Dyme ramulus "Rio Topo"

(by Bruno Kneubühler)

General Notes

• 2008 - first successful culture of this species by Bruno Kneubühler
• this species has originally been described as Ocnophila ramulus by Giglio-Tos in 1898. But it belong to the genus Dyme (O. Conle - personal communication, 2008)
• 2008 - I have distributed this species as Dyme ramulus to other breeders

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Origin

• Rio Topo (Tunguragua) in Ecuador

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Females

• typical wingless, yet quite spiny stick insect - about 7,5 – 8 cm long
• their basic colour ranges from dark brown to light brown to greenish-brown
• several larger spines are located on their thorax and the first abdominal segments, and there are numerous small spines on the underside of the same body areas
• as it is typical for the genus Dyme, the inside of the first part of the fore legs is coloured bluish
• feelers are long

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Males

• typical wingless, yet quite spiny stick insect - about  6,5 cm long
• their basic colour is generally light brown with some white dots (sometimes small spines) along the side of the body
• many larger spines are located on their thorax and the first abdominal segments, and there are numerous small spines on the underside of the body
• the inside of the first part of the fore legs is coloured bluish too
• feelers are long

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Eggs

• small, dark coloured eggs, about 2 x 1,5 mm
• surface is smooth yet matt
• incubate them at room temperatures (18 – 25°C) on a damp, but not too wet substrate
• incubation time at these temperatures is about 2,5 - 3 months

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Food Plants

• nymphs and adults accept bramble as food plants. Nymphs will grow up on bramble easily.
• but especially adult females will prefer firethorn, Salal (Gaultheria shallon) and the bramble species with the thick, long spines
• fern is even better accepted
• further they feed on plum leaves, hazelnut leaves

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Breeding Notes

• easy to breed – still they need proper basic care
• this is a species from a higher altitude, so it seems that they do better when kept at temperatures of 20°C or below. But my culture is also doing well at 20-23°C
• nymphs are green in colour
• keep nymphs and adults in a fairly airy, yet humid cage. A constantly wet paper towel on the bottom of the cage will provide a humidity, which is high enough for them to moult successfully
• males mature after about 3 months and females after about 4 months
• this species is sometimes also active during the day, they can be seen feeding and walking around
• females will start laying eggs about 2 – 3 weeks after their final moult - several eggs per day, which just let drop to the ground
• from the prothoracic glands they can produce a white defensive secretion when they feel strongly threatened. This secretion has not specific smell, yet it probably causes a (non-permanent) burning sensation when it comes in contact with the mucous membranes in the mouth or in the eyes. I have not tried this out  :)  Thus one should be careful when handling them