Lamponius bocki "Verón"

(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

General Informations

• provenience: Verón, about 7km west of Punta Cana Internat. Airport, La Altagracia Prov., Dominican Republic
• location in Véron: about 300m south of Hotel Yonu/El Verón Road Hoyo Azul
• ID and taxonomic evaluation by Oskar Conle (DE)
• F1 CB culture in 2014 by Matthias Helb (DE)
• further taxonomical informations ➤ Phasmida Species Files
• this is a pure culture, and all serious breeders are kindly requested to avoid mixing this culture with similar populations from a different provenience / location. When spreading this culture to other breeders, then always use the full name with provenience

Females

• small, stury, often with warts
• body length ≈ 6 - 7 cm
• females coloration is highly variable across individuals

Males

• slender, with spines
• body length ≈ 5 - 6 cm

Nymphs

• newly hatched nymphs are dark brown
• on how to distinguish between male and female nymphs

Eggs

• ≈ 3.5 x 2 mm
• dark brown

Food Plants

• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  well accepted by nymphs and adults
• hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
  well accepted by adults, not tested with nymphs
• beech (Fagus sylvatica)
  well accepted by adults, not tested with nymphs
• other possible food plants (not tested though): 
  Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
  oak (Quercus spp.)

Breeding, Behaviour

• very easy to breed
• active mainly during the night
• they feign death when touched
• a defensive spray has not been observed
• females fling the eggs away with a swift swing of their abdomen
• eggs just drop to the ground
• about 5 - 8 eggs per female and week
• incubation (Cup-Incubation-method, on medium damp vermiculite) about 4 months at 20 - 24 °C
• general note - it is quite common that, from the very same batch of eggs, some nymphs will hatch weeks or even months after the first nymphs
• eggs can be covered with vermiculite (about 5 mm high), which makes it easier for the nymphs to hatch without getting stuck in the eggs shell
• eggs of this species are not particularly prone to get mouldy
• nymphs hatch during the night
• a humidity of about 65 - 75 % rH seems to be good enough for nymphs and adults
• one can spray them regularly with chlorine-free water, but allow the water to dry up before spraying again
• small nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or a similar cage), which shall not be too small
• provide a cage of about 30 x 30 x 30 (cm, L x B x H) for 3 adult couples
• males will be adult after 4 months (at 20 - 24°C), females after 4 - 5 months

Basics of phasmid breeding

• keep only one species per cage, overpopulation is one of the main reasons for breeding failures
• keep nymphs seperate from the adults, mainly to protect them during the crucial moulting phases
• choose the cage big enough. When in doubt, too big is (usually) better than too small
• a ventilator often supports good breeding results, as it seems to increase activity and feeding
• provide enough light, but avoid direct sunlight (overheating)
• try to keep day time temperatures below 25°C
• a nocturnal fall of temperature is natural (down to around 20°C)
• do not spray too much, phasmids are no fish ! Allow the water to dry up before you spray again
• minimize disturbances (loud music, commotions, light at or during the night, opening up cages in the morning [often a moulting phase] ect.)