Anchiale buruense "Buru"

General Notes

• described by Hennemann, Conle, Suzuki (2015) as Anchiale buruense
• Etymology – in the greek mythology Anchiale (or Anhkiale) is the Titan goddess of the warmth of fire, and the wife of Hekateros
• the genus Anchiale has been introduced by Stål (1875) with the type species Anchiale maculata (which has been described by Olivier in 1792 as Mantis maculata)
• the genus Ctenomorphodes is a synonym for Anchiale
• until 2012 5 different Anchiale species are or have been in culture – see PSG list on Phasmatodea.com
• Anchiale sp. "Buru" is most probably a new species (Frank Hennemann, per. comm. 2012)

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Culture History

• 2012 - first successful culture by Bruno Kneubuehler
• 2012 - this species has been distributed as Anchiale sp. „Buru“
• 2015 - this culture should now be called Anchiale buruense "Buru"

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Origin

• Buru (Maluku Islands, Indonesia)

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Females

• big, rather stout phasmids
• about 15.5 – 16.5 cm long
• coloration amongst females seems to be consistent, judged by only available two adult females
• main coloration geenish-brown
• several spines on the legs, especially the forelegs
• small humps on the mesothorax (dorsally)
• subgenital plate is well developed and reaches beyond the abdominal ending
• antennae shorter than forelegs
• long, broad cerci
• wings are well develped, hind wings are about half as long as the abdomen
• (closed) wings are reddish-brown
• membranous part of hindwings (alae) is mottled grey-black

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Males

• medium sized, thin phasmids
• about 9.5 – 10.5 cm lang
• coloration is rather consistent amongst males (F1)
• main color greenish-brown
• dark areas on the head and legs
• (closed) wings reddish-brown
• head with interesting markings – makes them look like miniature Beagle Boys
• 4 ocelli (simple eyes) are well developed and visible
• antennae shorter than forelegs
• small spines on the legs
• several small humps, mainly on the mesothorax (dorsally)
• long cerci
• wings are very well developed
• membranous part of hindwings (alae) is mottled transparent-black

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Nymphs

• about 13 mm (L1)
• dorsally reddish-brown, ventrally greenish (L1)
• very short antennae
• red eyes (L1)
• already in L3 it is quite easy to draw a distinction between ♀♂ (by the naked eye)

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Eggs

• about 3.5 x 2 mm
• variable color – many are grey, others are grey-black or gray-brown
• glossy
• irregular, elongate
• distinct, greenish capitulum is present on the operculum (egg lid)
• micropylar plate is thin and long

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Food Plants

• bramble (Rubus sp.)
  is very well accepted by freshly hatched nymphs, older nymphs and adults
• no other food plants have been tested by me (so far)

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Behaviour

• nymphs and adults can react rather frantically when they feel threatened (like when being touched)
• Especially the adult males drop down, wriggle about, try to fly away and freeze again after a few steps or a short flight
• otherwise both nymphs and adults are passive during the day and feed during the night
• a defensive spray has not been observed
• males try to escape flying
• females can not fly
• females fling the eggs away  with a swing of their abdomen
• mating coccur often during the night, males can stay with one female for up to some days

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Developement

• approximate incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about  4 – 5 months  (F1). The exact incubation could not be determined, as the exact date when the eggs have been laid was unknown
• 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 in F1 was high (about 40%)
• males will be adult after about 3 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 4 months
• females start laying eggs after about 3 weeks
• about 30 – 35 eggs per female and week
• adults can live for several months

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Breeding Notes

• my general notes on how to breed phasmids are a substantial part of this care sheet ...
• it is easy to breed this species
• as the freshly hatched nymphs are already quite big, therefore the incubation container must be big enough
• keep the nymphs in a cage with good ventilation, but take care that the humidity does not drop too low
• a constantly wet paper towel on the floor of the cage helps raising humidity
• a humidity level of about 60+ % rH (for adults) and 75+ %  rH (for nymphs) seems to be fine
• nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or similar cages like Faunarium)
• move nymphs to a bigger cage as they grow bigger
• a cage of at least 50 x 30 x 30 cm should be provided for 3 – 4 adult couples of this species (or considerably larger if the cage also contains other species !)
• generally I advise to keep different phasmid species seperately (overcrowed cages are still too common ...)
• I have never sprayed nymphs, adults or their cage with water
• make shure 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

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References

• Phasmida Species Files  (www.phasmida.orthoptera.org)