PSG Newsletter 131 - Phasmid Study Group

Transcription

The Phasmid
Study Group
DECEMBER 2013
NEWSLETTER No 131
ISSN 0268-3806
2014 Membership Renewal Due. No price increase!
See Enclosed Form.
Acanthoxyla inermis, found on a Cupressus hedge
in the Devon garden of Tony James, founder of the
PSG. See page 18.
© Paul Brock
INDEX
Page
2.
3.
3.
4.
5.
5.
6.
6.
7.
7.
8.
8.
9.
10.
10.
12.
Content
The Colour Page
Editorial
The PSG Committee
Livestock Report
Symposium Report Entomological Society of America
Phasmid Protection Programme
Phasma Meeting, Udenhout
PSG Website Updated
Lights, Cameras… Phasmids!
PSG Winter Meeting and AGM
New Book – Stick Insects of Hong Kong
Diary Dates
PSG Member, David Rentz AM, Gets a Medal
PSG Newsletter History
PSG Invitation Letter
Development of Phasmid Species List Part 6
Page
Content
15. The PSG Culture List
16. The Stick “Tip Exchange”
17. Phasmid Food Preparation
18. Family Wordsearch
18. Scilly Sticks
19. Sticks in the News
20. Paul Brock’s New Book
20. Questions – Can You Help?
21. Camouflage in Sydney
21. Contributions to the Newsletter
22. PSG Summer Meeting 6th July 2013
23. Stick Talk
24. Join Me – Trip to Colombia 2015
Addendum 1. Agenda – Winter Meeting & AGM
Addendum 2. PSG Membership Renewal Form
It is to be directly understood that all views, opinions or theories, expressed in the pages of "The Newsletter“ are those of the author(s) concerned. All announcements of meetings,
and requests for help or information, are accepted as bona fide. Neither the Editor, nor Officers of "The Phasmid Study Group", can be held responsible for any loss,
embarrassment or injury that might be sustained by reliance thereon.
THE COLOUR PAGE!
Dr David Rentz’s 'Cooloola monster‘ See page 9.
Prickly Stick-insect
Acanthoxyla geisovii See page 18.
Diapherodes gigantea See page 19.
Diapherodes gigantea See page 19.
The Updated PSG Website
See page 6.
Stick Insects of Hong Kong See page 8.
December 2013
Website: www.phasmid-study-group.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhasmidStudyGroup
Newsletter 131.2
Editorial
Welcome
to the December PSG Newsletter. (See it in full colour on the PSG
website). And on behalf of the PSG Committee, may I wish you all season’s greetings
for a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and Happy New Year. The
Newsletter consists of a bumper 24 pages (plus PSG Winter Meeting & AGM Agenda,
and Membership Renewal Form), I sincerely hope there is something here for everyone.
PSG Winter Meeting & AGM. Please be aware we have our PSG Winter Meeting and AGM on Saturday, 18th
January 2014. Judith has lined up another great meeting. There will be four talks, a livestock competition,
everybody’s favourite…the Livestock Exchange, and other things – see you there! For the agenda please see enclosed
sheet (on the back of the Membership Renewal Form), and for first-timers please read my notes on page 7. If you are
interested in joining the committee in any capacity, please contact Judith (details below). If you have any questions
for the “Question & Answer Session”, you are welcome to ask them on the day, but if you could e-mail them to Judith
in advance, we should be able to give you a more thorough answer. Please do bring livestock in for the Livestock
Competition, it would be boring with just one or two entries. For those bringing livestock in for the Livestock
Exchange, please read Mark’s notes on page 4, especially the last paragraph. Also, Mark will ask you to fill in a proforma, listing the species you have in culture, so please make a note of your cultures before you get to the meeting.
Finally, remember to bring your PSG Membership Card, and personally I plan to wear my PSG badge.
Trip to Colombia. If you are interested in an exotic trip to seek phasmids, see the back page. This is similar to the
trip David Holland reported on in the June 2013 PSG Newsletter. The trip is not officially sanctioned by the PSG, so
any arrangement made is between you and him, but David is a respected PSG member.
PSG Website. Natalie has worked her socks off and, with the aid of her helpers, has now updated the PSG Website.
No mean achievement. Read about it on page 6, and see a copy of the new Home Page on page 2. Better still, take a
look at the real thing: www.phasmid-study-group.org.
The Stick “Tip Exchange”. I’ve introduced a new subject to the Newsletter – a Tip Exchange; see page 16. I’ve listed
some of my own tips. Do you agree with them, have you better tips? E-mail me and let me know. David and Robert
Bradbury sent me their tips for preparing phasmid food, read about it on page 17.
Sticks in the News. If you are ever aware of sticks appearing in the media, please let me know so it can be shared
with all our members. On page 19 I report on a media story concerning using bacteria from sticks to make
antibiotics. Another good reason not to lose any species; who knows what use could be made of a “common” or
humble stick insect species? But some are becoming extinct, or close to extinction. Hence Mark is keen to seek our
help to ensure we lose no more species – see his article on the Phasmid Protection Programme on page 5.
2014 PSG Membership Renewal Due. Please be aware that your membership is due for renewal. A form giving full
details is enclosed with this Newsletter (on the back of the Agenda). Great news, there has been no price rise for
another year.
(PS Please contribute to the next PSG Newsletter, see page 21 for details).
Regards to all, Mike Smith
Chairman: Judith Marshall. The Natural History Museum,
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD. Tel: 0207 942 5610, E-mail:
[email protected]. or [email protected].
Phasmid Studies Editor: Ed Baker and Judith Marshall. (For
Judith’s contact details see “Chairman”, above). Ed’s details: The
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD. Tel:
0207 942 5975. E-mail: [email protected].
Treasurer/Membership Secretary: Paul Brock. 2 Greenways
Road, Brockenhurst, SO42 7RN, E-mail: [email protected]
or
[email protected].
.
Exhibitions: Paul Jennings. 89 Brackensdale Avenue, Derby,
DE22 4AF. Tel: 01332 343477. E-mail: [email protected].
Newsletter Editor: Mike Smith. 13 Runnacles Street, Silver End,
Witham, Essex, CM8 3QN. E-mail: [email protected].
Livestock Coordinators: Mark and Ian Bushell. 43 Bradford
Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9AD. Tel: 01225 747047. Email: [email protected].
Webmaster: Natalie Ford (with assistance from Mike Strick,
Chris Pull, Nick Wadham, & Ed Baker). Contact via the PSG
Web page, or E-mail: [email protected].
Merchandising: Mike Strick and Daren
[email protected].
December 2013
Moss.
E-mail:
Other members: Phil Bragg and Ian Abercrombie.
Newsletter 131.3
LIVESTOCK REPORT by Mark Bushell
AVAILABLE LIVESTOCK – Oct 2013 to AGM Jan 14
The following species are currently available from Mark and Ian (contact details below):
Key: N – Nymph A – Adult
O – Ova
5 Medauroidea extradentata
OA
9 Extatosoma tiaratum
O
37 Lopaphus perakensis
A
70 Haaniella scabra
AN
73 Phenacephorus cornucervi
N
82 Raphiderus spinigerus
N
90 Rhamphosipyloidea gorkomi
N
99 Epidares nolimetangere
N
101 Lamponius guerini
NA
160 Trachythorax maculicollis
N
161 Phenacephorus sepilokensis
N
163 Sipyloidea larryi
OAN
182 Oxyartes lamellatus
O
183 Sceptrophasma hispidulus
N
203 Tirachoidea biceps
O
205 Phaenopharos struthioneus
OA
210 Myronides magnificus
O
221 Sceptrophasma langkawiensis NO
236 Dimorphodes catenulatus
N
248 Pylaemenes guangxiensis
N
264 Pseudophasma velutinum
N
265 Abrosoma johorensis
AN
266 Agamemnon cornutus
AO
270 Peruphasma schultei
N
275
281
284
294
297
299
301
303
308
313
328
329
330
331
335
337
340
342
343
344
346
352
353
355
Lobolibethra panguana
N
Pterinoxylus crassus
O
Pharnacia ponderosa
O
Carausius detractus
AO
Hypocyrtus vittatus
N
Neophasma subapterum
ON
Brasidas foveolatus
N
Orxines xiphias
N
Onchestus rentzi
O
Manduria systropedon
NO
Andropromachus scutatus
AN
Aretaon sp. 'PALAWAN‘
AN
Bacteria horni
O
Dares philippinicus
N
Lonchodiodes “NEGROS”
ON
Marmessoidea sp. Cuc Phuong
O
Menexenus frustorferi
NO
Mnesilochus sp. Real
O
Myronides sp. Peleng Is., Sulawesi N
Neohirasea nana
N
Paracalyndna utilaensis
O
Sipyloidia biplaginata
ONA
Xenophasmina simile
O
Mnesilochus sp. Nabutaran
OA
Brasidas sp. Rapu Rapu
O
Ramulus sp. Da Krong
N
Eggs and insects are free, but the member pays for the postal charges. Eggs will be sent by 1st Class post. Live insects will be sent, UK
only, by next day/recorded/tracked delivery [currently £6-£7 a parcel]. Save postage and disappointment - pre-order for delivery at the
AGM.
Members' Surplus Livestock: Your surplus livestock can be sent to our address, but please get in touch before sending any insects or
eggs, particularly if the parcel is too large to fit through a letter box. Please also include your name and address as well as what species
have been sent: Mark & Ian Bushell, 43 Bradford Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9AN, Tel: 01225 767047.
E-mail: [email protected].
Members' Surplus Livestock at the PSG AGM Winter Meeting: We are looking forward to the Livestock Exchange at the Winter Meeting,
but the usual pleas are made. All livestock and eggs are welcome but please ensure that:
•Each box is labelled with the species name & PSG No if it has one. If you are unsure there are plenty of experts available to advise you.
•Also include data on foodplants and notes of how you have kept them – useful for both the novice and the old hand.
•Check before you leave that all your stock has gone, and if it has not then please take it home with you (unless previously arranged with
us).
Surplus Livestock and Controlling Culture Sizes: As many of you know, the Livestock Exchange is one of the highlights of the meeting.
However, in recent years it has become a little more difficult to ensure all of the surplus stock is distributed, so I would like all members
to take on board the following points please:
•Quite a few of the species that we keep are prolific breeders in captivity; I try and highlight this at the livestock exchange by mentioning
that it would be a bad idea to keep all of the eggs – I mean it! With many of these species it is sufficient to keep ~50 eggs and dispose of
the rest humanely by freezing them overnight or dropping them into boiling water. Of course, please let the livestock coordinators know
beforehand in case we have someone who may want them, although with many species there is already a glut of them in captivity.
•Please try not to bring too many boxes of one species, especially the more common or “less popular” ones such as Carausius spp.,
Peruphasma schultei, Ramulus spp., Sipyloidea spp. and even Eurycantha calcarata in some cases. It can be extremely difficult to move
on 30+ boxes of, for example, P. schultei when everyone already has them! While we are not saying “please don’t bring them at all”, if
everyone who brings surplus limited it to 1-2 boxes of each of the more common species it would make our jobs at the meeting that
much easier, plus it would also hopefully avoid people having to take back home the excess livestock they brought which can feel a little
disappointing. If in doubt, please email us and say what you would like to bring to the meeting and we can advise on numbers.
•Don’t be afraid to email us with queries relating to species in culture – we are slowly building up a database of who has what (with the
help of the Kweeklijst governed by Niels Courtens of Phasma) and can in a lot of cases help to find that species you are looking for, or at
least advise on sources. Also, please do keep us updated with what stock you currently have including what surplus you own so that we
can keep our database as up-to-date as possible. If anyone has any queries relating to this, please do get in touch via the above email
address and we would be happy to answer any questions.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.4
Symposium Report: Entomological Society of America by Matan Shelomi
On Nov 10, 2013, at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) in Austin,
Texas, a “Phasmatodea Studies Symposium” was held. The moderator and organizer was Matan
Shelomi, a Ph.D. Candidate in Entomology at the University of California, Davis, who was also there to
receive one of the six John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Awards given that year.
The first speaker was Yu Zeng, a PhD student in the Animal Flight Lab of Robert Dudley at the University of
California, Davis. His talk entitled “Wing evolution and flight biomechanics in stick insects” related findings on
the spread of winglessness in the Phasmid phylogeny and included high-speed videos of phasmids leaping,
falling, and flying to show the utility of various sized wings. Of note was the report of altitudinal gradients in
phasmid wing size in the Malay Peninsula, with subsequent changes in their escape behavior and dietary
breadth.
Next was Dr. Daniel J Funk of Vanderbilt University, who related research he did with Patrick Nosil of the University of
Sheffield, UK, out of a lab in UC Davis. Entitled “Major ecological shifts both promote and retard speciation in Timema stick
insects,” the talk was on research testing the effects of ecological divergence on reproductive isolation. Found only in
California and some neighboring lands, Timema are the most basal of the Phasmatodea and appear to speciate
paraphyletically, with populations that abut but do not overlap.
Dr. Tara Maginnis of the University of Portland gave her talk on “Legs and Eggs: Autotomy, regeneration, and reproduction in phasmids.”
Phasmids are known for their frequent dropping of limbs in response to predation or to bad moults, and nearly 25% of wild phasmids
will lose a limb during their lifetime. Regeneration takes three moults, and the subsequent leg will be about 10-20% shorter than an
original leg. Seeking the tradeoffs of this metabolically demanding trait, Dr. Maginnis found that wingless phasmids that had to
regenerate a limb produce fewer eggs, while winged phasmids will have the same fecundity but smaller wings.
Ending the symposium was Shelomi, who presented his findings on the “Anatomy of the Phasmatodea Digestive Tract: Enzymes and
Appendices.” The paper was an updated version of the one he presented earlier this year at the International Congress of
Orthopterology in Kunming, China, for which he won first prize. His findings include the presence of endogenously produced cellulase
enzymes in the phasmid midgut, as well as new insight into the function of the “appendices of the midgut,” a series of thin tubules that
arise from ampules on the Phasmid midgut and which are found on no other insect. Shelomi concluded that the ampules are excretory,
but with a function quite unlike the Malpighian tubules they are too frequently compared with.
Though the speakers’ list was small (as expected given the paucity of Phasmid researchers, especially within the United States), a small
crowd gathered to hear the talks and the information shared was mutually beneficial. This may even have been the largest amount of
Phasmatodea-related talks in recent ESA meeting history. Interest in the enigmatic yet charming order is likely to grow over time,
especially given Shelomi’s successes in promoting his research via social media. He was interviewed at the conference by Orthoptera
society member and volunteer videographer Derek Woller for the ESA’s blog, EntomologyToday.org, and his research on phasmids had
been previously depicted in an animated “2 Minute Thesis” video by PHD Comics entitled “Mystery Tubes in the Stick Bug’s Gut.”
Many thanks Matan for this report, and congratulations on your award.
Phasmid Protection Programme (Special Request) by Mark Bushell
The 'Phasmid Protection Programme', previously called the Protected Species Project, has been ongoing for some years and has always had the support of some members of PSG, but with Niels Courtens
of Phasma now taking up the baton it has gained new impetus. Over the past three or four years we
have seen a rapid expansion of the various species in culture, both on and off the PSG List, but an
unfortunate result is that too many of what were common cultures within both the PSG and Phasma
have now been reduced to one or two cultures or they have disappeared. As part of this programme we need to
establish what our members are breeding in order to highlight those species that are endangered; this will also
help to update the PSG List.
At the January meeting we will be giving out to members present a pro-forma that they can fill in at the meeting
stating what they have in culture and also what they are looking for/species they want to culture. Apart from
highlighting endangered cultures, this will help us to focus on what to source and breed for the members and will in
many cases enable us to source, or advise on sources of, species you are looking for. Please do participate - it is to
your benefit!
For those unable to make the meeting the pro-forma will be placed on the PSG website.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.5
PHASMA MEETING, UDENHOUT, OCTOBER 2013 by Ian Bushell
Phasma, our sister organisation on the continent, like us hold two
meetings a year, but in April and October. They, however, have no
permanent location for the meetings, though the April meetings are
held in Belgium, and the October meetings in the Netherlands. The 52nd
Phasma Meeting was held at the Bosch en Duin at Udenhout on Sunday 13th
October; a delightful pub/restaurant set besides extensive woods and
reputedly used by Napoleon during his European tours. This location has now
become somewhat of a fixture, and once again was well organised by Rob
Krijns.
……… .Some 60 members from The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany attended and it followed the normal informal
nature of these meetings, which allows plenty of time for socialising between the talks/discussions and livestock exchange.
The first talk was by Joachim Bresseel and was on his recent “Expedition to the roof of Indo-China – Sa Pa and Hoang Lien National Parks”.
Sa Pa National Park, lies to the northwest of Hanoi near the China border, and is based around Mt Fanipan. His pictures showed a very
rugged terrain that made collecting arduous. This was a continuation of his expeditions to Vietnam for the Brussels Natural History
Museum, and many of the new species discovered were available in the livestock exchange.
This was followed by Niels Courtens who discussed the “Phasmid Protection Project”. This has been running for some years, but now with
the rapid expansion of numbers of species on the PSG List [359 at the time of the meeting] many of the “small brown jobs/less glamorous
species” are in danger of becoming lost cultures. He listed the 29 nominated protected species and urged members to 'adopt' at least one
of them to prevent them being lost.
As with us the high spot of the meeting is the livestock exchange. Conducted slightly differently to our own, as all available stock is listed this time a most impressive 110 species, and then individual bids for 'wants' are submitted. These are sorted, then distributed to the
individuals, and the remaining stock is offered as we do. My self restraint was weak and I ended up returning with numerous insects and
eggs, some for Allan Harman, but most, hopefully, to offer up at our January meeting. All in all a most successful and enjoyable meeting
and a chance to meet up with friends from the continent, catch up on their news, and discuss different methods of culturing the various
species.
Many thanks must again go to Kristien and Rob for their generous hospitality in putting me up and making this such an enjoyable time.
Finally congratulations to Kristien on becoming a Grandmother for the second time; Estelle was born on the morning of the meeting –
surely a future Phasma member.
PSG Website Updated! by Natalie Ford
Building on the progress made earlier in the year, when we ensured
logins for all members and were supplying you with regular additions
of newsletter back-copies uploaded to the site, I am very pleased to
report we finally have a shiny new website for you to enjoy!
The new home page is shown on right (and on page 2). I have tried to
keep the layout similar to the old site for ease of transition, so that
things are still easy to find; however, it can certainly be modified and
The ever-popular
improved going forward. The bulk of the work was trying to go-live
with a new version of software, which took a lot of time! But livestock
now table at PSG
meetings.
that's done, we are in a much better position to build upon this new
structure and incorporate more of things you want to see.
Things to note: Your username and password have not changed – they will be exactly the same as on the old site. If
you have forgotten your password, just click the “Member Log-in” tab and you will see a link to reset your password to
something you can remember. If you have forgotten your username, this is most likely your first name and surname
together like this: JoeBloggs but if that doesn't work, send me an email at [email protected] and
I'll look it up for you.
Please explore the new website – see how it works, where everything is and which bits you like or don't like, then
either drop me an email at the above address or chat with me at the Winter Meeting on Jan 18th. Although the
website team all have full time jobs and we can only work on the website in our spare time, we hope to make the PSG
website as friendly and useful for both our members and the general public as possible. We hope you like it so far!
December 2013
Newsletter 131.6
Lights, Cameras... Phasmids! by Derek Pattenson
I know some of the PSG have had the privilege of working with
professional filmmakers, but I had my own little brush with film-making
recently. At the end of October, someone posted the following plea for help on the
PSG website: "Can you help. We are a village drama group and for our next
production we need a short video shot of a stick insect walking across a sheet of white
paper. do you have anything like this or do you know anyone who would let me make a
short video clip. We are in Warwickshire". The request was quickly copied to a number of
PSG members (thanks to our ever-vigilant webmaster Natalie) and I passed on the request
to the readership of Sticktalk, too. I also contacted the requester by email and we fairly quickly
established that although they were in Warwickshire and I was in Hertfordshire, he would be driving
almost past my door a couple of weeks later, at a time when I was around. We also established that
he wanted something really big but "stick-like", and I had a hunch my Eurycnema goliath would fit
the bill, particularly as they not only look good but are very easy to work with.
So, at the appointed hour, Bob and his wife arrived and unloaded a scarily large amount of camera, tripod, lighting, and a large white
background card into our dining room. Bob has been involved with his drama group for many years, but this year will actually be onstage himself for the first time. However this particular "assignment" was a bit different to acting on stage. The drama group's
production centred around a school nativity play. The children have been rehearsing carols but can't remember the words, so "Silent
night, holy night" has to be projected onto the wall for them. However unbeknownst to the teachers, the class joker has released the
school pet, "Peter Crouch" the stick insect. At the worst possible moment, Peter Crouch makes the most of his freedom by walking
across the projector, casting a giant-sized insect silhouette for the school to see. Chaos ensues... So the specific task was to have our
"actor" playing the part of Peter Crouch (a famously tall, lanky footballer in case you weren't aware) crawl slowly across the hymn
sheet; this was to be filmed and projected onto the screen at the back of the stage during the performance.
Now the thing about stick insects is that they do like to "blend in". Goliaths are almost
invisible when hiding in full view in a eucalyptus tree; being in the glare of film lights on a
large sheet of white paper doesn't come naturally, and my concern was that they might
"freeze" with stage fright. I've a good selection of goliaths from hatchling to adults. We
started with an adult male. These have wings and very occasionally I've seen them flutter
about, but for some reason our chosen film star decided he would take to the skies and
insisted on a couple of circuits of the room at head level before coming down to earth. It took
a few minutes to calm him down (first-night nerves, I guess) and he was still very active when
we tried our first attempt at having him walk in the right direction. However he found the
tripod legs and shot up them; then the lighting stand; then my arm. Never work with
children, animals or sticks... However by about
the 5th attempt, he'd learned his lines and marched off with purpose directly across the
……………
song sheet, no problem. We tried about 5 or 6 takes, with our starlet taking a slightly different trajectory each time, at different
speeds. After that we switched sticks, trying out my biggest sub-adult female instead. Being wingless she appeared slightly more
"shapely" than the boys, and she was also a little less stage struck and took a little more time to walk the 29cm across the A4 song
sheet. Again we tried a number of takes, and Bob felt her slower walk would better fill the time allotted, and give the audience a better
view of "Peter's" antics. Maybe one day the film will appear on a "bloopers" show, being a female insect purporting to be "Peter
Crouch".
Bob felt that the filming had gone better than he could have hoped for, and I was thoroughly impressed by my sticks' acting ability and Bob's ability at confidently setting up the kit and getting exactly what he wanted. This article has to be written before the three
performances of the show later this year, but I will catch up with Bob and let you know how things went. Keep stick insects... you never
know what will happen next!
PSG Winter Meeting & AGM, Saturday 18th January 2014
by Mike Smith
Yes, another fantastic meeting awaits all PSG members. Just take a look at the agenda on the enclosed sheet and see for
yourself. Entry to the meeting (and to the Natural History, Science, and Victoria & Albert Museums) is completely free.
When attending the meeting, please bring your PSG 2013 or 2014 Membership Card with you (members who have lost or
forgotten their membership cards will still be able to access the meeting, but checks will be made to ensure they are
members, and a temporary members’ name badge will be issued). If you have paid for but not yet received your 2014
membership card, you will be handed it at this meeting.
Non-members who accompany members will be given a white name badge to wear. Only members can vote and/or collect free livestock.
Please ensure your visitors do not vote on any PSG issues. The museum’s main entrance is in Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD; there is also a
side entrance in Exhibition Road (which tends to have shorter queues). The queues can be quite long, but still usually take only 15-20
minutes maximum. Please note bags are searched on entry for “dangerous” objects so knives, scissors, etc should not be brought in. The
nearest tube train station is South Kensington which is on the Circle, District, and Piccadilly Lines. Bus routes include: 14, 49, 70, 74, 345,
360, 414, and C1. But before you travel best check with London Transport for any planned closures (eg for engineering work). Phone
0207 222 1234 (+44 207 222 1234 from overseas), or go to the website www.tfl.gov.uk.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.7
New Book: Stick Insects of Hong Kong A Review by Paul Brock
Ho W.C.G. 2013. Stick Insects of Hong Kong. Hong
Kong Entomological Society, Hong Kong. Insect Fauna
of Hong Kong Fascicle 2. Price Hong Kong $88.00 (ISBN
978-988-177797-0-0). Taxonomic guide in Chinese,
includes addition of new species to the fauna. Species
(adults only, not eggs) are well illustrated, with a list of
foodplants. Brief introductory section. 184 pages, paperback.
It is good to see another book on phasmids; I must admit to
being rather surprised that the Hong Kong fauna was so poorly
covered when I did some preliminary work on it with Francis
Seow-Choen in 2000, so it is pleasing to see a follow-up work
from someone who has extensively visited sites all over Hong
Kong to cover the 18 known species so far. I had other species
but could go no further without examining type material in
Chinese collections.
I do not understand Chinese, hence I cannot comment on the accuracy of George Ho’s text
(a new genus Huananphasma is only described in Chinese). Micadina yingdeensis p. 106,
should read yingdensis in accordance with the original spelling. The photographs are good
although I would have preferred to see a whole insect on the front cover, rather than
heads of various species. It is unfortunate that the market for this book must surely be
very limited, although Chinese zoologists will appreciate this book as it is difficult to find
good illustrations of Chinese phasmids. Why? Descriptions are often in Chinese journals,
seldom well illustrated¹.
The publishers would have considerably broadened the market by publishing in Chinese
and English or at least having an English summary on each page. There is only one site
photograph and apparently no listing of suggested sites, so.the book cannot be regarded as a field guide more an identification guide i.e.
……..
to quote from the back cover, the book ‘aims to taxonomically review the stick insects and to use photos and descriptions to enhance
natural amateurs’ recognition of them’. Rearers are not helped by a lack of photographs of eggs. If interested in obtaining the book,
please contact the author [email protected] as it is not readily available, except in Hong Kong.
¹ Collections in China are difficult to access and due to lack of co-operation it has not, for instance, been possible yet to obtain illustrations of type material on the Phasmida
Species File http://phasmida.speciesfile.org This is a pity as it is evident that the existing list of Chinese species includes errors; hence it is no surprise that Ho has
transferred several species to other genera. The more information the better, without access to type material there is no way scientists can risk describing species as new to
science. I have had several Chinese researchers contacting me for assistance but can offer no practical help.
Diary
Dates
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON DIARY DATES: You should check with the organisers that the event is
still on, and at the times shown, before setting out (These are placed in the Newsletter in good faith, but no
responsibility is taken by the PSG for any errors). If you attend these or other shows, please send in a review for
the Newsletter. If you are aware of any additional shows, exhibitions, fairs, etc, however big or small, wherever
they are, if stick insects and/or other creepy crawlies are likely to be present, please pass the details on to the
Editor. E-mail them to: [email protected].
PSG Winter Meeting & AGM. Saturday 18th January 2014. 11.30am, Dorothea Bate
Room, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. (For more details, see Page 7) .
PSG Summer Meeting. Saturday 5th July 2014. 11.30am, Dorothea Bate Room, Natural
History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. (For more details, contact Judith).
I have had no other diary dates given to me. There are I know many shows etc showing stick
insects and other creepy crawlies of interest to our membership. Please don’t assume someone
else will send details to the Newsletter – please send them in yourselves, better to have it twice
than not at all. Send details to the editor, contact details are on page 3.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.8
PSG Member, Dr David Rentz AM, gets a Medal by Mike Smith
Hands up any PSG members with a medal. Not many I’m sure. However, one of our members, Dr
David Rentz, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen’s honours
(similar to an MBE in Britain). Or, as the Australian ABC Network put it, the Queen's Honour Awarded to King of
the Crickets. (See http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/06/10/3777316.htm#.UbVMNLuXS3g) also below:
Queen's Honour Awarded to King of the Crickets by Darren Osborne ABC
Entomologist Dr David Rentz has received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
for service to science in the field of entomology. But while Rentz says he's
"overwhelmed" by the honour, he fears his field of work is dying out. Rentz first
became interested in Orthoptera -- the family of insects that includes grasshoppers,
locusts, katydids and crickets -- when he was a young boy. "I call still remember my
grandmother when I was about five or six years old and getting down on her hands and knees
and catching a grasshopper. That's what I think got me started," he says. After studying
science at UC Berkeley, Rentz moved to Australia in 1977 to become a senior research
scientist at the CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) in Canberra. For 25 years,
The 'Cooloola monster' was identified by
he was in charge of identifying and naming the Orthoptera collection, a task that his
Dr David Rentz AM while working at
predecessor had undertaken for more than three decades prior to his arrival. Rentz says he
CSIRO (CSIRO: E Zillman)
was drawn to Orthoptera because they "have interesting behaviour patterns, they're
interesting
…………… to look at and there are very few people looking at them.“ He says that more than half of Australia's Orthoptera species still
don't have names, and there are less taxonomists to clear through the backlog. .
Dying profession "The problem is that taxonomists like myself are dying. Jobs are drying up and as people retire they're not being
replaced so there's a vast array of insects that are just sitting there but they haven't been described.“ Rentz says students are also straying
away from taxonomy towards more 'hi-tech' areas of biological research. "It's all well and good to use DNA [to identify insects], but you
need to know what you're talking about and that where taxonomists come in -- describing the species and giving them names.“ He says
it's important for Australia to understand our native flora and fauna, to help protect our environment. "With all the commerce that is
going on and the movement of container ships everywhere, if a pest gets introduced, wouldn't it be good to know about in the beginning
then wait until it's got a foothold and destroyed our crops?“ Although he retired from the CSIRO in 2001, Rentz works as an adjunct
research professor at James Cook University in Cairns, and continues to identify and publish papers on various Orthoptera species.
He says at the moment a significant proportion of the work in identifying insects is done by volunteers, typically retired scientists like
himself. "If I don't do it, it will sit in this big collection for who knows how long.“
Unearthing a monster Rentz says the highlight of his career was identifying a new group of crickets, dubbed the Cooloola monsters.
"They look like little bulldozers and they live in the soil," says Rentz. "Some of them were sent to me soon after I had started at the ANIC in
Canberra and when I first saw it I thought someone had taken several crickets and glued different parts together -- I thought it was a bit of
a joke. Of course it wasn't. "The males come out on rainy nights to find the females, which are white and never come to the surface. They
have little or no eyes and they're incapable of walking because they are so plump.“ "It was so different that I was able to give it a new
family -- Cooloolidae -- and I believe it was the first time in 70 years that a new family in the Orthoptera family had been proposed.“ In
2011, Rentz was awarded the Ignobel biology prize with Dr Darryl Gwynne from University of Toronto Mississauga for their 1983 study
that showed male jewel beetles mistakenly copulate with empty, discarded beer stubbies.
POSTSCRIPT: in the Queensland Entomologist Society’s October Newsletter David is quoted as saying that the medallion tends to get
tangled in his camera straps, so he’s not planning on wearing it ALL the time.
THE MEDAL The medal of the Member of the Order of Australia is a badge with a goldplated silver insignia of the Order in the centre. The central insignia is inscribed with
the word ‘Australia’ in gold capital letters. The circle also contains two gold sprigs of
mimosa. The insignia is ensigned with the Crown of St Edward in full colour. The
medal is hung from the ribbon of the Order. It is royal blue with a central band of
mimosa blossoms. In the Australian honours system appointments to The Order of
Australia confer recognition for outstanding achievement and service.
HOW IT IS AWARDED The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent way Australians
recognise the achievements and service of their fellow citizens. Nominations to the
Order of Australia come directly from the community: either individuals or groups.
Anyone can nominate a fellow Australian for an award. Appointments in the Order of
Australia are not made posthumously. However, a nomination will be considered if the
person is alive when the nomination form is received by the Australian Honours and
Member of the Order of
Awards Secretariat at Government House in Canberra. The 19-member Council for the
Australia - front
Order of Australia then considers the nominations. The Council makes its
recommendations, independent
of government, direct to the Governor-General. Awards in the Order of.
…………………….
Australia are publicly announced on Australia Day (26 January) and the Queen’s Birthday public holiday (June).
David looking at
Anchiale near his home
in Kuranda, north
Queensland, Australia.
(Photo: Paul Brock).
There are four phasmids named after David: Megacrania rentzi Hsiung, Nanophyllium rentzi Brock & Groesser, Onchestus rentzi Brock &
Hasenpusch, and Sipyloidea rentzi Brock & Hasenpusch. See Phasmida Species File and key “rentzi” for more information.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.9
PSG Newsletter History
by Mike Smith
Any PSG member that has a login to the PSG Website can access the Members’ Only area (which is free,
and gives access to lots of information not available to non-PSG Members), and will be aware that the
PSG Website Team have been busy adding copies of past PSG Newsletters to the Website. It is intended that
eventually all PSG Newsletters will be on this site and available for PSG Members to read. What a great read they will be!
PSG Website members get e-mail notifications when additions are made to the PSG Website. In a recent e-mail notification,
we were invited to view the PSG Bidding Letter. I was intrigued by this so clicked the link. What a gem it was! I reproduce
the letter below. This was sent out to prospective members of the proposed Phasmid Study Group in November and December 1979
by our founder, Tony James – all by post, no e-mails in those days. Amazing that, all those years ago, Tony’s vision for the PSG Newsletter
was similar to mine today. Tony suggests the Newsletter content should include EXISTING SPECIES (Species Reports), NEW SPECIES
(Updates on New Species), COLLECTING REPORTS (Reports on expeditions seeking New Species), MEMBER’S SPOT (Members’ updates on
rearing and breeding species), QUESTIONS & ANSWERS, SALES/WANTS/EXCHANGES, and OTHER ARTICLES. (If only I could get such
articles regularly from PSG Members I would be a happy man, and these days it could not be easier what with computers, word
processors, and e-mails. See the “Contact Us” section of the PSG Website for more information on writing and submitting articles for the
PSG Newsletters. See also Page 21 of this Newsletter).
Since those very early days, a publication called Phasmid Studies has been introduced - now available only periodically via the PSG
Website. Generally, this contains very technical articles on stick insects, and it tends to be quite formal The current Newsletters contain
all the other articles, including some formal ones; it is available in hardcopy, and as a pdf on the PSG Website. It had been fairly formal in
the past but, as current editor, I try to inject some informality, to make it an easy read and family-friendly – many members have told me
they like this approach, I hope you do too. Now read this historic document below; I am sure you will find it fascinating and interesting.
Be aware, 4 PSG Newsletters were produced in both 1980 and 1981 - not quite the proposed “bimonthly”, but trimonthly is no mean
achievement. See them on the PSG Website – all things considered, the quality is truly amazing. Well done Tony, and thanks from us all.
PSG Invitation Letter by Tony James
December 2013
Newsletter 131.10
Christmas
bush.
(Wikipedia)
December 2013
Newsletter 131.11
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHASMID SPECIES LIST
by A.J.E.Harman (PSG.189)
Part Six: PSG No.251 – PSG No.300
PSG No.251 Valid name: Ramulus sp.
Country of origin: Laos. The culture was established from
specimens collected by me and Mary Salton at Lao Pako,
Vientiane Province in August 2002.
PSG No. 252 Valid name: Lopaphus sp.
Country of origin: Thailand. The culture was established
from specimens collected by me and Mary Salton outside
Sai Yok National Park, Kanchanaburi Province in August
2001.
PSG No.253 Valid name: Ramulus sp.
Country of origin: Thailand. The culture was established
from specimens collected by me and Mary Salton 21 km.
from Pak Chong outside Khao Yai National Park. The same
species was colleted by Heinz van Herwaarden from Doi
Khun Ta National Park in 1988.
PSG No.261 Valid name: Canachus alligator Redtenbacher,
1908
Country of origin: New Caledonia. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Olivier Coiffier at Koghis Mountain
20 km. north east of Noumea at an altitude between 850 and
1100 m.
PSG No.262 Valid name: Stheneboea repudiosa Brunner, 1907
Country of origin: West Malaysia. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Wim Potvin and Stijn Bauwens in
July 2001. Originally Stheneboea, transferred to Prisomera by
Brock, 1995, and back to Stheneboea by Hennemann, 2002(b).
PSG No.263 Valid name: Bacteria yersiniana Saussure, 1868
Country of origin: British Virgin Islands, Tortola Island. The
culture was established from specimens collected by Tony and
Pat James.
PSG No.254 Valid name: Ramulus magnus (Brunner, 1907)
Country of origin: Bangladesh. I have been unable to
establish the origin of this species. Originally Clitumnus,
transferred to Baculum by Brock, 1998, and to Ramulus by
Otte & Brock, 2005.
PSG No.264
Valid name:
Pseudophasma velutinum
(Redtenbacher, 1906)
Country of origin: Peru. The culture was established from
specimens collected by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle at the
Panguana Research Station during September and October 2004.
Originally Phasma, transferred to Pseudophasma by Brock, 1998.
PSG No.255
Valid name: Trachyaretaon brueckneri
Hennemann & Conle, 2006
Country of origin: Philippines, Babuyan Island. The culture
was established by Joachim Bresseel who received eggs
from Ismael Lumawig.
PSG No.265 Valid name: Abrosoma johorensis Seow-Choen &
Goh, 1999
from specimens collected by Ian and Maureen Bushell at Bukit
Pelindung, Kuantan, Pahang State in February 2005.
PSG No.256 Valid name: Orxines semperi (Stål, 1877)
Country of origin: Philippines, Bohol Island. The culture was
established by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle.
Originally Lamachus, transferred to Orxines by Otte &
Brock, 2005.
PSG No.266 Valid name: Agamemnon cornutus (Burmeister,
1838)
Country of origin: British Virgin Islands, Tortola Islands. The
culture was established from cimens collected by Tony and Pat
James. Originally Acanthoderus, transferred to Bacteria by
Saussure, 1868, to Ceroys by Kirby, 1904(a), to Canuleius by
Redtenbacher, 1906 and to Agamemnon by Otte & Brock, 2005.
PSG No.257 Valid name; Monoiognosis bipunctata
Cliquennois & Brock, 2004
Country of origin: Mauritius. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Nicholas Cliquennois at Brise
Fer,
Mare Longue at 500 m and from Pigeon Wood in
March, 2001.
PSG No.258 Valid name: Parectatosoma mocquerysi
Finot, 1878.
Country of origin: Madagascar. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Nicholas Cliquennois at the
Forêt d’Ambodiriana.
PSG No.259
Valid name:
Pseudophasma menius
(Westwood, 1859)
Country of origin: Costa Rica. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Tony and Pat James. A further
collection was made by Oskar Conle. Originally Phasma,
transferred to Pseudophasma by Rehn, 1904 .
PSG No.260 Valid name: Diapherodes gigantea (Gmelin,
1788)
Country of origin: Grenada. The culture was tablished from
specimens collected by Tony and Pat James in 2000.
Originally Mantis, transferred to Diapherodes by Gray,
1835.
December 2013
PSG No.267 Valid name: Asceles sp.
Country of origin: Thailand. The culture was established from
specimens collected by Christopher Bauduin at Ban Salok.
PSG No.268 Valid name: Leiophasma lucubense (Brancsik,
1893)
Country of origin: Madagascar. The culture was established from
specimens collected by Nicholas Cliquennois on Nosy Komba
Island on the north west coast of Madagascar in October 2003.
Originally Orobia, new name Leiophasma Uvarov, 1940,
corrected to L. lucubense by Rabaey, Simoens & Hennemann,
2006.
PSG No.269 Valid name: Pseudophasma castaneum (Bates,
1865)
specimens collected by Oskar Conle and Frank Hennemann.
Originally Phasma, transferred to Pseudophasma by Kirby,
1904(a).
PSG No.270 Valid name: Peruphasma schultei Conle &
Hennemann, 2005
specimens collected by Rainier Schulte in 2005.
Newsletter 131.12
PSG No.271 Valid name: Lopaphus perakensis (Redtenbacher,
1908)
specimens collected by Adam Walker in 2005.
Originally
Paramyronides, transferred to Lopaphus by Brock, 1995.
PSG No.272 Valid name: Spinohirasea bengalensis (Brunner,
1907)
Country of origin: Vietnam. The culture was established by
specimens collected by Sergey Ryabov in Central Vietnam in 2002
or 2003. Originally Menexenus, transferred to Neohirasea by
Hausleithner, 1992 and to Spinohirasea by Hennemann, 2007.
PSG No.273
Valid name:
Ramulus irregulariterdentatus
(Brunner, 1907)
Country of origin: Japan. I have been unable to find any details of
the collector or origin of the culture. Originally Cuniculina,
transferred to Baculum by Shiraki, 1935 and to Ramulus by Otte &
Brock, 2005.
PSG No.274 Valid name: Dyme mamillata Brunner, 1907
Country of origin: Peru. The culture was established by specimens
collected by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle in 2004.
PSG No.275 Valid name: Lobolibethra panguana Hennemann &
Conle, 2007(b)
specimens collected by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle at Rio
Yuyapichis, Huanuco Province in September and October 2004.
PSG No.276 Valid name: Sipyloidea meneptolemus (Westwood,
1859)
from specimens collected by Christopher Baudwin at Batu
Ferringhi, Penang Island in April 2006. Originally
Necroscia,
transferred to Sipyloidea by Redtenbacher, 1908.
PSG No.277 Valid name: Phryganistria heusii (Hennemann &
Conle, 1997)
Country of origin: Vietnam. The culture was established from
specimens collected at Cuc Phuong National Park in 1996 and
passed to Peter Heusi. Originally Phobaeticus, transferred to
Phryganistria by Hennemann & Conle, 2008.
PSG No.278
Valid name:
Phyllium (P.) philippinicum
Hennemann, Conle, Gottardo & Bresseel, 2009
Country of origin: Philippines, Luzon Island. The culture was
established from specimens collected by Ismael Lumawig at Subic,
Zambales, Eastern Luzon in June 2000 and June 2001.
PSG No. 279 Unidentified (Bauduin’s Thai 2)
specimens collected by Christophe Bauduin at Ban Salok.
PSG No.280 Valid name: Bacteria ploiaria (Westwood, 1859)
Country of origin: Panama. The culture was established by
Christoph Seiler from specimens collected by Juergen Berger.
Originally Phibalosoma, transferred to Cladoxerus by Kirby,
1904(a), and to Bacteria by Redtenbacher, 1908.
PSG No.281 Valid name: Pterinoxylus crassus Kirby, 1889
Country of origin: Martinique. The culture was established from
specimens collected by members of the French Phasmid Group in
November, 1998.
PSG No. 282 Valid name: Lonchodes philippinicus Hennemann &
Conle, 2007(a)
Country of origin: Philippines, Panay Island. The culture was
established from eggs collected by Tiffany Chan and sent to Bruno
Kneubühler in December 2005.
December 2013
PSG No. 283 Valid name: Diapherodes venustula Serville, 1838
Country of origin: Cuba. The culture was established from
specimens collected by Ingo Fritzsche in 2005.
PSG No.284 Valid name: Pharnacia ponderosa Stå1, 1877
Country of origin: Philippines. Several cultures were established
from eggs sent to various PSG and Phasma Members.
PSG No.285 Valid name: Hemiplasta falcata (Redtenbacher,
1908)
Country of origin: Indonesia, Sulawesi, Peleng Island. The culture
was established from specimens collected by Daniel Dupont and
then established by Arnaud and Christophe Bauduin. Originally
Sipyloidea (Hemiplasta), raised to Hemiplasta by Otte & Brock,
2005 .
PSG No.286 Valid name: Monandroptera acanthomera
(Burmeister, 1838)
Country of origin: La Réunion. The culture was established from
specimens collected by Nicholas Cliquennois and passed to
Kristien Rabaey and Rob Simoens. Originally Cyphocrania,
transferred to Monandroptera by Westwood, 1859.
PSG No.287 Valid name: Eucarcharus feruloides (Westwood,
1859)
Country of origin: Philippines. Cultures were established from
eggs bought from Benjié Mabanta during 2005 and 2006. The
specimens were collected at Tampakan, Cotabato Province,
Mindanao Island at an altitude of 1300 m. Originally Lonchodes,
transferred to Pharnacia by Kirby, 1904(a) and to Eucarcharus by
Brunner, 1907.
PSG No.288 Valid name: Phasmotaenia australe (Gunther,
1933)
Country of origin: Solomon Islands, Malaita Island. The culture
was established from specimens collected in the Central
Highlands of Malaita Island by Jerry Maetia and sent to Bruno
Kneubühler.
Originally
Phasmotaenionema
[syn.
of
Phasmotaenia] synonymised with Hermarchus godeffroyi by
Otte & Brock, 2005, removed from synonymy as Phasmotaenia
by Hennemann & Conle, 2009.
PSG No.289
Valid name:
Ocnophiloidea dillerorum
Hennemann & Conle, 2007(b)
specimens collected by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle at
Panguana, Rio Yuyapichis, Huanaco Province in the autumn of
2004.
PSG No.290 Valid name: Necroscia annulipes Gray, 1835
from specimens collected by Christophe Bauduin at Penang
Island.
PSG No.291 Valid name: Lobolibethra sp.
specimens collected by Frank Hennemann and Oskar Conle at Rio
Yuyapichis, Huanuco Province in September and October, 2004.
PSG No.292 Valid name: Anchiale stolli Sharp, 1898
was established from specimens collected by Jerry Panda. A
further culture was established by me from eggs received from
Ingo Fritzsche in January 2011. The eggs were from Guadalcanal
and Kira Kira Islands.
Website: www.phasmid-study-group.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhasmidStudyGroup Newsletter 131.13
PSG No.293 Valid name: Pseudophasma phthisicum (Linnaaeus,
1763)
Country of origin: French Guiana. I have been unable to trace any
details of the origin of the culture. Originally Gryllus (Mantis),
transferred to Phasma by Serville, 1838 and to Pseudophasma by
Rehn, 1904.
PSG No.294 Valid name: Carausius detractus Brunner, 1907
specimens collected by Christophe Bauduin in June 2004.
PSG No.295 Valid name: Acanthomenexenus polyacanthus
(Dohrn, 1910)
Country of origin: Indonesia, Sulawesi, Sangihe Island. The culture
was established from specimens collected by Bryony Morgan at
Mount Sahendaruman and passed to Arnaud and Christophe
Bauduin in 2007.
Originally Menexenus,
transferred to
Acanthomenexenus by Brock, Hennemann & Morgan in 2009.
PSG No.296 Valid name: Mnesilochus sp.
Country of origin: Indonesia, Sulawesi, Sangihe Island. The culture
was established from specimens collected by Christophe Bauduin
in November 2007.
PSG No.297 Valid name: Hypocyrtus scythrus (Westwood,
1859)
Country of Origin: Mexico. The first culture was established from
specimens collected by Paolo Fontana in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz
State in December 2006. A second culture was established from
specimens collected by Sascha Eilmus at Volcan San Martin, also
Veracruz State, in 2007. Originally Anophelepis, transferred to
Phantasis by Saussure, 1870-72, to Hesperophasma by Kirby,
1904(a) to Hypocyrtus by Redtenbacher, 1908.
PSG No.298 Valid name: Megacrania phelaus (Westwood,
1859)
Country of origin: Solomon Islands. The culture was established
from specimens collected by Jerry Panda at Kwara’ae, Malaita
Island and passed to Bruno Kneubühler who bred them.
Originally Platycrania, transferred to Megacrania by Kaup, 1871.
PSG No.299
Valid name:
Neophasma subapterum
Redtenbacher, 1906
Country of origin: Venezuela. The culture was established from
specimens imported by staff at Prague Zoo in 2006.
PSG No.300 Valid name: Phasmotaenia spinosa Hennemann &
Conle, 2009
was established from specimens collected by Jerry Panda at
Mount Alasa’a, Kwar’ae Province. Specimens were cultured by
Bruno Kneubühler.
Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks to Ian Abercrombie, Ed Baker, Phil Bragg, Paul Brock, Ian Bushell, Mark Bushell, Ingo Fritzsche, Frank
Hennemann, Bruno Kneubühler, Judith Marshall, Kristien Rabaey, Mary Salton and Rob Simeons.
References for Part Six (for other references please refer to Parts One, Two, Three, Four & Five)
BATES, H.W., 1865. Descriptions of fifty-two new species of Phasmidae from the collection of Mr. W.Wilson Saunders, with
remarks on the family. Transactions of the Linnean Society, London, 25: 32-359, pls.44-46.
BRANCSIK, C., 1893. Orthoptera nova africana. Jahresheft des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereines des Tranescéner
Comitates, 15-16: 175-200, pl.11.
BROCK, P.D., HENNEMANN, F.H. and MORGAN, B., 2008. Acanthomenexenus Brock & Hennemann, a new genus of stick
insect, following discovery of the stunning male of Menexenus polyacanthus from Sangihe (Phasmida : Diapheromeridae :
Lonchodinae). Le bulletin d’Arthropoda No.36: 3-15.
CONLE, O.V., HENNEMANN, F.H., 2005. Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea 1. A remarkable new species of Peruphasma
Conle and Hennemann from Northern Peru (Phasmatodea : Pseudophasmatidae) Zootaxa 1068: 59-68 incl.pl.
DOHRN, A., 1910. Beitrag zu Kenntnis der Phasmiden. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitschrift 71: 39-414.
GUNTHER, K., 1933. Uber eine kleine Sammlung von Phasmoiden und Forficuliden aus Melanesien. Verhandlungen der
Naturforschen Gesellschaft, Basel, 44(2): 151-161.
HENNEMANN, F.H., 2002(b). Notes on the Phasmatodea of Sri Lanka (Orthoptera). Mitteilungen der Münchener
Entomologischen Gesellschaft. 92:37-78.
HENNEMANN, F.H., CONLE, O.V., 2006. A new species of Trachyaretaon Rehn & Rehn, 1939 from the Babuyan Island,
Philippines. (Phasmatodea : Heteropterygidae, Obriminae, Obrimini) Entomofauna Zeitschrift für Entomologie Band 27, Heft 18:
217-228.
HENNEMANN, F.H., CONLE, O.V., 2007(b). Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea VII. Descriptions of a new genus and four
new species of Diapheromerinae from Peru and Bolivia. (Phasmatodea : “Anareolatae” Diapheromeridae). Mitteilungen der
Münchener Entomologischen Gesellschaft 97 Suppl. 89-112.
HENNEMANN, F.H., CONLE, O.V., 2009. Studies on the genus Phasmotaenia Návas, 1907, with the descriptions of five new
species from the Solomon Islands, a revised key to the species and notes on its geographic distribution. (Phasmatodea :
“Anareolatae” Phasmatidae sl. Stephanacridini) Zootaxa 2011: 1-46 (2009).
HENNEMANN, F.H., CONLE, O.V., 2012. Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XIV: revisions of the Central American genera
Hypocyrtus Redtenbacher, 1908 (Phasmatodea : “Anareolatae” : Xerosomatinae : Hesperophasmatini). Journal of
Orthoptera Research 2012 21(1): 65-69.
HENNEMANN, F.H., CONLE, O.V., GOTTARDO, M., BRESSEEL, J., 2009. On certain species of the genus Phyllium Illiger,
1798, with proposals for an intra-generic systematization and the descriptions of five new species from the Philippines and
Palawan. (Phasmatodea : Phyllidae : Phyllinae : Phyllini) Zootaxa 2322: 1-83 (2009).
SAUSSURE, H.de, 1868. Phasmidarum novatum species nonullae. Revue et Magazine de Zoologie (2): 63-70.
SEOW-CHOEN, F., & GOH, Y.Y., 1999. New records of stick insects from Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia, including
description of a new species of Abrosoma (Phasmida : Pseudophasmatidae : Aschiphasmatidae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology,
Supplement No. 6: 263-269.
UVAROV, N., 1940: Eleven new generic names in Orthoptera. Annals & Magazines of Natural History, London 11(6): 377380.
December 2013
The PSG Culture List
by Judith Marshall
We have been doing our best to keep as up-to-date as possible with the PSG Culture List, many species
recently new to culture have been added during the last year but there are many more becoming
available.
This wonderful availability of species in culture has lead to problems in ensuring the name given to each species is
correct, but more seriously – with so many exciting new species around we must all do our best to make sure that
all species in culture actually stay that way. Sadly some of our older cultures have been neglected and are in
danger of becoming lost, indeed for some this has already happened. Please help - read Mark’s article about
species in culture on page 5, and respond to the survey at the AGM.
There have been a fair number of name changes, too, in recent years. There are two main reasons for name changes; either
the original culture was mis-identified when first added to the list, so requires correction, or although the original
identification was correct, the actual name has been changed in some way. A species name may have become a junior
synonym, so that the name of the senior (or older) name must be used, or the species may have been transferred to another
genus so the species name is retained (possibly with altered ending) but the generic name has changed. All these changes
have been noted in Allan Harman’s notes on the development of the Phasmid Species List which in this issue reaches
PSG.300. The full list will be placed on the website and updated if/when any name changes again!
For full information of any named phasmid, Paul Brock updates the Phasmida Species File Online – the ultimate in
information availability – http://phasmida.speciesfile.org
AMENDMENTS TO THE CULTURE LIST 2013
by Allan Harman
PSG.333 Diapherodes sp.
When the above species was added to the Culture List I was unaware of a paper listing the phasmids of
Martinique and describing a new species of the genus.
The paper by P. Lelong and F. Longlois lists five species of phasmids of which one, Diapherodes martinicensis
Lelong & Langlois, 2005, is described as new. The new species is compared with Diapherodes gigantea gigantea
(Gmelin, 1789) and Diapherodes gigantea dominicae (Rehn & Hebard, 1938), and D. dominicae is confirmed as a
junior synonym of D. gigantea.
The new species is smaller, females 92-97mm, the males 64mm in length.
Reference:
Lelong, P. & Langlois, F., 2005, Contribution à la connaisance des Phasmatodea de la Martinique. Bulletin de la
Société entomologique de France 110 (3): 259-272.
Acknowledgements: I am grateful to Yannick Bellanger for informing me and sending a copy of the above paper.
FURTHER AMENDMENTS:
PSG.76 First identified as Phyllium siccifolium (L., 1758) which is a Moluccan endemic and therefore unlikely to
occur in Malaysia; now identified as Phyllium hausleitneri Brock, 1999.
PSG.130 Diesbachia hellotis (Westwood, 1859); good cultures feeding on Hypericum.
PSG.149 Achrioptera punctipes punctipes (Audinet-Serville, 1838) is in culture, as is Achrioptera
punctipes cliquennoisi Hennemann & Conle, 2004.
PSG.175 Diesbachia tamyris (Westwood, 1859) is in good culture feeding on Hypericum. Bramble is
not very satisfactory as a food plant for this species.
PSG.190 Phasma reinwardtii de Haan, 1842 is the correct name for this species, though originally
named as Phasma gigas (L.. 1758), a Moluccan endemic.
PSG.203 Tirachoidea biceps (Redtenbacher, 1908), Hornbeam has been added as a foodplant.
PSG.208 Tirachoidea jianfenglingensis (Bi, 1994), originally identified as Pharnacia sp.
PSG.278 Phyllium (P.) philippinicum Hennemann, Conle, Gottardo & Bresseel, 2009, foodplants also
include Hawthorn and Rose.
PSG.292 Anchiale stolli Sharp, 1898, Rose, Hawthorn, Sweet Chestnut and Hazel should be added
as foodplants.
PSG.321 Cranidium gibbosum (Burmeister, 1838), add Photinia as a foodplant.
PSG.353 Entered in error as Xenophasmina biplagiata and corrected to Xenophasmina simile.
December 2013
The Stick “Tip Exchange” by Mike Smith
Recently, on the PSG Facebook page, there was a suggestion from someone that we
get back to basics. I think that was a fair comment, as the PSG have lots of new and
novice members, and there is a pool of useful information out there which, if shared,
could make our stick husbandry so much easier and more effective. So come on all
you stick keepers, let us in on your basic tips for success. For example, how do you
keep cages at a constant state of humidity, how do you get eggs to hatch, how can we
………
keep the cost of stick-keeping down,. which sticks are most suitable for showing and handling and which are
not, is it best to keep adults and nymphs apart, can a stick live if it has lost 3 legs, what is the best way to
euthanize a very sick stick, and how can we stop over-production of a prolific species? Bet you have some
good answers to these and other questions – and have a few questions of your own – basic and not so basic.
I’ll make a start with some of my own tips. Sadly, so far as keeping sticks is concerned, I am severely restricted by space and ambience.
My animal shed is small (6x4 feet), a bit dark with one small window, the heat distribution leaves a tad to be desired, and I have limited
cage space. Some sticks thrive on this, some definitely do not, and some are in between. So my first suggestion is to find out which
sticks do well in the environment in which you keep yours in, and concentrate on those species. Eg I’d love to keep a Pharnacia species
(these are really big, impressive blighters), but I don’t have the space. I’ve tried keeping the lovely fern-eating varieties, but they die
very quickly in my shed for whatever reason. However, I can keep some magnificent critters, eg Euries (Eurycantha), JNs Jungle Nymphs,
and Peruphasma, not to mention comparatively mundane species like Indians and Sipyloidea which do very well.
Cleaning out cages. Firstly, try to clean them out in the morning. I find this is when the sticks are least active. I often get the new
foodstuff ready in a jar in advance. Then as I clean out the cage I take out the sticks and put them onto the new foodstuff. Generally
they stay there giving me ample time to clean the cage out; then I can put the jar, food, and sticks back in the cage. (PS don’t do this
with Peruphasma – they will run all over the place).
Losing sticks. Although I carefully check all the old foodstuff before putting it in the dustbin, I still occasionally manage to miss one or
two well-hidden sticks. To overcome this, after putting all the old foodstuff in the dustbin, I go back after a few hours, and generally any
missed sticks would have walked to the top of the dustbin, and can easily be picked up and put back in their cage.
Collecting foodstuff. This can be very time consuming and, if you have to drive to where you collect, as I do, a bit expensive. I find that I
can collect say up to 3 week’s worth of stick food at the same time. I place the spare food in a bucket (generally bramble and ivy), and fill
the bucket with water, thus immersing it all. This cleans the food, eliminates spiders etc, and in this way it lasts for about 3 weeks. After
3 weeks it gets a bit manky. It is a good idea to change the water each week anyway. In the winter it can freeze solid (unless you keep it
sheltered somewhere), but a kettle of hot water poured over it soon makes it useable. Privet can last many weeks just in a jar of water
(like a bunch of flowers), so if you have a faraway source, collect lots of it, and just keep it in a jar (it does not like being fully immersed).
Also, of course, if you have a garden, big pots, or a window box, it is useful to grow some of your own foodstuff for the sticks. You would
probably need an enormous patch to suit all your needs, but any contribution will help out, especially in emergencies.
Collecting eggs. When emptying the cage to clean the sticks out, aim to end up with just frass (ie stick poo), and eggs (if any) at the
bottom of the cage. Then an easy way to sort them is to briskly shake all the content to one end of the cage, then gently shake the cage
contents at an angle so the eggs roll to the other end of the cage. Generally this sorts the eggs from the frass, because eggs roll much
easier than frass, and then it is then a doddle to pick out the eggs.
An alternative, not suitable for all sticks, is to keep some sort of vermiculite or leaf mould at the bottom of the cage, keep it moist, and
leave it there even when you clean out the old food stuff. The critters will lay their eggs in or on this, and the eggs will hatch from it, so
there is no need to collect the eggs. If you use this method, I find it useful to keep a few woodlice at the bottom of the cage, they tend
to keep down any mould.
Lost sticks. If I lose any sticks, eg when cleaning them out, or if a lid is loose, I don’t worry. Sticks have a silly habit of walking to
somewhere where they stick out like a sore thumb, then you can pick them up. In a photo session I once lost a magnificent female JN
(who presumably ran away while my back was turned). It was my pride and joy and I was quite upset and annoyed. However, 2 days
later, there it was, bright green on a yellow-brick wall – but a very long way from where I lost it. (I find that lost snakes and tarantulas
are similar, they tend to rest where they can be easily seen but, unlike sticks, they generally don’t go very far).
Painful fingers. Where I have an aggressive or bad-tempered stick, say a fully grown female JN or Eury, they need to be handled very
carefully, especially if you are in a hurry. I keep a pair of tweezers handy to gently manoeuvre the critter to where I want it without
having to pick it up with my fingers. Or you could don gloves and handle them that way, but try to pick gloves made with a material that
does not allow the critters to hook their claws into it, gardening gloves are a good choice.
OK, so these are a few of my ideas that you could experiment with, I’m no expert but I hope someone finds them useful. Anyway,
what are your ideas which you are willing to share with the PSG membership? Or do you have a question on anything to do with
sticks? Send them to me, the editor of the PSG Newsletter (see page 3 for details), for publishing in the next PSG Newsletter.
December 2013
PHASMID FOOD PREPARATION by David and Robert Bradbury
These notes are intended for keepers new to stick and leaf insects. For the avoidance of misunderstandings,
Phasmid salad is to Phasmids as Baby Food is to babies. Therefore, those with a personal interest in novel foods
should look elsewhere.
So, why wash salad leaves intended for feeding to phasmids? Well, when our family first started keeping phasmids, salad
was harvested and served "au naturelle". The phasmids ate leaves as they would have in the wild. However, some of the
wild came in with the leaves and ate the phasmids. We learned that reasons for washing phasmid food came under three
headings. The first heading being “Something’s in the Salad that ate the Sticks”. Apart from the obvious spiders, phasmids
also get eaten by Hover Fly larvae, Lady Bird larvae and adults, and Centipedes. All best washed out. The second heading for
why we serve washed salad to phasmids is what happens to their food supply if unwashed? If serving unwashed salad to Stick and Leaf
Insects then their food occasionally gets swamped and eaten by aphids and caterpillars and Shieldbugs. There is a third reason for
washing phasmid food. That is to remove harmful contamination. A rare problem has been contamination with bird droppings. These
contain Salmonelid Bacteria, the gut symbionts in birds and reptiles. When salmonella causes a gut infection in mammals or phasmids,
there is the same characteristic smell and symptoms. Fortunately this is rare, our family has lost several mostly adult Diapherodes
gigantea and a mature Budwing, Phenopharos k., over half a dozen years of keeping. The most obvious contamination is grit and fine
particulates. There could also be chemical and oil residues, spray drift and re-deposited pesticide residues, especially in hot weather,
which causes volatilisation and wind transport before condensing on previously clean and unsprayed leaves.
We are open to ideas; here is what we use, a mix of personal experience and others suggestions. First, visually inspect before cutting for
bird droppings, and sooty moulds on the top surface. Second, give a sharp tap then cut. Third, then visually inspect the lower surface for
mildewed leaves, leaf miners, cocoons, interesting caterpillars and spiders - especially hiding in folded leaves. Remove these and leave in
their habitats. Fourth. give the cut twigs of leaves a sharp swish and flick - (As J K Rowling described for her character Hermione when
casting the "Leviosa" spell in JKR's first book.)
The above improves the quality of the salad brought home. The following is the cleaning that can be done in one or two steps. High
pressure water is a brilliant first step for food grade cleaning of Phasmid Salad stuff. In summer, we tend to use a pistol trigger jet on a
garden hose, and the rest of the year we use the cool setting of the power shower in the bath with a filter trap or ball of old tights set in
the plug hole. The last point is important. Washed out wildlife can be fed to other pets, returned to the garden hedge or fed on the bird
table. Invertebrate protein should never be wasted. A practice we observe, but have not yet progressed to stirring the invertebrate
protein supplement into melted chocolate with nuts and raisins. . . . The second step of the cleaning is worth the small extra time. It was
described to me as "Conditioning" by a very good florist near St Mary's Church in Reading. Conditioning will fully hydrate the twigs of
leaves and so extend the time cut leaves and twigs last in water and incidentally remove a few beasties that amazingly are still holding on
in the leaves. Conditioning involves re-cutting the stem then soaking while immersed in cold water. If in the garden, then have several
deep buckets or barrels filled with clean water. Now take each twig and introduce several inches of stem below the water surface.
Then cut off the bottom inch or so of stem maintaining the new cut and freshly exposed section of stem below water surface as the twig of
leaves is lowered and energetically moved with an axial pumping movement as deep as possible into the container of water. Repeat for
each stem. Remove the wild life that floats to the surface. Leave in the cold water for one to two hours before removing to use or keep
fresh in buckets of water four to six inches deep and placed in a very bright and airy place for use at subsequent food changes.
If in the bathroom, after power showering as already described, put in the plug and fill with water while recovering wildlife that sinks,
swims or climbs to the top leaves sticking out of the water. Typical animals at this point are shield bugs, ladybirds, especially Harlequins,
snails, and the odd spider, such as Garden Cross, Aranea diademata, and the small Fat False Widow, Steatoda grossa. Re-cut the stem
ends underwater as already described.
Agitate vigorously as described.
Leave to Condition for one to two hours.
Agitate each twig as it is below the surface before removing. The soak will not only fully hydrate the twigs of leaves but also soften the
semi-soluble coating on the leaf surface that had trapped and held fine grit, dust, diesel soot, and urban road dust. Serve salad from the
water
into
water
bottles
or
jars
with
the
apertures
blocked
to
prevent
incidents
of
drowning.
Spare twigs of leaves can be placed in two-litre milk containers or buckets in a bright conservatory or greenhouse to keep in good
condition. Only after removing the leaves, put a filter or flannel or bit of scrunched up tights into the plug hole as the plug is removed.
After the water is drained, take some white tissue and swipe the streak below where the water was filled. Here in Reading in the Thames
Valley, there is an amazing black deposit that washes and soaks off the Phasmid's food. At Pen Offa, a rural hill farm in mid Wales, the
deposit on the bath after leaf cleaning and emptying the water is a fine pale grey dust. Hmmm. Having spare leaves prepared or
harvested is really handy if there is snow or frost outside.
December 2013
Anareolatae
Antongiliinae
Bacillinae
Clituminae
Dataminae
Eurycanthinae
Lonchodinae
Necrosciinae
Obriminae
Palophinae
Phasmatinae
Phylliinae
Platycaninae
Xeroderinae
Words can be down, across, or diagonal, and spelt forwards or backwards. Hope you enjoy it.
You are welcome to send in your own puzzle, crossword, wordsearch, quiz, etc.
Scilly Sticks by Paul D. Brock
It is a long time since I have done the rounds and visited Cornwall and
the Isles of Scilly for phasmids, but a late September 2013 trip enabled
me to see five species. An article will follow but here is the PSG’s
founder Tony James showing me two species of phasmids on a Cupressus
hedge close to his house, near Helston.
Tony James by Cupressus hedge.
Prickly Stick-insect
Acanthoxyla geisovii.
.
Unarmed Stick-insect
Acanthoxyla inermis.
.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.18
Sticks in the News by Mike Smith.
Yes, the humble stick insect has made the international news again. I show below two of the
reports. The stick they refer to as the “Giant Lime Green Stick Insect” has no official common name, but
we know it as Diapherodes gigantea.
Stick insect leads antibiotic hunt, Norwich. A
microbe in the gut of a stick insect could help
scientists to unravel the puzzle of antibiotic resistance.
The giant lime green stick insect, which feeds mainly on
eucalyptus leaves, is being studied at the John Innes
Centre (JIC) in Norwich. In the laboratory it has shown
resistance to toxins and infections it could never have
encountered before. This indicates a general mechanism at
work and understanding this could lead to new drugs, JIC
scientists believe. Scientists at JIC are confident studying natural
processes will reveal new antibiotics. The pressure is on to make discoveries because every year more drugs are made ineffective by
microbe resistance. Professor Tony Maxwell, head of biological chemistry, said: "We have discovered the microbe in the stick insect's gut
is resistant to toxins and infections it could never have been exposed to.”. Professor David Walker UK deputy chief medical officer: "This
indicates that there is a general mechanism at work. If we can unravel that then it opens the way to understanding antibiotic resistance
and this will enable us to build a chemical strategy against it. It will also help us build into new antibiotics a mechanism to counter any
resistance.“ BBC Inside Out discovered researchers were also looking for new antibiotics in the soil. Professor Mervyn Bibb's laboratory at
JIC has produced an antibiotic candidate which may now undergo clinical trials. About half of the antibiotics used today originated in soil
bacteria which is why scientists continue to study them. One early breakthrough in the search for new antibiotic strains came with the
discovery that leafcutter ants in tropical forests carried a substance on their bodies that protected the integrity of a fungus food source.
The ants mulched leaves to allow a fungus to develop. To protect this food source from unwanted microbes and parasites and to regulate
the growth of the fungus the ants carry a highly effective wide spectrum antibiotic on their bodies. Scientists are harvesting the antibiotic
made by leafcutter ants. The antibiotic's properties are similar to antifungal agents used in modern medicine. Project leader Dr Matt
Hutchings from the University of East Anglia hopes studying leafcutter ants will uncover completely new antibiotics. Government health
officials have issued a fresh warning about the urgent need to find new antibiotics. The UK's deputy chief medical officer, Professor David
Walker, said: "If we don't take action now, antibiotic resistance could mean that widely used treatments for diseases including cancer and
common operations such as hip replacements could become impossible. "If we don't take action now we could face a situation when
some common infections become untreatable.“ The government has recognised it may have to step in to fund development and a new
initiative is being formulated. However, Dr Walker said: "For now there is no further details on what it will entail and how much money it
might involve - or indeed when it will come into play.“
Ref: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-23903861.
Stick Insect May Hold Key To Antibiotic Resistance. By John Ericson, 1st September, 2013. A microbe in
the stick insect's digestive system may reveal a chemical strategy against resilient pathogens. A stick
insect may hold the key to unravelling antibiotic resistance in bacteria. BBC reports that a microbe in the
digestive system of the Giant Lime Green stick insect may inspire researchers in their endeavour to develop new
drugs against antibiotic-resistant super bugs. In light of the recent statistical surge in such bacteria cultures, the
discovery could be of crucial importance to national disease prevention strategies. "We have discovered the microbe
in the stick insect's gut is resistant to toxins and infections it could never have been exposed to,” said Tony Maxwell, head of
biology at the John Innes Centre (JIC), in Norwich, England, where the insect is currently being studied. “This indicates that there is a
general mechanism at work. If we can unravel that, then it opens the way to understanding antibiotic resistance and this will enable us to
build a chemical strategy against it.” The finding may also allow researchers to implement into drugs a mechanism that counters the
resistance offered by super bugs. That said, the Giant Lime Green stick insect is not the only candidate for humanity’s antibiotic saviour.
..
Several other organisms are currently being studied all around the world ––
particularly soil bacteria, in which modern-day antibiotics originate. Another example
is the tropical leafcutter ant, whose populations cultivate and protect a particular
fungus food source. The evolutionary dependence has endowed the species with a
wide spectrum of antibiotic agents used to repel parasites and microbes. According
to the UK’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor David Walker, the circumvention
of antibiotic resistance in pathogens has become a global priority. Failure to address
the situation may result in further mutations and more resilient agents. Eventually, it
could render the global mainstay in disease prevention utterly useless. “If we don't
take action now, antibiotic resistance could mean that widely used treatments for
diseases including cancer and common operations such as hip replacements could
……
become impossible,” he explained. “If we don't take action now, we could face a situation when some common infections become
untreatable.” He added that although the situation has been recognized as a research priority by many regimes around the world, details
on government initiatives and funding have yet to be formulated.
Ref: http://www.medicaldaily.com/stick-insect-may-hold-key-antibiotic-resistance-gut-microbe-resistant-toxins-infections-it-couldnt
December 2013
Newsletter 131.19
Paul Brock’s New Book by Mike Smith
Yes, Paul Brock has written yet another book: A
Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain and Ireland. I’ve
seen only a few pictures and pages (samples on this page), but it
looks excellent. It has full colour photographs throughout, with fully
comprehensive sections on all insect groups, including flies, bees,
wasps, and Stick Insects. It has a soft back, is flexibound, and has
around 500 pages.
It will be available in spring of 2014, and will cost £19.95 until 31.3.14; thereafter
£27.50, + £4 p&p in both cases. To reserve a copy, send your name and address to
Pisces Publications, 36 Kingfisher Court, Hambridge Road, Newbury, RG14 5SJ, with
a cheque or money order payable to “Pisces Publications”.
(Email
[email protected],).
Or it can be ordered on-line at
www.naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop/.
Questions – can you help?
David Holland had two interesting questions in the June PSG Newsletter. Firstly, can
different Haaniella species be kept together or will they hybridise? Secondly, are there other
species of Heteropteryx, or just the one (dilatata)? Many thanks to everyone that replied
including Mark Bushell, Paul Brock, and Derek TP. I’ve summarised the answers below.
MIXING SPECIES. Any accidental mixing of species, especially if closely related (say of differing Haaniella species), could
result in a hybrid being produced which could then be passed on down the line until we have a completely muddied species.
Such as the current mess with PSGs 23 and 44! Best to keep them apart. While nymphs of any stick insect species cannot
hybridise (unless there’s something pretty odd going on) it would be a good idea to keep nymphs apart too, because you will
probably not be able to distinguish between them later on. That's how species get into circulation that are not "what they
say on the tin" You may also think you have a mix of female/male adults but they may be different species.
HETEROPTERYX
SPECIES.
A quick
look
on
the
Phasmida
Species
File
on-line
(http://phasmida.speciesfile.org) shows there is only the one Heteropteryx species (dilatata). The
Phasmida Species File is a taxonomic database of the world's stick and leaf insects. It contains full
synonymic and taxonomic information for c. 3,040 valid species and over 4,690 taxonomic names (all
ranks, valid and not valid). There are c.27,000 citations to c. 2500 references. There are also c. 6100
specimen records and more than 11500 images of two thirds of valid species, with more being added to
on a regular basis. If you know the name of a taxon that interests you, click on "Search" at the top of a
page and enter the name. That will take you to the taxon display where the specified taxon is shown in its
hierarchical context.
December 2013
Camouflage in Sydney
by Paul D. Brock
Sydney College of the Arts hosted a well attended international conference ‘Camouflage Cultures’ from 8-11
August 2013 http://sydney.edu.au/sca/camouflage/conference-exhibition.shtml
There were a number of interesting talks by some of the leading names in the camouflage world, covering various
disciplines. I gave a talk in the ‘Animals’ section on the last day ‘Australian stick and leaf insects (Insecta, Phasmida):
Large Blue
camouflage and natural history’ and unexpectedly was filmed afterwards for a possible slot in a camouflage film,
although I am sure that I needed more takes than David Attenborough. In due course, the paper by myself and Jack
Hasenpusch may be published in a book. The Exhibition included some amazing artwork, including a whispering wall! But
the photos show items of more taste to phasmid enthusiasts, such as videos of phasmids in action.
On opening night I showed a few live phasmids to visitors; these were kindly supplied on loan
from Martyn Robinson, Australian Museum, Sydney. Emma Hack's artwork model (Bec) broke
her camouflage to handle a Tropidoderus childrenii female .
During the introduction to my talk I asked if
anyone was ‘mad on phasmids’ and to my
surprise, several people confessed. These
included PSG member Rebeccah Aigner and
her friend Kirsten Dalgleish.
Allan Harman and Ian Bushell doing a stint at
the PSG table..
Kirsten visited me later at the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC), CSIRO, Canberra where I was checking some dead phasmids for
a revision and brought some interesting specimens along, not least Candovia granulosa. If only I can find more hours in the day, this
paper will see the light of day at some point.
Contributions to the Newsletter. I am as always very much indebted to all the wonderful contributors to this
Newsletter - many, many thanks to you all; without your sterling help there would be no Newsletter. I hope, as usual,
that there is something here for everyone. Please, would all members send in a contribution, including any reviews on
shows and meetings, drawings, photos, phasmid problems, answers to problems, crosswords, quizzes, puzzles, web site
details, ideas or comments on the Newsletters or the PSG, etc, etc. Don’t worry if you can’t spell, have no pictures, or
think your contribution is not scientific enough. Just send in whatever you like, this is YOUR Newsletter, and I’ll put in it
everything you send in – and correct any spellings and add pictures (if needed). See the PSG Website for more details on
how to write articles. E-mail them to: [email protected], or post them to Mike Smith, 13 Runnacles
Street, Silver End, Witham, Essex, CM8 3QN, England, UK. Closing date for contributions to the next PSG Newsletter in
Devil Mantis.
July is 22nd June 2014 (but contributions received before then are particularly
much-appreciated).
December 2013
Newsletter 131.21
PSG Summer Meeting, 6th July 2013 by Mike Smith
It was yet another great meeting, and what a day! I think the hottest of the year
to that date – a rare approx 30°C. In the event, the beginnings of a rarer but welcome 3+
week heat wave which peaked at above 34°C. On balance, I think I preferred this heat to the
ice and cold of the Winter Meeting but maybe, with “Climate Change” we should …………”, we
consider holding our meetings in March and September? .Anyway, I
…….
A good turn out.
think we lost a few members who succumbed to this beguiling, sunny,
week-end day for taking the family on an outing. My friend Karl was
on a family outing. Indeed, my wife and daughter went to Walton-onNaze beach with Tracey’s dogs (I love it there too, but wanted to go to
the PSG Meeting a tad more). They used my car as it was “old”
(because of the dogs’ hairs). Ha ha, so I got to use my wife’s newer
car – and it has air conditioning! On the underground train, especially
around the West End of London,.anything goes so far as fashion is concerned, even on a normal work day, but this was a sweltering
Saturday and I’ve never seen anything like it – what fellow travellers were and were not wearing was truly amazing, funny hats, jazzy
shorts, designer-torn T-shirts, mini skirts, etc, I was amazed (sorry, I have no photos of these fashion statements). As I live in a sleepy,
sheltered, Essex village it only increases my amazement. Yes, it can be quite an adventure just getting to the PSG Meeting, great fun
though, but I digress.
I got to the museum about 9.40am – 20 minutes before it opened. Yet already the queue was
backed up nearly to Exhibition Road (say 200 metres long). As we waited in the sun and heat
for the museum to open, so the queue got longer and longer still, as there were hoards of
people passing me to go to the back of the queue. I’d not be surprised if it met up with the
queue for the Exhibition Road entrance - and I had thought most people would have gone to
Butterflies.
the seaside! As I was waiting, I looked at the Butterfly Tent that they have each summer in
the museum’s grounds (they had an ice rink in the winter).. I also looked in awe at the
…..
museum’s architecture, especially the little animals in the walls. I had a quick chat to a
Japanese lady in front of me; she was visiting England for the very first time and
was really looking forward to going around this
……...….…..
“marvellous” museum. Anyway, despite the very long
queue, I was in the museum within 15 minutes of it
opening. On my way to the meeting room, outside
the museum shop, I saw two full-size human skeletons
waiting to be served dinner! I thought: “Don’t ask”.
I eventually made it to the meeting room, and
I’m starving!
surprisingly there were already numerous members
there getting things ready for the meeting. I firstly…..
grabbed a drink and chocolate biscuit (one must get one’s priorities right), and then
helped out a bit myself, but most of the work was already done. It was certainly warm in the room, but cooler than outside – as it had two
air-conditioners working hard.
My next stop was the merchandise table. I knew Paul Brock had brought some stuff along (which he
obtained to take to his Australian meeting), and I did not want it all to be sold before I saw it. What Paul
had brought was interesting, good quality, and reasonably priced, so I was surprised that so little of it
had been sold by the end of the meeting. Paul himself was showing off one of his T-shirts, and a lovely
design it was too. Despite the small quantity ordered, Paul was able to sell T-shirts at an amazing £5
each, also eg pens £2, mouse mats £4, and photo magnets £5. Disappointingly Gavin Ridley, our
Merchandising Officer, was unable to realise all his ambitions for PSG merchandise. Sadly, he had been
too busy at work for too long to be able do all he’d like to for us, and just before the summer meeting
he decided he would reluctantly retire from the post because of this. So the chalice was passed to his
assistant Mike Strick, who is to be helped by Daren Moss. During the meeting there was some
discussion as to what merchandise members would like to have, and Mike took away lots of
information, I liked the idea of a spray bottle with our logo on it. But to be honest there was much less
…
interest in having merchandise, among our members, than I expected. If
you have any ideas for PSG merchandise, then let Mike Strick know (his
details are on page 3).
I checked that the meet and greet table had all it needed; I’d brought a few things for it. I did offer my
assistance at the table a few times, but Paul Brock’s sister Helen was very happy to man (or should that be
“person”) the table all the time. What a grafter, well done! As well as quiz sheets, and handouts, every
member was given a PSG badge (wow). It had a clever, modern take on the PSG logo, designed exclusively
by Mike Strick. Members seemed very happy with them as they wore them proudly. Indeed, I still wear
mine a lot, and it is very good for starting conversations on sticks.
Eleven thirty soon came round and we had another excellent talk from Ian. He amazed us with more of his
adventures around Borneo etc. This time he explained more about the practicalities of collecting phasmids.
December 2013
Newsletter 131.22
The special clothing, the permits, and the long drives, tiring walks, bad
weather, very basic accommodation, and would you believe a very real
threat to kidnap him! He also gave us an insight into his searches in the
rain forest. It would be dark, often raining, there would be venomous
snakes, spiders, etc all round, and Ian demonstrated the gear he’d have
to carry. That is an enormous net, two cameras (one very heavy),
torches, and lots of water to drink, see picture on left. When I went up
Mount Kilimanjaro I carried just a day bag and let porters carry the rest,
but that day bag just got heavier and heavier as I neared the top. How
Ian managed with three times that amount of equipment I really do not
know. Great talk though, together with a fantastic photo slide show.
Ian’s Talk.
We then had a lunch break and this gave us all a chance to have a sandwich, a chinwag, and a look around the meeting
Picture Natalie
room and the museum. There is always some member at a meeting proudly showing their best stick.
I tookFord
a turn this
time, and put some bramble in a jar and displayed my almost adult pair of Jungle Nymphs. Being in the open, it had the
edge over any caged sticks on show, and it gave me a warm feeling to see members admiring and photographing
them…until another member, with my permission, added his giant adult JN, which left mine a bit in the shade.
Paul’s Talk.
JN’s
Lunch over, Paul Brock gave us the talk he was about to give in Australia on
……..
“Australian Stick and Leaf Insect Camouflage”. It was a practice-run for him, and a privilege for us.
I think the Aussies will like this talk, and the really good photos, I know we did.
Then we had a discussion led by Allan Harman on the subject of Vietnamese and other stick
species new to culture. He gave us an excellent talk on new cultures, and he had brought lots of
samples for us all to see – including many for giving away at the Livestock Exchange. There were
… but they were all answered. We then went on to the Panel of
certainly lots of questions from members,
Experts who answered questions on all sorts of stick subjects, far too many to record here.
Throughout the day all members were encouraged to do the Great Phasmid Mystery Hunt (a sort of hands-on
quiz with a sort of paper chase) cleverly designed by our regular quizmaster Derek TP. It had two levels of
difficulty, one for children, and one for adults. It certainly kept many members very busy for a long time; you
…..
could see them seeking the questions, and working out
answers. I think we all had a good time, and the questions
were thought-provoking eg put the continents in the order
of which has the most stick species. I must admit I am
useless at quizzes, and to be fair I was busy doing other
things much of the time, so I have excuses for not even
finding all the clues, let alone answering correctly the
questions I did find. Some answers were a toss-up for me
and when I heard the answers I found I’d gone for the wrong
one eg America has more stick species than Africa, stupid!
Anyway, members were obviously very
nervous of their answers as there were only a few children’s entries, and only two adult
entries. Hey, I might have done badly…but I did come second! The adult winner was
Alan Goldsmith, and the junior winner was 6 year old Petra (see photo above).
Next came everybody’s favourite, yes the Livestock Exchange. Members had a treat in
store as there were lots of new species available. I was impressed that we had a good
turnout of members and there were stacks of sticks on the table. A glance at the
containers showed how carefully some members had packaged up their sticks, with
nicely printed labels giving lots of information, and some even had photos on. It was
therefore disappointing that many members had to take their contributions home again.
A mixture I believe of members (like me) not wanting to take too many species home
due to space and time constraints, but mainly I think because some members were
……….
bringing in multiple boxes of bread and butter species. Anyway, I got some lovely blighters and all are doing well.
Pharnacia
jianfenglingensis, one
of Allan’s samples,
modelled by Devon
Henderson.
.
I did not go to the après stick for a swift drink on this occasion. My journey home was uneventful. I’m now looking forward to the next
meeting on 18th January 2014.
Stick Talk is e-mailed to around 630 subscribers in over 40 countries
worldwide and is a list dedicated to stick insects: queries, answers,
information, etc. As a Stick Talk list member, you will receive a short e-mail
every few days. The Stick Talk list is totally independent of the PSG, though
many Stick Talk list members are also members of the PSG. If you want to
join the list, visit the website: www.sticktalk.com and click on “Join”. It's
totally free of charge; and if you do not like it, just send an e-mail asking to
be taken off the list. It is also moderated; so it's secure, safe from bad
language, and there will be no spam.
Ugly Eurycantha?
December 2013
Newsletter 131.23
Join Me – Trip to Colombia 2015 by David Holland
I would like to arrange a 2-4 week trip to Colombia, South
America in August 2015 to look for stick insects. It can be difficult to
take live stick insects or their eggs out of Colombia, though we can
look into the possibilities and see what can be done.
This is the proposed itinerary (if anyone has an alternative one please let
me know). Day 1 arrive in Bogota and get a flight to Santa Marta. We will
then spend 12-14 days near Santa Marta, the surrounding countryside has a
…..
lot of endemic species of wildlife so hopefully should have endemic species of phasmids.
There are 3 different places to visit. The first will be Parque Tayrona which is a national
park at sea level in tropical forest. The next two will be in the Sierra Nevada de Santa
Marta (Sierra means mountain range). Firstly Minca at 600 meters above sea level which
should have different insects from Tayrona and then the Reserve El Dorado at 1900
meters.
The following species of stick insects xera magdalena (female)
and pseudophasma colombiana (male) have been found in the Sierra Nevada of Santa
Marta but with only one sex so there is something to look for. Minca and El Dorado are
very popular with bird watchers and Tayrona has its own endemic species of monkey the
cotton-top tamarind (Saguinus Oedipus) so there will be lots of other wildlife to see. The
following is an article about the wildlife there.
http://tricolombia.blogspot.co.uk/2012_08_01_archive.html
Day 12- 15 fly to Bogota and people who have less holiday time can return to England. The final
part to the trip would be Parque Ucumari and Santuraio de Otun which are near each
other. Santurario de Otun is 90 minutes by Chiva (a type of bus) from the city Pereira, Parque
Ucumari is another 30 minutes on the same bus plus a 2 hour walk. As they are different
habitats (cloud forest and Paramo) the plan would be to spend 4 days in each. The following are
links about these places.
http://tricolombia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/otun-quimbaya-wildlife.html
http://vickykarpfviajera-colombia.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/zona-cafetera-risaralda.html
http://risaraldaturistica.com.co/turistico-parques-naturales-parque-regional-natural-ucumaripereira-68.html
We would then get a bus or flight back to Bogota and return to the UK. The total trip will be 20-30 days long. I have never been to the
Sierra Nevada but I will be going there next year. I have been to Santuario de Otun and in the one night I saw 8 species of stick insects in
90 minutes. Unfortunately we had to leave the next day. I should have a budget for this trip next year. I think it should be less than
£2000 per person including flights (assuming you get the cheapest possible flight to Colombia from the UK). You will need to take a variety
of clothing as Tayrona will be hot 30°C in the middle of the day, whilst Ucumari will be only 15°C in the day and less at night.
If anyone wants to discuss this with me at the PSG January meeting, or via email, please do so. ([email protected]).
December 2013
Newsletter 131.24
PSG ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & WINTER MEETING
Saturday, 18th January 2014
DOROTHEA BATE ROOM, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, CROMWELL ROAD, LONDON, SW7 5BD, UK.
(FREE PUBLIC ENTRY* to Natural History Museum, also the nearby Victoria & Albert and Science Museums)
Comments or ideas on what you would like to see at future PSG Meetings, or if you would be willing to give a talk
or other offering at a meeting, or you want to join the committee, tell Judith: E-mail:[email protected] or 020 7942 5610.
PLEASE BRING AND WEAR YOUR PSG MEMBERSHIP CARD AS A BADGE
BRING YOUR OWN HOLDER, OR A HOLDER WILL BE PROVIDED.
AGENDA
(Any item may be reviewed on the day. Please help us run on time.)
10.00am – 11.30am
ARRIVALS & INFORMAL GATHERING:
Members are encouraged to exchange ideas & experiences, and
to display any species of special interest, especially those new to culture;
Livestock Competition - there will be a prize for the best displayed species**.
Have a drink, biscuit or cake from the refreshment table***.
11.30am – 12.00 Noon
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
Reports from current committee members,
followed by election of committee for 2014;
volunteers? – please contact Judith (as above)
12.00 Noon – 12.30pm ILLUSTRATED TALK by Paul Brock
“Phasmids in Britain, particularly the Isles of Scilly”.
12.30pm – 12.45pm
TALK by Mark Bushell
“Keeping track of Cultures, and a quick survey!”.
12.45pm – 1.45pm
LUNCH*** and viewing of displays and merchandise.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - HAND OVER YOUR CASH TO PAUL OR HELEN .
1.45pm – 2.00pm
ILLUSTRATED TALK by James Brereton
“Colour change in stick insects in response to light intensity”.
2.00pm – 2.45pm
ILLUSTRATED TALK by Ian Abercrombie
2.45pm – 3.00pm
OPEN DISCUSSION/QUESTION TIME and Livestock Competition result.
3.00pm - 4.00pm
LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE****
4.00pm – 4.30pm
CLOSURE OF MEETING
*You need to ring the door bell for access to the Dorothea Bate Room, bell push by the outer door (which is unlocked)
then access through locked inner door.
** For the competition, bring your livestock in a suitable container with food, one species per cage, any number of specimens; please label each container
with species name and PSG No. and your own name and membership number.
*** Tea, coffee, squash, and biscuits will be available all day (from about 10.15 am), for a voluntary contribution, in the meeting room (courtesy of Judith).
Food shops are available in the museum, offering good food at reasonable prices, but there may be queues. You are welcome to bring your own lunch, to
eat in the meeting room or in the museum. You may also “donate” cakes, biscuits, etc, if you wish.
****You are welcome to bring in your spare phasmids (you may also bring in other livestock eg mantids, cockroaches, millipedes, fruit beetles, etc) for free
distribution to PSG members. You will also have the opportunity to take home livestock from the exchange table, though where numbers of livestock are
limited not all members will be able to get their first choices. You are reminded to follow the rules as laid down concerning the Livestock Exchange: eg
livestock should be given some foodstuff, and their container be clearly labelled with their scientific name & PSG number; the food plant they are being fed
on, and your name & PSG number. Don't forget to check before you leave that all of your livestock has been distributed and, if not, please take them
back home with you. Do not overcrowd the sticks, but also please use reasonably-sized containers (not too big), and do not spread the spare stock of
common species over too many different containers. During the livestock exchange please do not crowd around the table, rather sit in the rows of seats
and just raise your hand if you are interested in the livestock being offered.
Dec 2013 Website: www.phasmid-study-group.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhasmidStudyGroup Newsletter 131.Addendum 1
Membership Renewal Due Now for 2014
To renew your membership of the Phasmid Study Group (or to join)
Figure 1
Payment can be: in cash to Paul Brock at the AGM and Winter PSG Meeting in January, by PayPal
(see below); by cheque (in £ sterling and drawn on a UK bank) payable to: “The Phasmid Study
Group”; or by Postal Order or International Postal Giro to:
Paul Brock, 2 Greenways Road, Brockenhurst, SO42 7RN, England, UK.
Or see the membership page on the PSG website: www.phasmid-study-group.org/Join-PSG
For overseas members not using PayPal: cash may be sent (at your own risk) in your own currency
(add an extra £3.00 for exchange rate variations), we recommend using registered post.
Ventral view of
mesotarsal
segments
Only £12 UK, £14 Europe, or £15 Overseas. (Prices held for another
year!)
of E. tiaratum (x10).
Any problems contact Paul Brock by E-mail:
[email protected], or [email protected].
PSG Membership benefits include:
PSG Meetings, copies of the PSG Newsletter, all areas of the PSG Website, and free stick insects.
Cut this form out, or photocopy it, or download it from the PSG Website, and give it to Paul
Brock with your membership subscription (all information held in confidence):
PSG No (if any): _______________________Name:_______________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Post Code:_____________________Country:____________________________________________________
E-mail:________________________________________________________________________
Subscription: £_______________________
Donation:
£_______________________ (optional)
Total:
£_______________________
PSG MEMBERSHIP FORMS
Figure 6
If you want any copies of the colourful, new Membership Form
eg for handing out at shows, demonstrations, museums, zoos,
pet shops, etc. please print them from the PSG website, or
contact Paul Brock. Many thanks.
HOW TO PAY PSG MEMBERSHIP BY PayPal
•Log into your PayPal account (or set one up at www.paypal.com)
•Click the “Send Money” tab
•In the “To” field, enter: [email protected]..(NOT [email protected])
•In the “Amount” field enter the correct amount for whether you are in the UK £12, Europe, £14, or Overseas £15
•There is no surcharge for using PayPal (so ignore any old PSG literature that says there is)
•Please ensure the currency select is “GBP – British Pounds”
•Then select the option that says “I'm paying for goods or services” and click “Continue”
•The next page will show a summary of the details – please scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says “Email to Recipient”...
•Change the Subject field to “”PSG Member Fees”
•In the “Message” box, please put your full name, address and PSG membership number (if you have one already)
•Finally, click “Send Money” to complete the transaction.
If you could then drop a quick email to Paul Brock: [email protected] just to let him know you've paid, he can check
everything has gone through OK and confirm your membership.
Dec 2013 Website: www.phasmid-study-group.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhasmidStudyGroup Newsletter 131.Addendum 2

PSG Newsletter 131 - Phasmid Study Group

Transcription

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