me at home (preferably by telephone) - DO NOT wait until a meeting. My 'phone number is 0602-222118.

If you want new species but are not particular about which you have, give me an idea (large, small, winged, etc) of what you are interested in and I'll send some­thing suitable.

The placing of species into categories A, Band C is only a guide. If you want eggs of species in category B or C I will always do my best to help.

New members please note that I generally have plenty of eggs of various easy species, so I can usually send new members several species to get them started. If you want more than one species, then just ask.

1989 AES EXHIBITION REPORT

There seemed to be even more interest than usual in our stand and the many helpers (thanks to all) were kept very busy. Some 20 live species were displayed (including two with feet instead of feelers), together with three trays of set speci­mens of Phil Bragg's (No. 445) very latest Sarawak species. Eight new members were recruited and several of this year's members renewed their subscriptions. Nearly 20 species were given away.

ARTIS ZOO EXHIBITION REPORT

This event in Amsterdam was a tremendous success, with several thousand visitors and about 10 new members recruited. Many live phasmid species were given to enthu­siasts. (See also Newsletter 40, page 2, paragraph 3.) Press releases were sent

to many magazines in Holland and to the Belgian "Aqua-Terra" group.

41: 2

FOURTH DUTCH-BELGIAN PHASMID DISCUSSION MEETING by Michael and Frances (No. 3) (from the full repor~)

This meeting was held at the home of Heinz van Herwaarden (No. 47 8) in Goirle, Holland. Eight PSG members were present, including one newcomer. Some highlights:

1. Expenses for mailing the reports and species lists will be reimbursed. 2. Future meetings will be at the home of Patrick van der Stigchel (No . 336 ) i n

Holland and, in September 1990, at the Royal Belgian Institute for Science in Brussels, to coincide with a two-week exhibition of phasmids and other insects.

3. It is hoped that future meetings will include studying, and i de n t i f i c a t i o n of any species brought along.

4. Heinz showed many slides of the new species he and Oscar van Gorkom brought back from their trip to Ecuador.

5. Twelve species were exchanged. 6. A yearbook will be produced.

A detailed three-page report is available (in Dutch or English, on r equest from Kim D'Hulster, No. 372) for members who are especially interested.

FRENCH GEP AGM AND RULES: SUMMARY AND HIGHLIGHTS by Michael and France s (No. 3t

About 30 members were present at the Paris Natural History Museum; several Phyllium and other species were displayed and many species were exchanged.

After a year there are 108 members, from eight different countries ( 83 fr om France).

The 1990 subscription rates agreed will be, in francs, 80, 9 5 and 12 5 for France, Europe and other countries respectively - corresponding back issue prices are 25, 30 and 40 francs each.

Future projects include building up both as large a library a s possible and a collection to enable sp~cies to be identified.

The seven rules agreed allow for the annual election of a t h ree - me mbe r execu t i ve committee and also a larger committee as required. Other rules have similarities with PSG rules 14, 16 and 22. There was considerable discussion about the rule corresponding to our prohibitions on selling phasmids. Th e members' species lists in the Revues are intended for exchanges both of phasmids and rearing information, and any resultant hassling is subject to sanctions!

POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL PHASMATIO EXPEDITION TO AUSTRALIA IN 1991

Or David Rentz (No. 692) has very kindly offered to draw up an itinerary if there is sufficient interest in an expedition. Australian stick insects are under­studied and include many spectacular species of which only a few are in culture. Only those members seriously interested are invited to write to Paul Brock (No. 26) by 5th January 1990, and he will advise David of the response. Air fare alon e is expensive and it is likely that costs from the UK will be well in e x c e s s of £ 10 00 .

COLLECTING TRIP by Bruno KneubUhler (No. 440)

If anyone wants to join me on a stick insect collecting trip (about 3-4 weeks) in June 1990 in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, they should please con t ac t me before the middle of February 1990. walking around in the jungle alone isn't very funny and is quite dangerous too!

RELEASING PHASMIDS IS ILLEGAL by Michael and Frances CNo. 3)

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the release into the wild of any animal (which includes invertebrates) which is not normally resident in the UK. This means that it is illegal to put your surplus sticks into the wild (apart from the three British species).

41: 3

"PRICKLY" BY THOMAS NEWMAN (No. 639)

This moving and beautifully written story about Thomas's relationship with his insects, "most of all one called Prickly", has been chosen for publication in 1990 by W.H. Smith, in their book of Young writers of the Year Competition winning entries.

ANOTHER STICK STAR by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

The programme on BBC TV about the making of the film "The Bear" showed what looked very like an adult Sipyloidea'sipylus - in the Alps doubling for the Rocky Mountains I We don't know if this appears in the final film.

BOOKS ABOUT THE WEATHER by Peter Wilcox (No. 240)

The National Meteorological Library (Meteorological Office, London Road, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 2SZ) will supply on request specified books about the weather of various places in the world, free of charge on loan (but only to foreign countries where an institute has a prior arrangement). The postage to you is free but I don't know about the return postage.

I recommend The World Weather Guide by E. A. Pearce and C. G. Smith (Hutchinson, 1984).

A BEHAVIOURAL STUDY OF EURYCANTHA CALCARATA BY ILONA CLAIL (No. 496)

Ilona has kindly provided the Group with a copy of this 140-page thesis on adult E. calcarata (University of Stirling, 18th March 1988). It is hoped to make this copy available for members to refer to, and Ilona does not object to being con­tacted by members with queries about her project (please enclose SSAE).

Ilona's four articles in this and the next Newsletter are taken from her thesis. Other topics include diurnal activity rhythms, sheltering heights of males and females, and the possibility of a hierarchy. Her two articles in the next issue are on fecal odours and aggregations, and preferences of these insects towards each other.

PSG SPECIES LIST - DECEMBER 1989 by Paul Brock (No. 26)

Various amendments will be noticed in comparison with the previous List dated June 1988.

PSG 79 is worthy of a few notes - I recently saw a paper by Hebard, referring to a series of Bostra aetolus (Westwood) from Venvidio, Sinaloa, Mexico 1918, which shows the variability of this species (see my Species Report in Newsletter 31). Hebard regards Westwood's type specimen (female only) as having a "greater complexity of lobes and lamellae" than the series from Sinaloa . . As the male is also described in Hebard's paper, I now have every confidence in confirming PSG 79 as Bostra aetolus. Hebard chose to place this species in Bostra, although this is perhaps somewhat debatable (the "differences" between some Bostra and Bacteria species appear to be negligible). The culture stock incidentally was found near Alamos, Sonora, close to the border of Sinaloa district.

A few new species are included in the List, but several others are very close to with varying

fulfilling the criteria for success are:

addition. Examples of those being reared/attempted

Achrioptera sp. - Madagascar Agathemera crassa - Chile Carausius alluaudi - Seychelles Carausius gardineri - Seychelles Diapheromera veliei - USA Graeffea seychellensis - Seychelles

Haaniella mUlleri Leptynia hispanica Orobia sp. Ramulus sp. Ramulus sp. Ramulus sp.

- West t-1alaysia - France - Madagascar - Burundi (No. 2) - Kenya - Zaire

Unclassified (various) Philippines/Java (Eric van Gorkom) Unclassified (various) Thailand (Heinz van Herwaarden and Oscar van Gorkom) Unclassified (various) Sarawak (Phil Bragg and Patrick van der Stigchel) Unclassified (various) Ecuador (Heinz van Herwaarden and Oscar van Gorkom)

Reference: Hebard, M., Dermaptera and Orthoptera from the state of Sinaloa, Mexico ­1. Dermaptera and non saltatorial Orthoptera, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., 48 (1923) 193-5.

41:4

SPECIES REPORT ON ANTILLOPHILUS BREVITARSUS CARL (?) IN NEWSLETTER 40 Identification notes by Paul Brock (No. 26)

Having reared stock sent by Alain Roux to adult specimens and spent some time examining the literature, I am now in a position to comment on the identification.

In my view the culture stock is Lamponius guerini (Saussure), now allocated ESG 101. The brief description in Brunner von Wattenwyl and Redtenbacher (1906-8, p. 358) matches well, and I can only assume that Carl had not fully researched species from Guadeloupe listed in that volume. Carl's major work, "Phasmides nouveaux ou peu connus du MUs~um de'Geneve" (Rev. Suisse Zool., 21 (1913) 1-56), describes a new genus Antillophilus (p. 38) with a single female specimen of Antillophilus brevitarsus from Guadeloupe (Plate 1, Fig. 6). This is a synonym o f Lamponius guerini - BradleyandGalil's 1977 key to Subfamilies and Tribes lists the genus Antillophilus Carl as a synonym of Lamponius Stal.

Alain's Species Report refers to notes by Roulland (1982) which describe a very similar insect, slightlyspinier - most notably with the head double-spined. However, some species exhibit considerable variation and Roulland's insects may well also be L. guerini.

LAMPONIUS GUERINI DEFENSIVE SPRAY by Kim D'Hulster (No. 372)

When I picked up one of my males he sprayed a liquid right into my face, from two holes near his head like Anisomorpha buprestoides. This spray smelled a bit like that of Paraphasma rufipes. I think that female L. guerini can also spray.

ANQTHER FOODPLANT FOR LAMPONIUS GUERINI: EUCALYPTUS GUNNII by Kim D'Hulster (No. 372)

I always give these stick insects a mixture of rose, bramble, raspberry, oak and eucalyptus. First of all -they eat the eucalyptus (they are really crazy about it) and then the rest.

STRANGE HETEROPTERYX DILATATA FEMALES by Kim D'Hulster (No. 372)

One adult in my culture is 5.5 cm shorter than ~ normal f emale. I noticed this also with my Extatosoma tiaratum (I have large and small specimens) but didn't think it could happen with H. dilatata.

Another is bright yellow on top and a much darker green than normal underneath.

REVIVING AGED HETEROPTERYX DILATATA FEMALES? by David Holland (No. 368)

I encouraged one to drink sugared water and she perked up and started eating again, but then died soon after of constipation.

DELAYED HATCHING IN DARES SP. (PSG 69) IS NOT DUE TO PARTHENOGENESIS by Nicholas Wadham (No. 358)

Our eggs which took as long as 10 months to hatch eventually produced roughly equal numhersof males and females. So the delay in hatching was not due to partheno­genetic egg development, as suggested in Newsletter 40 (page 19).

ANOTHER EGG LAID ON A LEG by Robert Lind (No. 513)

I have an adult Sipyloidea sipylus which has had an egg glued on to her hind leg by another insect of the same species.

[see also Newsletter 40, page 19 end. - Ed~

YET MORE ON MALE MOROSUS by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

Early specimens of Carausius morosus collected in the Palni hills of So u t h I ndia included both males and females, according to papers by Sin~ty (1901) and Pantel (1918).

41: 5

NOTES ON THE STICK INSECTS OF THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS by Pat Matyot (No. 604)

Very little information has been published on the five endemic stick insect species of the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean. In fact, apart from the original descriptions and records of localities where the insects have been collected in the past, not much other data is available. I intend to publish information on the distribution and foodplants of the Seychellois ·s t i c k insects in a separate paper in the Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists' Society (in the press). The following brief notes are based on observations of some other aspects of their biology.

1. Carausius sechellensis (Bolivar, 1895)

A drop of transparent liquid is sometimes observed dangling from the mouth area of captive specimens of C. sechellensis (as well as C. gardineri and C. alluaudi). The nature of this secretion needs to be determined: I found it to be practically tasteless.

A tiny winged insect, apparently a parasitic fly, is sometimes seen on this and the two other Carausius species mentioned above in the wild, especially at altitudes above 300 m. Further work is required to identify this insect. Stick insects are not its only hosts, since it has also been observed on the caterpillar of the oleander hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) and on an unidentified moth and a bush-cricket.

On one occasion several specimens of C. sechellensis being reared in a large jar were killed and partly eaten by a bush-cricket (Prosopogryllacris sechellensis) which my younger brother put into the jar with them, thinking it would also feed on the ferns provided for the stick insects! It is not known if this carnivorous and nocturnal bush-cricket preys on C. sechellensis in natural conditions as well.

2. Carausius gardineri Bolivar, 1912

C. gardineri usually scurries away very quickly and/or drops to the ground when disturbed, especially when touched. In this respect it is much more susceptible than the two other Carausius species discussed here. On dropping to the ground it may lie still ("death feigning") and is then very difficult to detect among the twigs and dead leaves of the forest-floor litter.

This species goes through an interesting colour change during the course of its life-cycle. Unlike those of the two other Carausius species, which are brown, the young nymphs are green. They are quite difficult to notice when aligned along the midrib or side-veins of fern fronds. On reaching the adult instar, the insect is still a khaki green at first, but it gradually develops a brown colour.

3. Carausius alluaudi (Bolivar, 1895)

This is one of the most striking insects of the Seychelles, the female reaching up to 11.5 cm in length. The male, although shorter (8-9 cm), is usually a vivid reddish brown colour. However, I have also encountered males that are paler and dUller, and in the mountain moss-forest at Congo Rouge on the island of Mah~ I have come across a male specimen that was dark brown. It was also shorter than average, measuring just over 7.5 cm. It could still be distinguished from the similarly coloured male of C. sechellensis by the tergum or dorsal surface of its tenth abdom­inal segment (which was more deeply forked into two parts pointing backwards than that of c. sechellensis) and by its black eyes (those of C. sechellensis are greyish).

I once saw a long, thin worm-like creature, possibly a nematode, protruding from the rear end of an adult female that had been captured a few days previously and was being kept in a cage. After the "worm" had dropped to the bottom of the cage, several drops of a translucent green liquid, similar to the haemolymph that oozes from a wound - when a leg breaks off, for instance - trickled from the insect's anal region.

C. alluaudi, too, is attacked by the winged parasite mentioned above. In the Montagne Brul~e area on Mahe island I have seen as many as five on a single female of c. alluaudi at 11.55 a.m. They seemed to be inserting their probosces into the joints in the body of the host (between the trochanter and femur on the legs, and between the prothorax and mesothorax). They would not. flyaway even .when the stick insect was moving. One of the parasites was crushed accidentally when I was trying to catch it. Its abdomen was found to contain a translucent green liquid.

41: 6

4. Graeffea seychellensis Ferri~re, 1912

Ferri~re's description of the female 'of this species as "reddish-brown, with dark irregular spots" must have been based on dried specimens that had become dis­coloured, or perhaps on a colour variant that I have not yet seen. In life, the basic colour , of both" the males and "the females that I have encountered is green. It appears that the male of G. seychellensis has never been described. Its general appearance is very similar to that of the female although it is shorter (just under 8 cm, compared with 10 cm for the female) and thinner. The underside is yellow, with some red under the abdomen (the underside of the female is paler in colour).

Although this species has wings, it cannot fly actively over any distance. Very rarely, it may open up its wings to flutter from one palm frond to another very close by, or to break its fall should it lose its grip on a leaf.

When disturbed, G. seychellensis presses itself flat against the underside of the leaf on which it is resting or feeding, so as to align its body along the parallel veins of the leaf. It is then extremely difficult to observe. Young nymphs have a light brown stripe along the middle of the thorax and abdomen, but even they are easily mistaken for rust spots or other discolorations. In the wild this species is most easily observed when it is feeding, usually in the late afternoon. In the feeding position it still clings to the undersurface of the leaf, but its body is no longer aligned exactly along the axis of the leaf, and its head projects beyond the leaf margin.

After each moult, G. seychellensis feeds on the discarded nymphal skin. This has not been observed with the three Carausius species discussed above.

It is interesting that, although this stick insect feeds on palms, it is never found on the coconut palms that are so abundant on the coastal plains of Mahe'. This could be because the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) colonised, or was introduced into, the granitic islands of the Seychelles at a late stage in their biogeographical history, while the endemic palms that G. seychellensis feeds on are part of th e original vegetation of the islands, i.e. the insect evolved in association with these botanical relicts. Another possible explanation is that coconut palms now grow only in areas severely disturbed by human activity - in areas that have experienced habitat disturbance, G. seychellensis has not been found even on endemic palms. But it is also po s sible that the ecological requirements of this stick insect simply have never existed on the coastal plains. This situation is different from that of G. crouanii, wh~ch is a pest in coconut plantations in the South Pacific (Paine, 1968).

5. Carausius scotti Ferri~re, 1912

This species, of which a male (the type specimen) was found on the island of Silhouette in 1908 and the female of which is unknown, has not been observed on Mah~. I intend to accompany a group of students from Oxford University on a biological expedition to Silhouette in 1990, and a careful search will be made for C. scotti.

On page 153 of Freidmann's Flowers and trees of Seychelles, there is a photo­graph of a stick insect on one of the leaflets of a compound leaf of the epiphytic plant Schefflera (=Geopanax) pro~umbens (Fam. Araliaceae), which now grows only on Silhouette. In the photograph several of the leaflets have been nibbled in the manner typical of stick insects, but it is not possible to identify the insect shown.

Stick insects are part of the fascinating fauna of the Seychelles islands. I hope that the above notes will have pointed out some of the areas requiring further study, and that more European and North American entomologists, amateurs and profess­ionals alike, will be tempted into visiting these islands!

References

Bolivar, I., and Ferri~re, C., Phasmidae of the Seychelles, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Zoo1.), 15 (1912) 293-300,

Friedmann, F., Flowers and trees of Seychelles, Department of Finance, Seychelles (1986). Paine, R.W., Investigations for the biological control in Fiji of the coconut stick

insect Graeffea crouanii (Le Guillou), Bull. Ent. Res., 57 (1968) 567-604.

41: 7

EURYCANTHA CULTURES INTERBREEDING by Phil Bragg (No. 445)

Judging by the Eurycantha spp. which I am sent, the two cultures, PSG 23 and 44, are interbreeding. Mel Herbert (No. 232) agrees with me, saying that both the eggs and the insects are generally becoming difficult to distinguish. It seems p ossible that they are both E. calcarata anyway, but it would be a shame if the two different cultures became one. So, if you have a pure culture of either PSG 23 or 44, will you please try to keep it pure! If you keep the two cultures in the same cage, the offspring will be a crossbreed.

EURYCANTHA SP. (PSG 44) CAN BREED PARTHENOGENETICALLY by Michael and Frances (No . 3)

This seems pretty certain because all the last two dozen or so of our hatchings have been female, and in addition these are taking somewhat longer than usual to hatch.

EURYCANTHA SP. (PSG 44) SMELL by IngridLorrain (No. 539)

A few weeks ago, my Eurycantha sp. (PSG 44) female died. I put her in a box and hoped she would just dry out. Of course she did not, and when I opened the box a week ago an evil smell filled the room. As far as I can judge, it is the same smell as the male produces when disturbed. From this point of view, the smell as a defence mechanism makes perfect sense as it says: "Don't eat me, I am rotting".

NEWCOMERS TO ~DULT EURYCANTHA SP. (PSG 44) COLONIES by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

We keep our six pairs or so of adult Eurycantha sp. on their own and proviped at the bottom of their cage with a length of builder's plastic piping for them to hide in during the day . We feed in "new" adults to this cage about a week after their final skin shed when their skin has thoroughly hardened and they have started to plump out. Both new males and new females nearly always spend the first few days skulking near the top of their new cage before taking up res idence i n the communal cylinder . But, although this behaviour seems to indicate initial timidity towards the rest of the colony, their defensive instincts seem more noticeable than those of older adults if they are disturbed (like newly shed sticks of most species we have reared).

Incidentally, it is curious to see that those that do hide usually cram them­selves as tightly as possible together in only one pa~t of the pipe, even though they have room to spread themselves out. (E. calcarata behave similarly.)

EURYCANTHA SP. (PSG 44) MALES ATTACK HETEROPTERYX DILATATA FEMALES by Kim D'Hulster (No. 372)

I also had the problem reported in Newsletter 40 (page 7). ~ nearly dead E. calcarata male killed one of our first Haaniella echinata

females. - Ed~

EURYCANTHA CALCARATA FIGHTING FATALITIES by Robert Lind (No. 513)

Just recently I have lost two male adults of E. calcarata apparently through fighting. One sustained a very deep wound on his abdomen and died shortly after­wards, and the other died a few days later. I have two other males which are fine. The same n ight as the fight I found an adult female E. calcarata with a puncture, probably from a spine, on her dorsal thorax. It was bleeding very badly with <rlear and viscous "blood". I cleaned her up and next day there was only the tiniest mark, although she "bled" so much. She is doing just fine now.

41: 8

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR OF THE NEW GUINEA STICK INSECT EURYCANTHA CALCARATA by Ilona Clai 1 (No. 496)

The use and display of the highly developed armature of the hind femora of male Eurycantha were described by Bedford (No. 68) (1975) as a presumed defensive beha­viour. Bedford suggested that males may travel considerable distances in their search for females. Consequently, they may be subjected to greater predation pressur es than females. This factor may offer an explanation for the highly developed arm­ature in males and its almost complete absence in females. However, this article offers an alternative explanation, suggesting intrasexual selection (competition between members of the same sex for mates of the opposite sex) as a basis for selec­tion of these traits.

Ten previously isolated E. calcarata males were placed together in a large aquarium tank with moistened peat on the base. The insects were watch ed for 15 minutes, during which no aggressive encounters were observed. E. c a lca r a t a female odours were introduced into the tank and 70% of the males aggregated around the female odour source after 3~ minutes. No aggressive encounters were obs e rved during a 15-minute period. However, when the female odour source was removed from the tank, high-level aggressive acts were immediately observed. Two males labelled 11 and 13 demonstrated aggressive behaviour as follows.

Insect 13 reversed on to 11, holding 11's hind legs between the femur-tibia angle (see drawing), using the defence strike many times. Insect 11 also used the defence

Abdomens raised and touching

Male-male aggressive encounter showing interlocking of spines (x 0.5)

strike as the hind legs of 11 and 13 interlocked. (In the defence s t r i ke the male raises and extends the hind leg and quickly strikes at any threatening object by forcibly closing the leg joint to try to puncture the object with the large spines.) Both insects adopted the defence posture; abdomens were raised vertically and touching. The insect bout lasted 5 minutes. Insect 12 approached 11 and 13 and. was also involved in the bout - all three insects had their hind legs interlocked forming a circle and their abdomens raised vertically and in contact as described previously. During this three-insect bout, many high-pitched squeaks were heard. After approximately

41: 9

5 minutes, insect 13 disengaged, leaving 11 and 12 in combat. Intermittent periods where the legs were interlocked and abdomens in contact, but femoral spines not in use, involved abdominal thrusts: both insects struck the other's raised abdomen, both maintaining the defence posture. After 20 minutes, the insects disengaged but remained in the same vicinity - both continued to thrust their abdomens, this time on the peat floor. Th is behaviour continued for 10 minutes hefore the .i n no o t a mo vod to opposi t,e r e q i.on s of the t ank.

Encounters between males 3 and f3 were similar to that described above: male 2 3 reversed on to male 3, holding 3's hind leg between the femur-tibia angle. In the process of using the defence strike, male 23's previOusly damaged/deformed tibia snapped in half and blood loss was apparent as a mass of yellow viscous fluid.

Another high-level aggressive encounter also occurred between males 3 and 13, where 13 used the defence strike on 3 approximately forty times. The cuticle of insect 3 was penetrated twice during the event and blood loss was observed from 3's injuries. Insect 3 retreated and remained stationary in a semi-stick posture in one of the corners of the tank.

A function for the highly developed male armature which is mechanically e f f e c t i v e has thus been observed. It may be possible that the hind femoral armature in male E. calcarata is highly developed primar ily as a result of intrasexual selection and not as an anti-predatorial adaptation. although the latter would have a secondar~

function here . Intrasexual selection may form a basis for the selection of specific traits that allow individuals to compete more successfully for the possession of the other sex. If an opponent sustains injuries. for example limb loss, then the life­time reproductive success of this injured insect may decrease as a result of its physical disabilities. This factor may be important in densely populated areas where an individual's reproductive success may possibly be correlated with the success of that individual in the competitive arena. competition between male E. calcarata may thus have a biological significance to the individual in terms of reproductive success.

If the display and use of the large hind femoral armature are to be regarded as intrasexually selected in male E. calcarata, in a similar manner to antlers in deer, it is necessary to demonstrate that its absence in female E. calcarata is also reflected in their behaviour. The following data may support this idea.

Five cohabiting E. calcarata males and five cohabiting E. calcarata females were placed together in an observation tank. During twenty 75-minute observation periods the following encounters were observed:

15 of the 63 encounters involving 1 male and 1 female were aggressive 31 of the 43 encounters involving 2 males were aggressive None of the 4 encounters involving 2 females was aggressive

Males showed high-level aggressive acts towards other males although the us~ of the hind femoral armature was not clearly observed.

Of the aggressive acts involving 1 male and 1 female, 57% involved pre-copulatory behaviour by the male, upon whom the female then directed aggressive acts, which led to antagonistic behaviours exhibited by both sexes. 8% of the male-female aggressive enco~nters occurred whilst females were engaged in egg-laying behaviour; aggressive acts were then exhibited by males only. 35% of male-female aggressive encounters were initiated by females. Male-female aggressive encounters did not involve the use of the defence strike.

In an equally mixed community of the two sexes, males were thus significantly more aggressive than females, particularly to members of the same sex; females were generally passive and did not compete intrasexually. Aggressive encounters involving females occurred only with males and were fewer, of shorter duration and less complex (when analysed with respect to th~ diversity of aggressive acts used - not included in this report) than male-male aggressive encounters.

Reference

Bedford, G.O., Defensive behaviour of the New Guinea stick insect Eurycantha, Proc. Linnean Soc. New South Wales. 100 (1975) 4, 218-22.

41: 10

COPULATORY BEHAVIOUR IN EURYCANTHA CALCARATA by Ilona Clail (No. 496)

Behaviours described below were stereotypical of all copulat ions obs erved in this study. Those members who are familiar ,wi t h Chia-Chi Hsiung's (No. 456) article (1987) may recognise some differences between the two accounts. These may possibly be due to differences in the number of copulations observed in the two studies, experimenters' interpretations and differences in the lengths of the mal e and f emal e insects used. (Hsiung found that three adult females varied in length f 'rom 120 to 122 mm and three adult males from 103 to 105 mm. In this investigation the corres­pondingvariations were 130-138 mm and 100-115 mm.)

Five male and five female E. calcarata insects, of an average weight and length, were taken from the stock sample and subjected to a 12:12 hour light:dark photocycle. During twenty 75-minute periods, commencing at the onset of the dark cycle, 20 copulations were observed. During twenty 60-minute periods, commencing at the onset of the light cycle, 5 copulations were observed . Apart from one occasion, males initiated the approach towards females prior to copulations.The direction of approach was from the side or rear of the female - significantly fewer approaches were made from the front. This may suggest that:

1 . Females secrete a sex pheromone from the posterior region and males orientate towards the area of highest pheromone concentration, or

2. The probability that copulation occurs is increased if males approach f emales from angles other than the front .

Once contact was established, courtship was rapid indeed. There was generally no overt female response. As the male insect entered the female's vicinity, he stood in an alert posture, with body raised higher than the female's, .a rrt .enna t.inq rapidly in the female's direction (defining antennating as moving the antennae towards the source of stimulation, possibly contacting it). The male approached, antennated and mounted the female, whilst his posterior abdominal region became "swollen" in appearance as the genital organ everted. On mounting t.he female, the male positioned his front legs on the anterior edge of the female's prothorax (see Figure 1), holding the female with tarsi and claws. The tarsi of the r ear legs were placed on the female's posterior abdominal region, whilst the mid legs were positioned on the femur'-tibia joints of the female's mid legs, presumably to keep the female stationary. The male continued to antennate the female and c ommenced to palp her thorax, i.e. to spread his maxillary palps across her thorax, mov ing them backwards and forwards from the mouth. The male moved his rear tarsi up and down along the female's abdomen, just above the ovipositor, p r i o r to sliding the l ower part of his body along the right-hand s i d e of the female, passing t he posterior part of his abdomen (with the last two to three segments still curled upwards) under that of the female. Whilst doing so, he removed his right rear leg from the fema l e' s abdomen (allowing his abdomen to be posit ioned slightly to the female's right) and continually stroked her abdominal region with his left rear tarsus.

The male's genital region was placed anteriorly along the ventral s i de of the female's abdomen, moving it along until it came into contact with the female's ge n i t a l region. The male attached his genital region to that of the femal e by attaching first the curled dorsal surface and then the ventral s u r f a c e of hi s abdomen. As copulation commenced, female abdominal movements o c c ur red . On several occasio ns the female was solely responsible, whilst on most occasions it was difficult to distin­guish which sex caused this movement. Physical contact was observed only a t the genital region and where the male's tarsi came into contact with the female (see Figure 2). Antennations v irtually ceased during copulation, the antennae moving very slightly, if at all.

Once copulation was over, the male removed his genital region by r eleasing the ventral surface and then the dorsal surface of his abdomen from the fema le 's . Cop u ­lations lasted between 2 minutes 40 seconds and 3 minutes 52 s econds, with an average duration of 3 minutes 11 seconds. After copulation, the male moved directly above the femal e or slightly to her right, stroking h er rear abdominal region with his rear tars i for 30-60 s e c o n ds . The insects remained in this position, immobile, antennating slowly, for at least 2 minutes but more often fo r longer periods, befo re

41: 11

Figure 1 (x 0.7)

Hind femoral armature

Male's rear tarsi on female's posterior abdomen

Male

Figure 2 (x 0.7)

41: 12

either the male or the female departed. Males left females in 16% of observations. females left males in 26%. and 58% of all copulatory pairs remained together for the remaining observation period (up to 75 minutes).

There was no stereotyped manner in the way copulatory insect pairs departed. but the manner of approach seemed critical as to whether copulation was to occur. Males held on to unco-operative females. being dragged along behind them. If the maie managed to mount the female and position his legs appropriately as described above. the female generally became stationary and copulation followed. If not. the female escaped into the canopy and was no longer pursued by the male.

Hsiung reports one copulation which was "unusual in that it happened riur ing the day". Several such copulations were also observed in this investigation and therefore any unusualness may perhaps depend on which hour of the light period Hsiung observed this behaviour.

Pseudo-copulations

Behaviour extremely similar to that of copulation was observed between male insects. Such acts were observed during the dark period on eight occasions and followed contacts with female insects. The passive male participant of a "homo­sexual act" had either exhibited copulatory behaviour towards a female prior to the event (without copulation taking place) or the passive male had been sheltering with a female directly before the event.

As a passive male was approached by an active male. the female retreated quickly to some shelter whilst the passive male was antennated. mounted and palped by the active male. The passive male attempted to walk from under the active male. who thrust his abdomen down on to the passive male's abdomen. Abdominal thrusts usually resulted in the passive male adopting a prostrate position. The active male attempted to place his now everted genital region on the passive male's ventral abdomen. lifting the abdomen with his rear tarsi. This in turn c a u s e d the p~ssive

male to adopt the defence posture and again abdominal thrusts from the active male followed. The above process was repeated many times. The active male's genitalia did not actually come into contact with the passive male's abdomen, owing to the similar sizes of the two males - the abdomen of the active male was not curled under the passive male's sufficiently to make contact. This may be one reason for the sexual dimorphic size difference between males and females.

After several minutes of pseudo-copulatory behaviour. where the active male palped the passive male continuously. the active male commenced rocking vigorously from side to side above the passive male. This caused the passive male to become immobile. often inducing the thanatotic ("stick") posture. Eventually, after about 15 minutes, the passive male retreated by a fast escape run into the canopy or shelter. The active male paced the floor/canopy with the rocking motion superimposed on to his walking movements. After approximately a minute the active male's posterior abdominal region uncurled and "normal" locomotion was observed.

It is thought that pseudo-copulatory behaviour was induced as a result of female sex pheromone transference. When a male comes into contact with a female, it may be possible that sex pheromones secreted by the female are transferred on -to the male. Males displaying c opul a t o r y behaviour moved their maxillary palps over the surface of the female - this behaviour was more pronounced in pseudo-copulations. Females may secrete different types of sex pheromones. for example one to induce orientations of males and one to induce copulations. Detection of the pheromone from a distance of metres or many centimetres may orientate males. and detection from distances allowing tactile perception of the odour source (taste) using the antennae or maxillary palps may induce copulatory behaviour. This may explain the more pro­nounced behaviour of the maxillary palps in pseudo-copulations since any pheromones transferred from a female on to a male will be less concentrated and hence pseudo­copulating males would need more reinforcement cues.

Reference

Hsiung. C.• Aspects of the biology of the Melanesian stick-insect Eurycantha calcarata Lucas. Jnl nat. Hist .• 21 (1987) 1241-58. For summary. see Newsletter 34. p. 7.

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FRENCH PSG REVUES: SUMMARIES AND HIGHLIGHTS by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

REVUE No. 5 (September 1989)

Meetings (pages 3-6)

Reports the Third Dutch-Belgian PSG meeting, the PSG meeting on 29th July 1989 (for both see Newsletter 40, page 1) and the Fifth Geneva Entomological Fair (by D. Parent). At this international Fair in April four people exhibited about 20 species of phasmid.

Construction of a glued glass terrarium by Alain Roux (pages 7-12)

The dimensions are 40 cm x 40 cm x 70 cm (high), and electric light bulb heating at the bottom is included.

Rearing and breeding Eurycantha calcarata by Burghard Hausleithner (translated by Monique Vergne) (pages 13-18)

Considers their natural environment, differences of the hind leg from E. horrida, housing, rearing temperature and humidity, foodplants, rearing nymphs, and hatching eggs.

The rearing temperature reguired can be gradually reduced generation by genera­tion down to 18 C by day and 13 C by night for periods of up to a week. Food consumption, egg laying, aggression and nymphal development are all then reduced.

oC.After such a period the temperature should be raised 5-10 The i n s e c t s will eat apple peelings and apples cut into fine slices. Pinches between adult male hind legs can be avoided by holding the insects by the mesonotum.

Thrixion halidayanum (Rond.), a parasite of Leptynia hispanica (Bol.) by Philippe Lelong (pages 19-22)

This small fly attacks all three French phasmid species, though most strongly L. hispanica. Of 15 captured adult females of L. hispanica, seven were found to be infected (males are never attacked), shown by small black protuberances on the sides of the abdomen. The fly glues 1-4 eggs (0.5 mm by 0.2 mm or less) to the abdomen or thorax. On hatching, the larvae pierce the skin of the phasmid and develop in the ovaries near the abdominal wall, leaving the phasmid to pupate when they are about 10 mm long by 2 mm. Up to seven larvae may be found in one phasmid, Their effect is a general enfeeblement of the phasmid and, if there are many larvae, atrophy of her ovaries; sometimes she dies soon after the larvae l eave. In c u l t u r e , one can only quarantine any newly caught phasmids and eliminate any pupae as they appear. The pupae are dark chestnut in colour, and 2 mm by 5 mm with a 0.7 mm long black tubercle on the end. They look very like the pods o f the foodplant Dorycnium suffruticosum (Vill.), apart from the black tubercle. The attacks can occur from June to August.

Phyllium literature by Victor Spreter (page 23)

Brunner and Redtenbacher include eight pages on 10 Phyllium spp., in Latin and German.

Phyllium foodplants by P. E. Roubaud (pages 23-25)

A Belgian dealer, Ross ius, states that the first spring bramble leaves can be poisonous. This explains why many species refuse such leaves even when food is scarce. I f guava is not available, hawthorn is very popular with Phyllium (and also Eurycantha calcarata and Baculum extradentatum) - one evergreen species is Crataegus pyracantha. Phyllium eggs are flunga considerable distance by a sudden shake of the abdomen .

A new method of preserving phasmids by Noel Mal (pages 26-28)

Recommends drying under low pressure for -s ome hours for thin species; up to 1 or 2 days for bulky species. The pressure must be sufficiently low to cause fast

41:14

enough drying, but not so low as to cause distension of th e b odies and h a r m \'.0 t .l i o

wing markings. Th e specimens should be kept at ambient temperature or heated (upo

to 35 C maximum). The low pressure often results in much internal liquid leaving by the body openings: this dries to a froth sticking to the insect which c an b e easily removed with a soft brush. The dried specimens are very fragile and the accuracy of colour preservation varies greatly between species. Better colour preservation can be obtained by freeze drying.

Drawings of Antillophilus brevitarsus by A. Roux (pa~e 29)

See Newsletter 40, page 25.

Antillophilus brevitarsus by Pascal Robeyrotte (pages 30-31)

Gives the number of eggs l aid each day during the 130 days a female wa s laying (213 eggs in all) and includes drawings of the female and male.

Life-cycle by V. Spreter (page 32)

General comments on periods for incubation, nymphal growth and adultho od include data on parthenogenetic Phyllium bioculatum(?).

Some notes on Heteropteryx dilatata by V. Tam~a (page 33)

Includes lengths and growth periods of all the instars of both s exes.

Achrioptera by A. Deschandol (page 34)

Drawings show the differences between the males of Achrioptera sp. a n d A. fall ax.

Two ways of modernising equipment by P. E. Roubaud (pages 35- 36)

V. Tam~a has perfected an electrical programmer switch for automatic spraying, covering any period from 0.06 to 160 seconds, up to three t imes a daYi t otal cost 630 francs.

P. E. Roubaud is making a transparent container which can be evacuated for drying phasmids by heating or freezing.

List of phasmids being reared (pages 37-41)

Details from 63 GEP members.

Table of species for exchange and Small ads (pages 42-45)

.­A propos the question of C. Toussaint and P. E . Roubaud by G. Dupre (page 46)

La zoog~ographie de Madagascar e t des 1les voisines by Renaud Paulian ( IRS de Tananarive, 1961) gives around 80 endemic phasmid species, 36 of them in four genera.

Answer to the questions of J. L. Devaux and F. Lesage by P. E. Roubaud (pages 46-47)

Eurycantha calcarata nymphs or adults (particularly females) sometimes become thin and die on changing the type of foodpla nti this process is not reversibl e~

If this happens, the remaining insects have poor skin sheds.

Answer to the question of W. Deliet by P. E. Roubaud (page 47)

Although most unfertilised eggs still hatch, the female hatchlings are less robust and considerably more die at early instars. Unfertil ised Extatosoma tiaratum eggs are white or less mottled than normal.

Questions (page 48)

General meeting and List of members (pages 49-52)

The agenda includes adoption of a constitution.

41: 15

PHASMATIDAE FROM THAILAND Part 2: SPECIES FOUND IN KHAO YAI NATIONAL PARK by Heinz van Herwaarden (No. 478)

Khao Yai national park is about 200 km north east of Bangkok. To reach this park, drive from Bangkok in the direction of Nakhon Ratshasima (Highway No. 2) and turn right 5 km before the city of Pak Chong on Thanarat Road (40 km to the park). In the park are hotels, bungalows and camping sites. We stayed at the site

2campingbehind the headquarters and collected stick insects in the area (150 m ) behind the "swinging bridge" near the visitors' centre. All these places are at an altitude of 825 m. There are annual dry and wet periods, which make the vegetation a monsoon forest: the wet season lasts from May to October, and the average annual rainfall is 1600-2400 mm. When we visited the park the monsoon was a few months late. The humidity of the investigated area was very high; the temperature during the night

0C 0C. was 17 and during the day 23

The drawings show some species found in this paFk. The scale of the adults is 1:1, as the 1 cm bars show; the ova have scales corresponding to the 1 mm bars.

(For the first five species, see Part 1 of this article, in Newsletter 40, pages 5-7.)

Sixth species (see drawings 6a, 6b and 6c) "Thailand microwings"

This was the first species we found in this park. Several adult females and males and many nymphs were caught during the evening searches. One particular tree species, about 4.5 m high and with yellow-beige leaves at the end of each branch, served as a host plant. Nearly every time we investigated these trees new specimens were found. This tree species also occurred in another part of the park and we again found specimens on it.

This Necrosciinae species has small rudimentary wings in both males and females: the elytra are smaller than 5 mm square and coloured black or green . The adult female (see drawing 6a) looks like Paramyronides perakensis and is 90-105 mm long. Each of the four mid and hind femora has one small ventral tooth near the apex. All the legs are easily shed when an individual is handled. The antennae (65 mm) are longer than the fore legs. The mesonotum has small yellowish white spots, which are easily visible in the nymphs. The seventh tergum is narrower than the preceding ones. The lamina subgenitalis reaches to the tip of the last abdominal tergum and has a central line halfway along its length. The nymphs and immature adult females are light green: after a few weeks the adult females become brownish like Carausius morosus.

The adult male is shown in drawing 6b. Its overal~ length is 70 mm and, like the female, it has no spines or lobes on its body or legs. The last tergum is split, and the antennae are 80 mm long. The ground colour of, the body is brown. The head and pronotum have a dark central stripe and on each side of the head is a stripe going from the eye to the edge of the pronotum. The coloration of the eyes is yellow as in the female, and the legs are dark green

The ovum is shown in drawing 6c. It is 2.2 mm high and 1.5 mm in diameter. The micropylar plate is elongated with a total length of 1.4 mm; its upper part is narrower than the lower. The operculum is a disc-like plate bordered by a regularly indented ridge. The surface of the ovum is granulated and coloured grey; the oper­culum is black.

Several of the captured individuals survived the journey home. In culture, females drop about nine eggs a day, which hatch after 77 days in humid conditions

oand at a temperature of about 19 C. At the moment the colony seems stable; they feed well on bramble and oak.

Seventh species (see drawings 7a, 7b and 7c) "Thailand red microwings"

We found, in all, two adult females and three males of the next species. One female was caught totally stretched out in what seems to be the resting position: it was camOUflaged very well among the dried leaves. Both sexes of this Necrosciinae species have small wings which are not functional for flight but are displayed under stress. The hind wings are coloured bright red and are not visible when folded.

41:16

, ! r j lga -r II

1I

41: 17

The length of the adult female is 120 mm (see drawing 7a) and the antenna e are 75 mm long. The mesonotum and front of the metanotum carry small blunt spines. Most of the abdominal segments have a central spine on the rear edge, point ing towa r d s the tip of the abdomen. The lamina subgenitalis is shaped the same as i n the previous­ly described Necrosciinae (sixth species). The mid and hind femora have two ve n t r a l teeth near the apex. One of the females had a lobe on the first tarsal se gme n t of each fore leg, as shown in the left fore leg of the drawing; the other femal e lacked these lobes. The coloration varies a lot: one of the c a ptured f emales wa s brown with dark random patches; the other was lighter brown with dark green patches, and red spots each side of the central spines on the abdominal segments. In culture we have brown females, and sandy coloured ones with small dark spots all over t he body.

The total length of the adult male is 103 mm (see drawing 7b) and the antennae are 70 mm long. Most of the abdominal segments have a central "bubble" where the female has a spine. The sides of the mesonotum have a row of very small blunt s pine s . The legs have some ventral spines near the apex, and the anal segment is not s p l i t . The ground colour is brown on top and sandy underneath. The legs are brown and the eyes yellow.

The ovum is shown in drawing 7c. It is 3.75 mm high, 2.2 mm wide a nd 2.9 mm thick. The micropylar plate is elongated: 2.5 mm long, and 0.75 mm wi de at its widest. Its lower edge is W-shaped. The operculum looks like a bell but is somewhat sloping; sometimes it is mis-shapen, more like an irregular pyramid. Th e o vum is dark grey to black. The operculum is black.

The females and males survived the journey home and accepted bramble f or f ood. The females drop an average of 11 eggs a week, which hatch after 19 weeks in the circumstances mentioned previously. At the moment the culture seems stabl e and hope­fully this species will be added to the List.

Eighth species (see drawings 8a, 8b and 8c) "Thailand winged"

The next specimens we f ound were also of a Necrosciinae species - both sexes have wings and are able to fly. Most of them were on the same trees o n which the sixth species was found, but not every day; presumably they are good pilots b e c aus e th e y must have flown back to these trees. The adult female (see drawing 8a) looks like Sipyloidea sipylus but does not produce a smell - her length is 90 mm. The legs a re totally unarmed and the antennae (70 mm) are longer than the for e legs. The lamina subgenitalis reaches a little beyond the ninth tergum. On both sides of the he a d , pronotum and mesonotum and on both wings is a yellow stripe which starts f rom behind the eyes: this stripe did not occur in the original femal es. Half way along the mesonotum are two dark patches. The ground colour of the captured individual s wa s brown with beige patches; the cultured ones are green but turn brown after s ome t ime.

The adult male is shown in drawing 8b. The total length is 65 mm and the anten­nae are 68 mm long. The last tergum is not split. The legs are unarmed and coloured green; the ground colour is green. A yellow stripe runs from each eye along the sides of the body to the tips of the fore and hind wings, becoming a green ish yellow on the latter. Apart from this greenish yellow stripe, and a deep green front edge, the hind wings are coloured brown, with brown veining.

Drawing 8c shows the ovum; this is very rough, 3.4 mm hi gh and 2 . 0 mm i n diameter. It has several high ridges which border net-like structures. The black patc h es in the drawing show indentations between the net-like structures. The micropylar plate is shaped like the cross-section of a cut apple and is only 0.4 mm high. Th e opercu­lum looks like the top of a volcano with a deep crater and a rou gh o u t e r e d ge . Th e colour of the ovum is brown: the net-like structures, high ridges and operculum are light brown and the indentations a little darker.

Several females and males survived the journey home and accep ted bramble. A female drops about 12 eggs a week, which hatch after 80 days in the s ame cond i t i o ns as mentioned before. This species breeds very well and is easy to ke ep, as are mos t of the surviving species.

Ninth species (see drawings 9a and 9b)

We found only one nymph, at roughly third instar, whi ch proved t obe female. At home it matured (see drawing 9a) and glued 11 ova on to the stems and leave s o n wh i c h

41: 18

it was feeding - after this it unfortunately died. The overall size of this f emale is 75 mm. The antennae have distinct segments and are a quarter as long (15 mm) as the fore femora. The legs are unarmed but the carinae carry a row of very small hairs. The coloration of the legs and body is uniformly green, and the joins b etwe en the segments are not very distinct. Along each side of the mesonotum is a row of small blunt spines. The median segment is visible and the second abdomi nal s e gme n t ' s length is twice its width. The V-shaped lamina subgenitalis reaches as far as the ninth tergum and the cerci extend 2.3 mm beyond the anal segment. This species probably belongs to the tribe Ramulini, which is not very common in South East Asia.

The last drawing (9b) is of the ovum: this is extremely long (11.1 mm) and narrow (1.0 mm). The micropylar plate is also very elongated, having a l ength of 8.5 mm, and reaches from the operculum to the other end of the ovum. This plate has two rows of hair-like spines each side of the axis and round the upper edge: these spines decrease in size towards the bottom of the ovum. The operculum, which slopes towards the micropylar plate, has finger-like outgrowths and small pineapple-like spines. There are also pineapple-li.ke spines at the bottom of the ovum; its upper half bears random spines. The ground colour of the micropylar plate s i de is sandy; the opposite side, and the axis and edge of the micropylar plate, are b r own. At the moment none of the ova has hatched. Hopefully they will do so in the near futur e.

Tenth species

On our last day in the park we found the long-expected Baculum thaii. We did not realise at once that the specimen was a B. thaii female because of the quite different coloration, but the next morning we found her ova and these confirmed our suspicions. This female is coloured light and dark brown. The antennae, head, sides of the pronotum, rear of the mesonotum, metanotum and median segment, the entire third to sixth abdominal segments and rear of the anal tergum are all coloured light brown; the rest of the body is dark brown, as are the ear-like horns on the head. The femora have three dark bands and the tibiae are dark brown at the base. This female, which must have mated before it was caught, has started a new colony at home.

Eleventh species

We found several nymphs we could not identify. ~hree survived the journey home; two died quickly and the third died at roughly fourth instar after a long starvation. The total length of this female is 42 mm and the antennae and head are 4 mm and 3 mm long respectively. The pro-, meso- and metathorax are respectively 2 mm, 11 mm and 7 mm long. The lengths of the fore femora and tibiae are 16 mm and 17 mm. The mid and hind femora have lengths of 9 mm and 11 mm; the corresponding tibiae are 8 mm and 10 mm long. There is a row of small blunt spines along each side of the mesonotum and another row of spines along each side of the ventral surface of the metathorax. There are five or six dark patches where you would expect the median segment. The fore femora have some undeveloped serrations.

Twelfth species

We found two very similar individuals of this Lonchodes-like species; both sur­vived the journey home but died a few weeks later. After we checked the terminalia they turned out to be those of an adult male and a last instar femal e nymph. Both specimens have a length of about 68 mm. The lengths of the antennae are 22 mm and the heads are 2 mm long and 2 mm wide. The average body widths are also 2 mm. The lengths of the pro-, meso- and metanota are respectively 2.5 mm, 16 mm and 12 mm. In the adult male the median segment can be vaguely seen and is 1 mm l ong; in the female nymph this segment is not visible. The adult male also has two lobe s on the head, which together form a semicircle; these lobes are indistinctly j oined and point forwards. The female nymph also has lobes on the head but these are not as well developed as those of the male. The male anal tergum is spread out in two small lobe s but is not split. The mesonotum of the male is smooth; in the female nymph the mesonotum carries small blunt random spines. In both individuals the lengths (in mm) of the f emora are: fore 13, mid 8.5 and hind 10, and the lengths of the corresponding tibiae are 13, 10 and 12. The mid and hind femora have small ventral teeth near the apex in both sexes.

41:19

The male fore tibiae have a long lobe which continues on the first tarsal segment. The fore tibiae of the female have two small dorsal lobes near the tarsi, but the first tarsal segment lacks the lobe of the male. The tarsi are very compact in this species. The ground colour in both specimens is brown and both have a thin dark central line running from the tip of the head to the tip of the abdomen. On the meta­notum, just in front of the median segment, there are two dark patches (one on each side), In the female, just in front of the two patches, are two small central spots; the adult male lacks these spots.

Thirteenth species

We found two small nymphs, green-yellow in colour and about 3 cm long. This interesting species is hairy and has black spots at the beginning of each segment and an additional one in the middle of the mesonotum. The bases of the femora, tibiae and antennae are also black. Between the eyes and the pronotum is a thin black line. Unfortunately both nymphs died in Thailand.

Fourteenth species

The only specimen caught of this Lonchodes-like species was an adult male 12 cm long. Some other lengths (in mm) are: head 5, pronotum3.'6, mesonotum 31, metanotum 20, fore femora 26, mid femora 13, hind femora 18, fore tibiae 20, mid tibiae 17, hind tibiae 20 and antennae 47. The average body width is 2.5 mm. The ground colour is brown with darker and lighter patches. Typical for this species are the dilated cerci in the male.

Fifteenth, species

The last species I will describe is Dares-like. We found only one roughly fifth-instar male nymph, which died at home. The length is about 4 cm and the colora­tion brown to greyish. On the metanotum there are four light spots, two at the front and two at the rear. The antennae are as long as the fore legs.

2 In all, we found 10 species in Khao Yai national park, all in the 150 m area

mentioned in the introduction. We stayed in the area for 8 days and nearly every day we found new species. We are sure there are still more to find in this beautiful park.

OTHER PERILS OF BRAMBLE COLLECTING by Frances Holloway (No. 3)

Living as we do in a very urban area, I have to collect most of our bramble from unkempt gardens (which our friendly local bobby says is quite legal!). Doing this, I suppose it was predictable that I would be mistaken for a squatter sussing out suitable property, but I was surprised to be taken for a witch collecting brew material, and not prepared to be accused of stealing from both the birds and the local council!

FLOWER-EATING PHASMID by Paul Brock (No. 26)

Further to Patrick van der Stigchel's (No. 336) note in Newsletter 40 (page 17), I cannot recall seeing a paper on a species feeding (exclusively?) on flowers and it may be worthwhile contacting the author for further information.

Although I now feed my Clonopsis gallica from Portugal on bramble, they used readily to eat petals of broom, in addition to leaves. At least broom flowers are larger than the leaves! I imagine quite a few species will eat flowers. Certainly Lepidopterous larvae often eat them along with the leaves, and I cannot see Carausius morosus refusing them. Anyone ready to test them?

~ur C. morosus used readily to eat privet flowers and got their heads covered in pollen. - EdsJ

NEW fOODPLANT FOR CREOXYLUS SPINOSUS by James Penhall (No. 492)

This species does well on skimmia - an evergreen.

41: 20

NEW SIPYLOIDEA SIPYLUS FOODPLANT by Valerie James (No : 510)

One of my "pink-wings" escaped unbeknown to me while I was r eplacing f ood, and I found it 2 days later having munched its way through half a mature African violet leaf. It appeared to be none the worse for its change of diet.

NEW FOODPLANT FOR BACULUM THAII? by Robert Lind (No. 513)

Next to my cages is a rubber plant and I caught an adult male B. thaii eating it. Perhaps I have found a new food source for this species?

FEEDING RHODODENDRON TO RHAPHIDERUS SCABROSUS by Stan Pack (No. 99)

I had a problem with R. scabrosus, which just died while having rhododendron for food. So, of the next lot of nymphs to hatch, I put half in with my Orxinesmacklottii on rhododendron and the other half alone on rhododendron. The R. scabrosus wi t h o. macklottii are thriving; the others are not. Does anyone have any idea why this is?

[This sounds like another example of one species (in this case O. mac klottii) cutting the leaf margins and so helping another species (R. s c a b r o s u s ) t o eat. - Ed~

WHICH "PHYLLIUMS" ARE WE SPEAKING ABOUT? by Alain Deschandol (No. 238)

When we talk about leaf insects it is necessary to speci fy from wh jell cuu n t r y the specimens have come. There are several species in this family and probably many sub-species, and we must be very careful as to their identification.

Some differences exist between the species and even between sub-species as regards their behaviour. For example, some eat bramble very readily a n d others do not. As climates are different between the countries of origin, I think that breeding conditions and foods may be variable also.

Only four or five sorts of leaf insect are reared in Europe: it's not e nou gh to study this beautiful family!

Sri Lanka Malaysia Seychelles India

PHYLLIUM SIOCULATUM (?) SHEDDING by Ingrid Lorrain (No. 53 9)

My P. bioculatum (?) has just had her third shed (it began at 8.10 a.~. and finished at 8.35 a.m.). I have noticed that every shed is preceded by a period of three to four days of being completely inactive. She sits on (or hangs f r om) a leaf, doesn't move, and doesn't eat at all. Her colour is then dark green. About 1~ hours after shedding she begins to eat her old skin, but it then take s about two days before she starts eating leaves again. As I have only one Phyllium, I don't know whether this behaviour is representative for this species.

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PSG No. 96: MENEXENUS SP. (?) by Bruno KneubUhler (No. 440)

Drawings by Alain Deschandol (No. 238)

Classification: This species most certainly belongs to the sub-family Lonchodinae. Paul Brock tentatively suggested the genus Menexenus Stal after rearing a single female (the resulting eggs failed to hatch). However, Saul Springett forwarded a male to Paul, and it now appears that the genus Staelonchodes Kirby may be more likely. Efforts are being made to e~tablish whether this species has been d e scribed in the literature.

Culture history: Purnendu Roy (No. 328) caught an adult female in s ub - t r op i c a l rain­forest at an altitude of 3300 ft (1000 m) at Sessa in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, North East India, in September 1986.

Adults: This is a small, unwinged species with considerable d ifferences between the sexes. The females are mostly coloured mid to dark brown, but I had one which was mottled in different green tones, with black and brown spots all over her body. Along each side of the dorsal surfac e of the thorax is a faint reddish stripe, which is best s een s ome days after the final moult. Between these two stripes most f emales are c o l ou r e d faint greenish brown. The red and green colours fade as the insect becomes older . The underside of the meso- and metathorax is greenish. Her body length ranges from 70 mm to 85 mm. Leg lengths are: f ore 31 mm, mid 29 mm, and hind 35 mm (or sometimes all a little more). On her head, just behind the antennae (31 mm), are two small forward point­ing horns . The body surface is rough and there are some small warts o n the thorax, which is bordered with a row of small spines o n e a c h side. There is a lobe-like expansion on the sides of the sixth abdominal segment. The body thickness is 4-5 mm. On all the f emora near the knees are some small ventral spines, usually four in two rows.

The male's meso- and metathorax are coloured rusty r e d. Hi s antennae (35 mm), knees, tarsi and tip of the abdomen ( seventh t o t enth seg­ments) are black. The remaining parts are light brown. The whole body is smooth and glossy. Like the female, he has horns on the h ead, but his are more pointed. The abdominal tip is l engthened into t wo po i n ted lobes, which are more spread out in the sub-adult stage. Th e bo dy thickness is about 2 mm and length 60 mm. Leg lengths are similar to those of the female and the femora are similarly spined.

Life-span is 6-7 months for females and 3-4 months f or mal e s. Mating lasts for some hours, and the males are very active. They mate often and sometimes they try it with other species! A c lose l oo k du r i ng mating will show a small shining white spermatophore 1 mm in diameter.

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Ova: The dimensions of the eggs, which are dark brown, are: 2.3 mm x 1.7 mm x 1.5 mm. At first they are water repellent, but some weeks later they lose this attribute. When enlarged twice it can be seen that their surface is smooth. Paramyronides perakensis eggs are very similar, except that they are greyish when dry and their surface is rough.

Hatching takes 5-7 months when the eggs are kept on slightly moist peat at 20-25

0C. The hatching ratio is good (66%). Females just drop

their eggs to the ground. They are very prolific as they lay up to . 40 eggs per week at their peak, with an average of about 25 per week.

Nymphs: These are somewhat similar to Phenacephorus cornucervi nymphs, but tend to be much more mottled. Hatchlings are 10 mm long and dark brown with some lighter markings. Their antennae are as long as their .. fore legs.

I rear them in a humid cage with some netting (for ventilation). The humidity is 85-95%, and temperatures are 20-300C in summer and 17-22

0C in winter. Under these conditions, with a water spray every

2-3 days, rearing is no problem. Only a few nymphs die, mostly in early stages. Sexing is easy from the third instar onwards, males having on the underside of the abdominal tip a small "bump". Nymphs mature in 3-4 months, males faster than females.

Defence: Nymphs and adults often drop from their resting places when you try to catch them; adult males especially behave hysterically. Sometimes they drop even when you make a sudden movement in front of their cage and then they wriggle on the ground like the well-known Orxines macklottii. When holding an adult or large nymph betwe.en your fingers, you may sometimes notice a liquid coming out of the mouth. This is probably also a kind of defence. It could be stomach contents, which taste awful (I haven't tried!) to repel their enemies. This behaviour is also shown by other species, for example Lamponius guerini.

Foodplants: Bramble is readily eaten by all stages; they also eat rose. Adults, at least, eat rhododendron too. Foodplants in the wild are rose and bramble.

Comments: Males often walk around the cage during daytime, whilst females seldom do this, generally remaining motionless until dusk. Saul Springett reports that, when one was put on the ground, it splayed its legs out­wards and upwards and shivered for two minutes.

I've heard from other members of problems with this species, especially low hatching ratio and high nymphal mortality (at first instar). This is contrary to my experience that this species is quite easy to rear under the culture conditions mentioned in this Report.

Acknowledgements: Thanks -to Saul Springett (No. 341) and Michael Outred (No. 290) for their comments and to Paul Brock (No. 26) for his notes on classification.

FORTHCOMING SPECIES REPORTS - Mel Herbert (No. 232) has kindly agreed to compile the following three Species Reports for 1990:

Philippines sp. (PSG 89); Dares nolimetangere (PSG 99); Carausius sechellensis (PSG 16).

Please send all your comments on these species to Mel as soon as you can.

NEXT NEWSLETTER - Please send all other contributions to the Editors: Michael Lazenby and Frances Holloway, at 9 Oaklands Court, Nicoll Road, London NW10 9AU, to reach us by 1st February 1990, or preferably earlier. Up-to-the-minute items may be accepted up to 15th February.

All articles for the Newsletter will be deemed to be submitted also to the French GEP Revue for translation.