Periphetes forcipatus "Bugadidi"

(by Bruno Kneubuhler)

General notes

• Orginally described by Bates (1865) as Lonchodes forcipatus
• Synonyms:  Lonchodes duivenbodei (Kaup, 1871); Dixippus furcatus(Brunner v. Wattenwil, 1907),  Periphetes sangirensis (Dhorn, 1910)
• 2008 - first successful culture of this species by Sigetake Suzuki (Hokkaido, Japan)
• 2009 - first successful captive bred culture of this species in Europe by Frank Hennemann (D)

_________________

Origin

• Bugadidi (South-Sulawesi) 

_________________

Female

• these are sturdy creatures which become very fat, once they start to lay eggs
• up to 10 cm long
• the basic colour is a very strong, metallic green

_________________

Male

• up to 8 cm long
• just after their adult moult, their thorax is coloured in a very luminous orange
• this turns to a less luminous orange-brown within a few days

_________________

Nymphs (L1)

• about 17 mm long
• antennae are about the same length as the fore legs
• tips of the antennae are brown
• legs are banded and brown in colour
• body colour is greenish-brown
• nymphs hatch before daybreak
• the nymphs of P. forcipatus are quite similar to nymphs of Myronides sp. "Peleng". But the nymphs of Myronides sp. "Peleng" have white antennae tips

_________________

Eggs

• about 3,5 x 2 mm
• a net-like, light structure on the surface, with dark dots

_________________

Food Plants

• nymphs and adults feed easily on bramble (Rubus sp.)
• they also like firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) - (thanks to Kristien Rabaey for this information)
• other plants that they feed on: raspberry (Rubus idaeus), oak (Quercus sp.), Maple (Acer sp.), dogwood (Cornus sp.), strawberry (Fragarius sp.) (info by Simona Inches, Switzerland)
• this seems to be a rather polyphagous species
• firethorn (Pyracantha sp.) (Philippe van der Schoor, pers. comm.)

_________________

Defensive Behaviour

• when being touched, males and females often try to escapeby letting themselves drop to the ground, where they remain still or crawl away
• when being hold - they try to escape the grip and walk away

_________________

Breeding Notes

• an easy to breed and very nice species
• incubation in high humidity (HH-incubation method) yields good hatching ratios (about 70% in my culture)
• incubation time at room temperatures (20 - 23°C) is about 3 - 4 months
• keep the nymphs in a cage with good ventilation
• take care that the humidity does not drop too low. A constantly wet paper towel on the bottom of the cage helps raising humidity
• nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cage)
• move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
• I have never sprayed nymphs or adults of this species with water
• male will be adult after about 2,5 months (at room temperatures), females after about 3 months
• males do not permanantly stay together with their female after mating
• females start to lay eggs about 6 weeks after their adult moult
• about 25 to 30 eggs per week
• eggs are just dropped to the ground