Cryptophyllium phami "Cat Tien"

(by Bruno Kneubühler)

General Notes

• taxonomical aspects of this species are being examined by Joachim Bresseel (Belgium), and he will also describe this species (if it turns out to be new)
• for the moment it is not clear if this is just a variation of Ph. westwoodi, a subspecies of Ph. westwoodi or a new species
• but this culture stock should strictly be kept seperat from other culture stocks of Ph. westwoodi
• for further taxonomical informations → Phasmida Species Files
• other Phyllium species which are or have been in culture → siehe PSG-Liste

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Culture History

• 2013 - first successful culture by Bruno Kneubuehler
• 2013 – distributed to other breeders as Phyllium sp. „Cat Tien“

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Origin

• Cat Tien NP, Vietnam

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Females

• about 8 – 8.5 cm long
• forewings cover most of the abdomen
• short, clear hindwings
• whitish „leaf veins“ on the forewings
• very short antennae
• lobes on the legs are bordered whitish

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Males

• about 6 – 6.5 cm long
• well developed forewings
• long, clear, well developed hindwings
• few, whitish „leaf veins“ on forewings
• long, light-colored, brown-tiped antennae
• lobes on the legs bordered brown
• distinct ocelli (simple eyes) on the head

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Nymphs

• about 11 mm long (L1)
• dark brown with whitish and greenish dots
• very short antennae
• by L3 it is quite easy to draw a distinction between ♀♂, males have a narrower, triangle-pointed abdomen

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Eggs

• about 4 x 2.4 mm
• dark brown
• bark-like, matt surface
• micropylar plate narrow and fleam-like

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Food Plants

• it is very much recommendede to cut away the edges of the leaves for nymphs in L1, as well as to regularly change the plants and the water in which they stand
• bramble (Rubus spp.) - is very well accepted by nymphs and adults
• beech (Fagus sylvatica) - is very well accepted by adults (not tested with nymphs)

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Behaviour

• nymphs hatch around noon time
• once nymphs started to feed, they turn green within a few days
• nymphs as well as adult are mainly passive during the day and out and about feeding at night
• males use their wings to turn over, when they lay on the floor on their back
• male can fly quite well      (Info:  Yorrit Van De Kaa)
• mating are frequently, males stay only a few hours with the same female
• a defensive spray has not been observed
• females fling the eggs away - with a swing of the abodmen

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Developement

• incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about 4 months
• spread some dried (!) moss over the eggs - this will make it much easier for the nymphs to hatch unscathed and it also reduces mould growth to some extend
• hatching ratio was very high (> 50%)
• males will be adult after about 5 – 5.5 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 5.5 – 6 months
• females start laying eggs after about 3 – 4 weeks
• about 20 eggs per female and week
• also males can live for at least 3 months

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Breeding Notes

• my general notes on how to breed phasmids are an integral part of this care sheet ...
• it is easy to breed this species
• for a succesful culture it is highly recommend to keep nymphs seperate from the adults. This makes it much easier to monitor their developement and they are protected from being disturbed or even harmed by the much bigger adults (like during their moults)
• netting cages are very recommended (see pic on the right)
• a humidity level of about 60 – 70 % rH (for adults and nymphs) seems to be fine
• no humid soil is needed in the cage
• keep small nymphs on food plants which do not touch the walls of the cage. Like this they will stay on the plant and can feed easier
• a ventilator which runs about 10 – 15 times a day (for about 15 minutes each time) is very advantageous
• a cage of at least 30 x 30 x 30 cm should be provided for 3 adult couples
• spray small nymphs (L1 – L3) 1 – 2 times a week with water (to not use chlorinated water). One can also spray the nymphs directly. But the water should dry again up within a few hours
• no need to spray older nymphs, adults or their cage with water
• make sure that nymphs, which are about to undergo their adult moult, do not find places in the cage which would not offer them enough space beneath to moult successfully
• I recommend to keep only one species per cage – the culture is much more likely to be successful than in an overcrowed cage