Onchestus rentzi "Innisfail"

(by Sascha Eilmus)

General Notes

• Brock & Hasenpusch (2006) have named this species in honor of the well-known australien entomologist David Rentz

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Culture History

• Stock 1: NE-Australia, Queensland, near Cairns [culture lost after two generations]
• Stock 2: NE-Australia, Queensland, Garradunga, Innisfail, Polly Creek

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Origin

• see culture history → Stock 2

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Females

• very typical and more robust phasmids
• about 10 - 11 cm long
• they have well developed wings, which they open up as a defense reaction. Then the beautifully black-purple colored inside with some bright stripes of the hind wings becomes visible
• but they do not fly
• color is very variable amongst females from brown to nearly black
• entire body surface is strongly garnulated - giving them a very bark-like appearance
• they have prominent protuberances on the top of the head which gave them the name "crown stick insect"
• mesofemora have prominent lobes

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Males

• very typical thin phasmids
• about 7 - 8 cm long
• colouration of the males is brown
• wings are well developed and they are able to fly
• they have two spins on the top of the head

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Eggs

• brown
• box-shaped - really looking like a piece of bark
• about 5 mm long
• incubate the eggs at room temperatures (18-23°C) under dry conditions (I never remove eggs from the cage)
• incubation time is about 4 months at 23°C

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Food Plants

• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  is well accepted by nymphs and adults
• other plants which are also accepted are privet (Ligustrum spp.), common hazel (Corylus avellana), Eucalyptus spp., Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Hypericum spp.

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Behavior

• adult females of this species display an astounding bark-camouflage
• they open up the wings as a defense reaction. Then the beautifully black-purple colored inside with some bright stripes of the hind wings becomes visible
• while they are spreading their wings, they start to run away and make a rustling sound
• males are good flyers

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Breeding Notes

• an easy to breed and attractive species (wings!)
• nymphs and adults can be kept in a quite airy cage
• move nymphs to a bigger cage according to their size as they grow up
• adult moult will happen after about 4 to 5 months at about 23°C.
• females lay only a few eggs per week, which they just drop to the ground
• nymphs and adults have been sprayed with water 5 to 6 times a week
• only first instar nymphs need some sprayed water at the beginning, later spraying with water is not needed for a successful development