Staelonchodes amaurops
| Staelonchodes amaurops | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Staelonchodes amaurops | ||||||||||||
| ( Westwood , 1859) |
Staelonchodes amaurops ( synonym : Lonchodes amaurops ) is a species of ghost horror and has been part of the Phasmatidae family since 2008.
features
Females of the species Staelonchodes amaurops reach 9 to 11 cm, males 7.5 to 9 cm of body length. Both sexes are wingless. The animals are long, rod-shaped. While females are brownish in color, the darker males are green or light brown with green. There are two spines on the head ( caput ), others are on the legs. Like all other types of stick insects , this type also has the ability to bend the body between the meso- and metathorax , which increases the camouflage, which here consists in imitating a thin, dry branch. Females of the abdomen (have on the fifth segment abdomen ) a slight rearward sting and a wart-like thickening in the sixth abdominal segment.
Distribution and way of life
Staelonchodes amaurops occurs naturally only in the tropical rainforests of Sarawak ( Malaysia ) in the northwest of the island of Borneo .
The defense of Staelonchodes amaurops consists in phytomimesis , i.e. the imitation of thin branches mentioned above. The species reproduces through sexual reproduction . The females lay several, light brown eggs per day, which have a length of almost 3 mm, a width of almost 2 mm and a weight of about 5 mg. A mushroom-shaped, yellow capitulum sits on the lid (operculum) of the eggs . The brown-green colored nymphs hatch after about three to four months. From the fourth moult, the females can see the thorn on the abdomen.
Systematics
The species was scientifically described in 1859 by the English entomologist John Westwood as Lonchodes amaurops . In 2016 it was transferred to the genus Staelonchodes by Francis Seow-Choen . In addition to the original name, the following synonyms exist :
- Dixippus bicolor Brunner von Wattenwyl , 1907 (at times also Phasgania bicolor or Carausius bicolor )
- Lonchodes dispar Bates , 1865 (temporarily also Staelonchodes dispar )
Terrarium keeping
As in nature, Staelonchodes amaurops can also be fed in the terrarium as a polyphagous herbivore with various forage plants. For example, it takes on the foliage of blackberries , hawthorn , privet , oak and raspberry . With temperatures just above 20 ° C and an average humidity of around 70%, the species does not have particularly high environmental demands.
It is listed under PSG number 100 by the Phasmid Study Group .
swell
- ^ Frank H. Hennemann & Oskar V. Conle : Revision of Oriental Phasmatodea: The tribe Pharnaciini Günther, 1953, including the description of the world's longest insect, and a survey of the family Phasmatidae Gray, 1835 with keys to the subfamilies and tribes ( Phasmatodea: "Anareolatae": Phasmatidae) (Zootaxa 1906), Magnolia Press, Auckland, New Zealand, 316 pp .; 30 cm. 15 Oct. 2008, ISBN 978-1-86977-271-0 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-86977-272-7 (online edition) ( PDF file of the abstract ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ).
- ↑ a b c Christoph Seiler, Sven Bradler & Rainer Koch: Phasmids - care and breeding of ghosts, stick insects and walking leaves in the terrarium - bede, Ruhmannsfelden 2000, p. 88, ISBN 3-933646-89-8
- ^ A b Eugène Bruins: Illustrated Terrarium Encyclopedia - Dörfler Verlag, Eggolsheim 2006, pp. 78–79, ISBN 978-3-89555-423-0
- ^ Paul D. Brock , Thies H. Büscher & E. Baker: Phasmida Species File Online . Version 5.0. (accessed on November 24, 2018)
- ↑ Phasmid Study Group Culture List ( Memento from December 5, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) (English)
Web links
- www.phasmatodea.com - Phasmid page by Frank H. Hennemann & Oskar V. Conle with pictures of Lonchodes amaurops