Pulchriphyllium pulchrifolium "Sukabumi"

(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

General Informations

• provenience: Sukabumi (western Java, close to Mt. Halimun)
• taxonomic evaluation by Joachim Bresseel (Belgium)
• F1 CB culture by Bruno Kneubuehler (2014)
• further taxonomical informations ➤ phasmida.speciesfile.org
• this is a pure culture, and serious breeders will not mix it with cultures of a different provenience

Females

• medium sized species
• 8 - 9 cm
• most females are dark green
• some females turn out yellow-brown
• sometimes with brown pattern
• lobes at the end of the abdomen more or less pronouced
• short hind wings
• no specific coxae color

Males

• 5.5 - 6.5 cm
• after the final moult, most males are green, but they turn yellowish-brown after  2 - 3 weeks
• broad abdomen

Food Plants

• Salal (Gaultheira shallon)
  well accepted by nymphs and adults
• hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
  well accepted by older nymphs and adults
• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  other breeders report that bramble is also accepted   (info Jannick Roser)
• strawberry leaves (Fragaria) might also be well accepted by small nymphs, as it is the case in Phyllium bioculatum "Tapah". But this has not been tested...
• english oak (Quercus robur)
  well accepted     (info Robbie Emberson)

Breeding, Behaviour

• active mainly during the night
• though sometimes males are also active during the day
• females try to drop to the gound when they feel threatened, or they just feign death
• males often try to escape a potential predator by quickly crawling away
• males can also fly very well, though they do so rather seldomly
• eggs just drop to the ground
• about 10 eggs per female and week
• incubation (HH-method on slightly damp sand) about 4 months at 20 - 23 °C
• eggs of this species are very prone to get mouldy, and it is difficult to avoid this. Yet a thin mould layer does not affect the hatching ratio negatively
• nymphs hatch after dawn, often around noon
• a humidity of about 60 - 70 % seems to be good enough for this species
• the Free-Standing-Setup is very much recommened for small nymphs
• this Phyllium species should be kept in an airy cage (ventilator) too and get a lot of light
• one can spray them regularly with chlorine-free water, but the water should dry up again
• despite the food plant requirements, this species is easy to breed