Bostra incompta "Arenal"

Bostra incompta
(by Dr. Sascha Eilmus, Germany, Biologist)
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Orgin

• La Fortuna, Costa Rica

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Females

• typical brown, bright green or dirty green phasmids
• the size of the F1 generation varies around 14 to 16 cm
• the wild-caught female was 14.5 cm
• not winged
• uniformly dull brown body coloration
• 2 blunt spines on the head (brown lobe-like expansions)
• in contrast to Alienobostra brocki, the subgenital plate is in B. incompta not longer than abdomen

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Males

• also typical phasmids
• about 9.5 cm long
• not winged

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Eggs

• brown
• net-like bright surface structure
• about 3 mm long

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Food Plants

• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  easily accepted by both nymphs and adults
• other plants which are eaily accepted:
  hazel (Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus spp.), rose (Rosa spp.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
• in nature the female has been found feeding on plants of the families Fabaceae

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Behaviour

• males as females can behave very hysteric and stagger around when being touched
• this makes is not so easy to change food plants
• during the day, nymphs are usually on the leaves of the food plants, sometimes with their abdomen in a “zigzag” position which is also known from Alienobostra brocki
• one should handle them carefully, but they do not tend to drop legs
• females lay several eggs per day, which they just drop to the ground

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Developement

• incubate the eggs at room temperatures (18-25°C) on some humid substrate, e.g. vermiculite
• incubation time is about 6 - 8 months
• they will be adult after about 3 to 4 months at about 23°C

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Breeding Notes

• an easy to breed species.
• keep nymphs in a normal terrarium (for increased humidity)
• adults can be kept in a quite airy cage
• move nymphs to a bigger cage according to their size as they grow up
• nymphs and adults have been sprayed with water 3 to 4 times a week
• for a successful development and moult the terrarium was filled with a thin layer of moist vermiculite on the cage floor. Note that the original habitat of this stock is a very wet tropical forest

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References

• Phasmida Species Files  (www.phasmida.orthoptera.org)
• Eilmus S, Dernbach A. and Strumo R: Costa Rica - ein Reisebericht und Beobachtungen zu bemerkenswerten Vertretern der Stab- und Gespenstschrecken (Phasmatodea). ZAG Phoenix, ISSN 2190-3476, Jahrgang 3, Nr. 2, 2012