The Phasmid Study Group

I

The Phasmid Study Group C h a i r ; Mrs J u d i t h M a r s h a l l

Department o f Entomology, The N a t u r a l H i s t o r y Museum,

Cromwell Road, London SH7 5BD ( T e l 071 938 9344Fax 071

938 8937)

T r e a s u r e r / M e m b e r s h i p : Paul Brock

" P a p i l l o n " , 40 Thorndike Road, Slough, B e r k s SL2 1SR

( T e l 0753-579447)

S e c r e t a r y : P h i l Bragg

51 L o n g f i e l d Lane, I l k e s t o n , D e r b y s h i r e DB7 4DX

( T e l : 0602 305010)

SEPTEMBER 1994 NEWSLETTER No 60 ISSN 0268-3806

D I A R Y DATES 1994

OCTOBER 8th. AES A N N U A L EXHIBITION. (1100 - 1700 hrs)

Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road, Sunbury, Middx. Admission: by Programme at the door, 50p.

The Exhibition is held at The Kempton Park Racecourse and is easy to reach by both car & rail . The M25 is very near and is linked to Kempton Park by the M3. Sunbury railway station is only a short walk away, and trains run from Waterloo, providing a regular service. There is ample parking at Kempton Park. The Phasmid Study Group w i l l be having a stand and we shall look forward to meeting both old and new members.

DECEMBER 4th. LEICESTER CHRISTMAS SHOW.

Granby Halls, Leicester.

1995

JANUARY 21st. THE PHASMID STUDY GROUP A G M .

The Demonstration Room, The Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London, (more information w i l l be given in the December Newsletter)

CHANGE OF PHONE NUMBERS

Members in the UK may be aware that telephone dialling codes in the UK are changing. A t present both the old and new codes can be used, but after Apr i l 1995, the old codes w i l l cease to operate. Members may not be aware that some areas are having a big change ( approx. 5 areas). While British members w i l l probably have little difficulty, it may cause problems for foreign members after A p r i l . It would therefore be a good idea to use the new numbers from now on, rather than waiting until there is no choice. If your area code is one that is changing, please let the Editor know before the next Newsletter.

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EXHIBITION & MEETINGS REPORTS

THE NORTHERN INSECT SHOW, Queen Elizabeth Hal l , Oldham, by E. Blackwell (No 926)

I was thankful for the kind invitation of Paul Jennings (No 80) to accompany him to the

exhibition at Oldham to help run the PSG stand. As usual, on these occasions, Paul took

along his now familiar stick hotel, populated by some of his more interesting Phasmid

species.

Although we ourselves had nothing to give away, one local member d id bring along a couple of boxes of goodies for distribution, and considerable interest was shown in our exhibit. Many people showed keen interest in the PSG and its workings, and a number of care sheets were sold. In retrospect, a somewhat higher profile would no doubt have generated even greater support for our Study Group, w i t h increased membership.

Among the dealers, Arachnids seemed to dominate the scene, w i t h reptiles also abundant. A few dealers were displaying some of the less common species of sticks for sale at very inflated prices - and getting them! One exhibitor staged an interesting display of the South and Central American Dendrobatids. Also on display were a number of rather attractive chameleons. The usual books and equipment were much i n evidence and the organisers considered it to have been a successful day generally.

Since the Queen Elizabeth Hall , Oldham, is somewhat less than half the size of the Granby Halls, Leicester, it came as a pleasant suprise to f ind such an attractive exhibition in comfortable surroundings, w i t h a carpeted area furnished w i t h tables and chairs where one could indulge in some excellent cooked food. A bar selling beer and soft drinks at reasonable prices added to the pleasure and at the end of the day both Paul and I agreed that the time had f lown by on what we considered an excellent days outing up North .

Thanks Paul. . .

PSG SUMMER MEETING

The summer meeting of the Phasmid Study Group was held on July 16th at the Natural History Museum. Approximately 60 members attended, and it was most encouraging to see some of our newer members. A considerable amount of livestock was distributed, and very little was left over at the end of the day. A video sent in by Mel Herbert (No 232) was shown. At present Mel is working in Brunei and the video showed the area that he is l iving at and some of the plants and insects that are to be seen in the forest walks.

The following points were raised at the meeting:

"ARTHROPODA" Due to the untimely death of Ulrich Ziegler, members were informed that his son Eric Ziegler would continue as editor. Information regarding copies should be sent to Eric Ziegler, D - 12203 Berlin, West Germany.

Please remember to send a S.A.E. or an International Reply Coupon to cover the postage costs.

SENDING INSECTS TO AMERICA

Ian Abercrombie (No 628) informed members of problems encountered when sending livestock and ova to America. American customs do not allow the importation of any Phasmids into America without proper documentation (which is extremely diff icult to obtain). Parcels sent into America w i l l be opened by customs, and the contents destroyed. Customs w i l l not inform either the sender of the parcel or the intended recipient.

You have been warned!

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COMMITTEE V A C A N C Y

Members attending the meeting were informed of a possible vacancy on the PSG committee.

More details of this w i l l be given in the December Newsletter.

M O R E A R T I C L E S W A N T E D FOR "PHASMID S T U D I E S "

There were very few articles in the last issue of "Phasmid Studies"; this is because few were sent in. Would all members please consider wri t ing a report on one (or more) of the species that they keep. There are at least 38 species in culture which have not yet had a report written about them. If you cannot draw, I may be able to find someone wil l ing to do the illustrations to go w i t h the article.

REMEMBER: if no one writes anything, there's nothing to read.

If you can do an article, or require more information, please contact "Phasmid Studies"

Editor: Phil Bragg. 51 Longfield Lane, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4DX. Tel: 0115 9305010

A D D I T I O N TO T H E SPECIES LIST

The latest addition to the list of species in culture is PSG 156 Bacillus atticus Brunner, a parthenogenetic species from Greece. The culture feeds on Rose but does not appear to take anything else. A number of cultures were distributed at the Summer Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP LIST (as at May 1994)

Please note that the list includes details of members up to 1290. Certain amendments were

omitted, as follows, w i t h apologies to the members concerned.

628 Should read Ian and Penelope Abercrombie.

1014 Stephen Fellenburg, 11 Appaloosa Court, Blairmount, NSW 2559, Australia. 990 Ingot Fritzsche. Postcode should read: 38855 Wernigerode. 816 Alan Hendy, address should read: Flat 4, 7 Constitution H i l l Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH14 0QB.

I n the event of any discrepancies in the membership list, please advise the Membership Secretary, Paul Brock.

C O M M E N T S O N R E C E N T A R T I C L E S by Dr. John Sellick (No 49)

PSG 149, Achrioptera sp. by Frank Henneman 1994, Phasmid Studies 3(1):6-11.

Structure of the Egg.

It is a pity that the standard method of egg description was not followed (as summarised in Sellick 1992). The "length" is measured from the r im of the operculum to the posterior end, and should not include any extensions of the operculum or any capitular structures. Thus the Achrioptera egg is about 7-8 mm long. The "width" is the dimension across the egg when viewed dorsally, i.e. w i t h micropylar plate facing you. This egg is around 2.5 m m wide. The "height" is the remaining dimension, as measured across the egg when it lies laterally. The egg is 4 - 4.5 m m high. By convention the lateral view is shown w i t h the micropylar plate to the left, not the right.

There are also a number of misinterpretations. The micropylar plate is small, about 2 m m long, towards the posterior end of the egg, the rest of the mid-dorsal structure is simply a protruding rib, w i t h no micropylar structure to it. The opercular "coronet" (which I do not see as cone shaped) is an extension of opercular material and quite unlike the structure found on the operculum of Extatosoma tiaratum, which is formed from a collapsed capi tulum.

Ref.: SellickJ.T.C, 1992, The Phasmid Egg, Phasmid Studies l(l);8-9.

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The e v o l u t i o n a n d subsequent classification of the Phasmatodea by Robert L i n d , 1994,

Phasmid Studies 3(1); 3-5.

Here a major p r o b l e m is w h a t is meant by the order Phasmatodea. A n u m b e r of fossil

groups of uncerta in aff init ies , some extending back to the Triassic (e.g. famil ies

X iphopter idae , Aeroplanidae , Prochresmodidae) , have been erected to conta in Phasmid- l ike

specimens. Pictet's Pseudoperla, m e n t i o n e d i n the article , is Oligocene. Birket-Smith 's

Coniophasma rosenkrantzi(\9Sl) is opt imis t i ca l ly named and is U p p e r Cretaceous. One

suggestion is that i t is s imi lar to Prisopus, w h i c h i f correct, w o u l d place i t i n the

Pseudophasmatiae. A p a r t f r o m this specimen, the earliest Phasmid i n the m o d e r n sense

was u n t i l recently Agathamera rec//<sfl(Scudder 1890) of the U p p e r Eocene. Agathamera is a

m o d e r n genus of the tribe A n i s o m o r p h i n i . H o w e v e r , I was last year s h o w n a series of

M i d d l e Eocene fossils of Phasmid fossil eggs, even w i t h details of in ternal m i c r o p y l a r plate

being visible i n section, w h i c h I have also placed i n the A n i s o m o r p h i n i (Sellick, i n press).

I w o u l d suggest that these are the earliest u n d o u b t e d fossils of m o d e r n Phasmida. A n

interest ing coincidence perhaps that K a m p (1973) chose Anisomorpha as his example of a

Phasmid for his d e n d r o g r a m studies. I t is however a surpr i s ing choice if , as Robert L i n d

says, g o o d features for d e n d r o g r a m construct ion inc lude w i n g venat ion!

Ref.: B i rket -Smith , S.J.R.(1981), A w i n g of Phasmida f r o m the Cretaceous Per iod (Insecta),

Entomologica Scandinavica.12: 245-249.

K a m p , J.VV. (1973), N u m e r i c a l Classif ication of the O r t h o p t e r o i d s , w i t h special

reference to the Gryl loblat todea . C a n a d i a n Entomologis t . 105: 1235-1249.

Scudder, S.H.(1890), The Fossil insects of N o r t h A m e r i c a w i t h Notes o n some

European Species, Vo l . 11 , The Tert iary Insects, M a c m i l l a n & Co., N e w York .

Sellick, J.T.C. ( in press), Phasmid Eggs f r o m the Eocene of O r e g o n (Insecta: Phasmida),

Palaeontology.

Sticks o n Blue Peter by Ian Abercrombie , 1994, PSG Newslet ter N o . 59:3

As an adjunct to D o r o t h y Floyd's publ i c i t y i n Blue Peter, i t is w o r t h record ing that she has

recently publ ished an article i n the Journal of Biological Educat ion i n w h i c h , again, she gives

the impress ion that the o n l y source of s u p p l y of Phasmids is commercia l , and by i m p l i c a t i o n

t h r o u g h her. H e r article itself is a s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d account of some of the things that can be

done w i t h Phasmids i n schools, b u t i t contains the statement "The cage does not require

heating, as stick insects are being bred commercia l ly by one company to tolerate l o w e r

temperatures". Since the on ly reference at the end of the article is to her 1987 book, and the

on ly suppl ier l isted is her o w n f i r m , there is no d o u b t as to the conclusion she wishes her

readers to d r a w . I am very sad that the editors d i d not select a referee w h o c o u l d have

advised the m better. I feel personal s o r r o w as her o r i g i n a l mentor w h e n she was a y o u n g

g i r l w i t h her f irst Carausius morosus (to w h i c h insect, "Pri t t " , she dedicated her 1987 book-

p.2 for the dedicat ion; p.58 for my role). I have w r i t t e n to the editor of the Journal to express

m y concern.

Ref.: F loyd, Dorothy,(1987) Keeping Stick Insects, 60pp., no publisher's name, but cited i n

the 1994 article as Bottesford, Notts . : F loyd Publ ishing.

F loyd, Dorothy,(1994) Stick Insects, Journal of Biological Educat ion, 28(1); 19-22.

I L L U S T R A T I N G EGGS - A W O R D A B O U T I O H N SELLICK'S C O M M E N T S by Phi l Bragg

( N o 445)

Judging by the i l lustrat ions, John Sellick is qui te correct i n all he says about the dimensions

of the Achrioptca egg w h i c h were g i v e n by Frank Henneman. I should have not iced this

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myself but failed to check the description w i t h the illustration before publishing the paper. The terms length, w i d t h and height have a particular meaning wi th respect to Phasmid eggs, so it is important to use the standard terms or define the terms which you use. Illustrations however are a different matter. Showing lateral views w i t h the dorsal surface to the left is something which John is trying to establish as a convention, rather than an already established convention. As it is usually obvious whether a lateral view shows the left or right side of an egg, it does not really matter which you show.

Most people who have published illustrations of eggs in recent years have only done so for one or two species and many seem to have chosen the lateral view at random. I have done illustrations of the eggs of 20 species which have been published or are awaiting publication; more than most people. Of these 20, nine show the right side, six show the left, and five show dorsal views only. Unlike John, who points them to the side, I always do my illustrations of eggs w i t h the dorsal surface pointing towards the top of the page. As it is often difficult to get the egg to balance in the desired position, I give little attention to whether the operculum is to the left or to the right for the first view. The second view is always done w i t h the operculum facing the same way as the first.

From the point of view of describing an egg it does not matter which side is drawn, although, if all drawings were done from the same side, i t would make it easier for people like John who are interested in comparing drawings of different eggs. However one could equally argue that they should all be illustrated at the same scale: something which w i l l never happen because the size depends on how much space editors set aside for the illustration. As far as I am aware, all Phasmid eggs are bilaterally symmetrical, so, if there is a need to see the eggs from a particular side, there are three obvious solutions: The illustration could be traced using pencil and paper, or photocopied onto transparency sheets and turned over, or scanned into a computer and "mirror imaged". The latter two also enable the illustration to be reduced or enlarged to a standard of magnification.

When illustrations are published editors sometimes rotate them so they fit better onto the page. This can result in the illustrated egg being "the right way up", "on their side" or "upside down" depending on your point of view! A l l three of these have happened w i t h drawings of mine. This of course does not affect the side of the egg which is illustrated, but it does mean that you cannot always choose how your illustration w i l l appear in print. If you wish to choose a particular side to draw then you might as well choose John Sellick's preferred method, however, if you do not wish to choose a particular side, it does not matter.

C O M M E N T S ON A R T I C L E S IN NEWSLETTER No. 59 (TUNE 1994)

by Paul Brock (No 26)

Included in the interesting range of articles in the June Newsletter are two items which I comment on as follows:

1. Pat Matyot's article pp. 4 - 5. I have photographs (somewhere!) of the paintings Pat describes so well. Painting No. 676 is one of the commonest Javan species Eurycnema versirubra (Audinet - Serville). For those members about to query the name, a taxonomic paper is in progress. The genus Eurycnema, arguably the most attractive large stick insects, are mainly listed as synonyms of Eurycnema goliath (Gray). I had the pleasure of finding an adult female E. cercata Redtenbacher, in Darwin, N.T., Australia on 23rd May 1994. The defensive behaviour is quite stunning, as these huge apple green insects reveal bright red warning colours on the underside of their wings. M y paper w i l l concentrate on defining the true identity of Australian species in addition to commenting on Asian species.

2. Frank Hennemann's article on Malaysian species pp. 7 - 12. This includes reference to

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several unidentified species, even common species. Some are described, others not (taxonomic descriptions in press / i n progress). M y forthcoming book on West Malaysian species now in preparation, w i t h a scheduled publication date of late 1995 at the earliest, w i l l include many colour plates and keys to all species, enabling enthusiasts to identify insects found on collecting trips. If any members have unpublished data, I would be interested to have details, preferably by the end of 1994. Any information used w i l l be acknowledged and I particularly seek records from under- collected areas.

S T I C K S O N T V & IN T H E NEWS

PETS W I N PRIZES

A new TV programme was shown on BBC 1 on Saturday 16th July called "Pets w i n Prizes" hosted by Danny Baker. The programme started w i t h a tortoise race (around a figure of eight course), the winner being the tortoise that d id the most laps before the end of the programme. While the race continued other games were shown, ferrets through a maze of pipes, dogs playing snooker, clucking hens and "That's my stick insect". Three PSG members participated in "That's my stick insect", Liz Newman (No 923), Nicola Waddicor (No 1146) and Mark Boddington (No 1198). The winner from each team then chose an envelope containing either a prize for themselves, or a prize for their pet, Nicola choosing the prize for her pet (a bramble bush). The winners from each team then went forward into the final round, questions on pets in general. Nicola came joint first but was knocked out by the tie break question, (bad luck Nicola), the winning prize was chosen by a cat walking around a circular board segmented up w i t h various prizes on each segment, the winning prize was the in the segment the cat was in after so many seconds. The eventual winner missed out on the big prize and managed to w i n - a book token!

PETS W I N PRIZES - A N D WE'RE THE LOSERS by Liz Newman (No 923)

I think I'd pictured some sort of insect identification contest, w i t h a few Natural History questions thrown in. It didn't sound too bad, and I'd never heard of Danny Baker so I said I 'd do it. The ful l horror of the programme only revealed itself in a gradual sort of way, after my arrival at Television Centre.

The animals were well treated - no complaints in that department. What I hadn't quite grasped was that this was a game show of the worst sort - but written to what agenda? Not the obvious one, perhaps.

There were five groups of contestants; tortoises, ferrets, hens, stick insects and dogs. Each group of owners seemed to have its own personality (why were the chicken owners so quiet?), and to my great relief the other two insect people were PSG members - Nicola Waddicor and Mark Boddington. We realised fairly quickly that our function was to be on the receiving end of every bad joke you can imagine, although not outright ridicule.

Our task was to identify our own specimens of Carausius morosus f rom a selection of nine tanks. One tank was actually empty, apart from the bramble - draw your own conclusions about what would have been said if w e d picked that one. The run through went smoothly enough - we all chose wrongly, and got an idea of the reaction we'd get if we d id it for real.

They didn't tape the run - through. This was beyond my comprehension, w i t h four days to transmission and live animals on the set. The animals behaved superbly during rehearsal, but when it came to the recording itself, in front of an audience, they had other ideas. The hens refused to cluck at all, and one of the dogs realised that there was a live tortoise in the studio and he was going to find it, wherever they'd hidden it. The final result was put together by a very skilful editor.

When it came to our turn, we d i d one thing they hadn't anticipated - we all identified our

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insects correctly. A l l three of us experienced the warm glow of having the last laugh. Nicola won a bramble bush in the tie - break, for which she had to estimate the number of sticks i n another tank. She looked horrified (they edited out that bit) for we'd all decided the last thing we wanted to do was to go through to the next round, but it is surprisingly hard to get something deliberately wrong. She lost the final on another tie - break.

So was it all fixed? Of course it was, Nicola showed me a couple of envelopes she found, w i t h the choice of prizes in them, and guess what - both cards were the same. Were there really eight sticks in the tank, or would there have been however many Nicola had said? She d i d the winner's rehearsal in the afternoon, and consequently knew the ropes. The last prize was allocated by cat, encouraged to choose the book - token by way of cat treats sprinkled on the board. Neither Nicola or I keep morosus, so the BBC delivered some the day before. That's not my stick insect would have been more appropriate.

What upsets me far more than any of that (I realise you can not have too many variables in a TV programme) is seeing television operating to the lowest common denominator. Everyone there knew it, the presenters, the crew, but the off - camera asides were the most interesting. When the cat chose the book - token, Danny Baker said quietiy, "It's John Birt's cat you know".

Was this programme an attempt by the BBC to show how bad things have become? Did they put together the worst thing they could envisage, so that Danny Baker could say, ". . if anyone says, what d i d you do last night, say, I watched some television, it's called Pets Win Prizes. . " The way he emphasised the word television gave the phrase a whole new meaning, it became generic, not specific. His comments, too, are worth examining - "the most imaginative, marvellous, most inevitable game show the BBC ever put on . ." "We're playing Beat The Cluck. It's prime-time BBC1 . ." I have warmed to Danny Baker. In the end I suspect that the butt of the joke was the powers that be, not us.

The newspapers certainly picked it up. "... Danny Baker, who tries to pretend that he is embarrassed by the grisly proceedings. Danny kept reminding the startled audience outside the studio that the BBC was transmitting this witless stuff: Yes, this is the BBC!" (The Guardian, July 18th). I don't think he was pretending - several times during the afternoon he said "Pets w i n prizes. I can't believe I am doing this". Who knows what BBC employees are required to do in terms of their contracts? This is Britain today; toe the line or look for another job - only there aren't any.

I want to tie this in w i t h the reply Ian Abercrombie received from Blue Peter (Newsletter 59:4), which was merely a standard acknowledgement when rather more might have been expected. Twenty years age I think he would have had a different response. Times have changed, and excellence has acquired a prohibitive price tag along w i t h everything else of quality. The first person I spoke to at Television Centre said, "John Birt may have saved the licence, but he's destroyed the corporation in the process."

So what sort of future is there for scientific broadcasting? Does accuracy too have a price tag, and has it become too expensive? Surely the Blue Peter researchers should have known about the PSG, or found out about it. Has anybody else noticed the drift towards the loony fringe? Cheap to produce, when they're accomplished self - publicists like Rupert Sheldrake. When the charter comes up for renewal in ten years time, is it the intention that we all chorus, "I'm not paying a licence fee for that rubbish. Lef s have advertising."

Because that's what it's all about, folks.

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E N D A N G E R E D T R O P I C A L S T I C K INSECTS FIND A FAMILY OF FRIENDS.

by M . Nirmala

(By courtesy of Sunday Times)

ISAAC Seow-En is only eight years old but he is helping to co-author four research papers on rare species of stick insects in Singapore. These papers w i l l be published in nature journals in Singapore and Malaysia.

He and his father, Dr Francis Seow, 37, a consultant colorectal surgeon at Singapore General Hospital, have discovered about 20 new species in Singapore. Of these, three are not known anywhere else in the w o r l d . Dr Seow w i l l be giving a talk on his findings on Saturday at the Singapore Science Centre.

Speaking from his semi-detached house at Mimosa Walk, Isaac showed that he was knowledgeable about the insects which bear an uncanny resemblance to sticks.

Another wonder of the insect world is the Phyllium bioculatum or simply called the leaf insect.

He said: The Phasmida or stick insects can be attracted by shining a torch at them. They eat leaves and can drink water from a saucer. "When they lie on their backs and twitch their legs, I know that they are i l l . "

Does he have a favourite? "Yes," he said, adding without any hesitation, " I like the Da tames oileus. It looks like a fat scorpion w i t h tufts on its head."

His interest in these insects started three years ago, about the time his father began looking for and documenting these fast-disappearing species. Dr Seow studies the insects at the nature reserves w i t h approval from the National Parks Board.

Because of the late hours, Isaac only accompanies h im on some outings. But the boy takes

care of the insects that are collected from the reserves and housed in roomy cages at home.

He also cleans, collects eggs and feeds the insects when his father goes abroad on work related trips.

The nocturnal creatures, which are brown, green and yellow, can be found in Singapore's rain forests, mangrove swamps and marshlands.

They feed on brambles and leaves of w i l d cinnamon and guava trees, among other plants.

But Dr Seow is concerned that rapid urbanisation is wiping out the plants which these insects thrive on, starving them to death.

"People have been driven by economic reasons to destroy the forests and there w i l l come a time when these insects can only survive in people's backyards. It's quite sad." The insects were a good indication of the ecological well-being of Singapore, he said.

In the 1960s the Chinese and Malays kept one species as pets and their droppings were

boiled to make a type of tea to cure diarrhoea. Stick insects could also teach man how to

survive as they remained motionless and blended w i t h the environment when threatened.

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'They lose a leg in order to save their life," he explained. It is this philosophy which he wants to pass on to his family and friends. His younger son, Samuel, five, is starting to learn the scientific names of the insects and his daughter Olivia, two, spots ones that escape from the cages and wander around the house. But not everyone at home is an insect lover. Mrs Seow Ching Peng, 37, a teacher has mixed feelings. " In the house you' l l w i l l f ind insects crawling on the cups, curtains and beds. But I was very happy when we bred and released 130 baby stick insects in the reserve."

A n d does Isaac have any future plans ? " I don't know. I just wish I was older so that I didn't have to pass exams" replied the Primary 2 pupi l at Rosyth School.

Eight-year -old Isaac Seow with Extatosoma

tiaratum, one of the increasingly rare tropical stick

insects.

Editor's note:

T he above article was published in "The Sunday T i m e s ' , 21st November 1993, part of "The Straits Times",

Singapore. The PSG are indebted to T h e Sunday T i m e s for allowing publication of the above article.

PARTHENOGENETIC Lamponius suerini (PSG 101) by E. Blackwell (No 926)

Throughout 1993, I maintained a small culture of species No 101, Lamponius guerini. At the end of the year I had disposed of all of this species through the PSG channels with the exception of one individual female which was a most unusual colour being a mixture of white and light brown in a very attractive pattern. She was then sub - adult and spent her time in solitary isolation during which time I had no other specimens of that species at all. Towards the end of the year my wife and 1 decided to take a holiday in Mombassa. During our absence my stock was kindly taken care of by Paul Taylor (No 852), who assured me that during that time my insect was kept completely separate from any others, as I wanted to keep her in good condition for eventual inclusion in mv collection.

She had by this time begun to lay eggs and sooner than dispose of them as infertile, I kept

them w i t h my other boxes of Phasmid ova. At no time was she ever exposed to a male of

any species, so imagine my suprise when on the 2nd. June this year, 1994, I spotted a nymph

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in the container of the supposedly infertile eggs. Since then a further five have hatched, but two of them succumbed without feeding, no doubt due to a weakness in their genes. The remainder are doing well and I look forward to further hatchings. Meanwhile of the 152 species on the species list, only 20 of them are listed as parthenogenetic, so perhaps many of our sticks could prove to be parthenogenetic if we were to keep our eggs instead of assuming that they are not fertile. Have any other members anything to add to this, perhaps a similar experience?

(Editor's note: Articles on this subject have been published in previous issues of the Newsletter.

P A R T H E N O G E N E T I C Heteropteryx dilatata Newsletter 55:3

P A R T H E N O G E N E T I C Eurycaittha calcarata Newsletter 55:3

P A R T H E N O G E N E T I C Aretaon aspernmus Newsletter 59:7

M O U L T I N G PROBLEMS WITH W I N G E D SPECIES by B. W. Clarke (No 1233)

One thing that really annoys me is when the wings of my most prized Phasmids don't develop properly. I have been keeping Phasmids for quite a few years and I especially like breeding winged species, but over the years I have noticed this non - development of wings in several species, an example being my male Heteropteryx dilatata. It had perfect conditions, a large cage, a humid atmosphere and plenty of fresh bramble, but yet its wings sti l l d i d not develop properly on his last skin moult.

Has any other members experienced this and found the source of the problem.

SPRAYING Haaniella dehaanil by Wim Potvin (No 916)

Recently I took an adult female of Haaniella dehaani (PSG 126) on my hand to examine it. She was already very plump, but I was not sure if she had started laying eggs. I carefully opened her ovipositor, w i t h which she buries her eggs, to see whether there was an egg in i t or not. At that moment she started to stridulate w i t h her wings and closed her hind legs. I already knew of this behaviour , which is normal for Haaniella and Heteropteryx, but more suprising was that she sprayed a thick f lu id onto my hand! I saw it starting from her prothorax like a thick cloud of about 5 cm length (2 inch) and felt it on my hand. It was not like the white milky f luid that Anisomorpha sp. produce, but more like sprayed water. The f lu id was also not visible on my hand and it d id not smell. I do not know whether it is a danger to ones eyes. I visited Frank Hennemann and told him what had happened. He informed me that he had a similar experience from an adult Haaniella muelleri (PSG 112)

A L T E R N A T I V E FOODPLANT FOR Baculum sp. (PSG 144) by James Christie (No 1174)

I am sure that many members, like myself, keep this species, (probably w i t h great reluctance!) and frequently find nymphs of the species outside the cage, walking aimlessly around the room. One Sunday, I changed the food of all my Phasmids. On the Monday I searched the room for any escapees and to my amazement, I found two of the Baculutn sp on my Coco Palm, tucking into it! After surveying the plant, I found several huge chunks taken out from the leaves which had been consumed by two insects over one night! The thing which really surprised me was that the leaves of this tropical plant are incredibly thick and tough, and I could not see how nymphs (or adults) could chew through them at such a rapid rate.

You may say that these insects wi l l eat anything, but this is not true, as I have previously discovered. I found these insects on a Iresine herbstii, one of a number of plants I keep on my windowsil l . Three nymphs had carefully selected the Iresine, leaving the other plants untouched.

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If any other members have had similar experiences w i t h stick eating house plants, then the

editor would very much like to hear from them.

S T I C K INSECTS C A N BE SERIOUS PESTS

The coconut stick insect Graeffea crouanii, can cause very serious defoliation and even death to the palms that they feed upon. In areas of high infestation, repeated chewing results in the stripping of the fronds unt i l only the main and branch shafts remain. Palms can then die.

C A R T O O N by Daniel Wilson (No 1286)

WANTS & E X C H A N G E

Ova of the following winged species wanted:- 2, 10, 20, 21, 26, 28, 30, 70, 85, 112,125, 126. Please contact: B. Clarke, "Kimberly House", Flat B, 30 George St., Ryde, Isle of Wight, P033 2EW.

Nymphs of Heteropteryx dilatata wanted.

Please contact Gemma Brocklesby, 5 Brook Road, Beeston, Notts., NG9 2RA. Tel: 0602 221582

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.

Tel: 0675 481578. to reach me by 7th November 1994, or preferably earlier.

A l l contributions to the Newsletter wi l l be deemed to be submitted to the French GEP Le Monde des Phasmes, the Belgian-Dutch Phasma and the German Arthropoda for translation.