Selling 30 pcs Extatosoma tiaratum eggs, "Spiny leaf insect / Giant prickly stick insect", Phasmatidae Eggs from mated female
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Species details:
Decription from https://phasmatodea.com/extatosoma-tiaratum-innisfail
Origin
- Innisfail, Queensland, Australia
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Females
- body length about 12 – 14 cm
- but it is very difficult to accurately measure the length of the females, cause they always bend their abdomen upwards
- coloration different amonst females
- dark brown, reddish-brown, light brown and greenish females
- numerous, green spines on head, thorax, abdomen and legs
- short antennae
- short fore- and hindwings
- thumb-thick abdomen (when full of eggs)
- lateral, leaf-like, spiny lobes especially on the 5th and 6th abdominal segment
- strongly developed, leaf-like lobes on the legs
- subgenital plate about as long as the abdominal ending
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Males
- body length about 9 – 10.5 cm
- coloration is consistent amongst males
- few brown spines on head, thorax and legs
- antennae about as long as forelegs
- distinct ocelli (simple eyes) on the head
- well developed, long wings which reach almost to the abdominal ending
- lateral, leaf-like lobes on the 5th – 7th abdominal segment
- leaf-like lobes on the legs
- anal region of the hindwings (the membranous part) chequered light-dark
- a light-green area close to the hindwing joints
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Nymphs
- body length about 17 mm
- short, brown antennae
- dark brown with a light marking on the mesothorax
- by L3 it is quite easy to draw a distinction between ♀♂ (by the naked eye)
- examples on how to differentiate between male and female nymphs
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Eggs
- about 5 x 5 mm
- roundish
- strongly light-dark brown mottled
- some eggs are almost white, while few are almost black
- suface smooth and shiny
- distinct capitulum present on the operculum (lid)
- micropylar plate long and light colored
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Food Plants
- it is very much recommended to cut away the edges of the leaves for nymphs in L1
- regularly change the plants and the water in which they stand, if possible once a week
- bramble (Rubus spp.)
is very well accepted by nymphs and adults - hazelnut (Coryllus avellana)
is very well accepted by nymphs and adults - Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
is very well accepted by nymphs and adults - Eucalyptus
is the natural food plant of this species - more food plants are mentioned elsewhere, like oak (Quercus spp.), Guava (Psidium guajava)
- most probably a wide variety of food plants is accepted, especially by older nymphs and adults
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Behaviour
- freshly hatched nymphs are very active and run about a lot
- they settle down after some days, once they started to feed
- even small nymphs usually show the typical posture, the upwards bent abdomen
- older nymphs and adults are often passive during the day and out and about feeding at night. But some activity is also possible during daytime
- older nymphs and adults often drop to the ground when the feel threatened, but usually they freeze up after just a few step
- especially adult females try to clamp a potential predator with their hindlegs
- this species does not spray a visible spray from it's defensive glands on the prothorax. But a very specific odor can be perceived when handling these insects, which might originate from their defensive glands
- adult males can fly, but do so rather seldom
- matings are frequent and couples can stay together for 1 – 2 days
- females fling the eggs away - with a swing of the abomen
- eggs just drop to the ground
- eggs can crack if the hit a glass or similarly hard cage wall
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Developement
- incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about 4 – 5 months
- the LTD-method (Low-Temperature-induced-Diapause) can be applied. An LTD-duration of 3 months at 8 – 10°C has been tested, and hatching ratio was high afterwards
- please note, that for phasmids it is not uncommon that some nymphs hatch a few or many months after the first nymphs hatched
- spread some dry spruce needles (Picea abies) over the eggs - this will make it much easier for the nymphs to hatch unscathed
- hatching ratio is usually high
- males will be adult after about 3.5 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 4 – 4.5 months
- females start laying eggs after about 3 weeks
- about 20 – 25 eggs per female and week
- adults can live for several months