Trachyaretaon bresseeli "Imugan Falls"

(by Bruno Kneubuehler)

General Informations

• provenience: Imugan Falls (Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan Valley, Luzon, Philippines) at an altitude of 900 - 950 masl
• this seems to be a parthenogenetic species / population, as on two independant occations only females have been found in the very same location. And only females hatched from eggs collected from wild-caught females
• F1 CB culture in 2016 by Bruno Kneubuehler (CH)
• further taxonomical informations ➤ Phasmida Species Files
• this is a pure culture, and serious breeders are requested to avoid mixing this culture with similar populations from a different provenience. When spreading this culture to other breeders, then always use the full name with provenience
• this culture has the number CLP 827   (Online Phasma Culture List)

Females

• small, sturdy, contrasty-colored phasmids
• body length ≈ 7 - 8 cm
• wild-caught females were mainly mossy-green
• CB females were all contrasty reddish-brown with black areas
• coloration does not vary much

Males

• no males

Nymphs

• freshly hatched nymphs are mainly green, with some dark and white areas
• about 14 mm

Eggs

• 4.5 x 2.5 mm
• greyish-brown
• matt

Food Plants

• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  well very accepted by nymphs and adults
• ivy (Hedera helix)
  well accepted     (info by Patrick Köhldorfer)

Breeding, Behaviour

• very easy to breed
• active mainly during the night
• they feign death when touched
• a defensive spray has not been observed
• eggs are stuck into a substrate
• a sand-filled (about 3 cm) box in a corner of the cage will be accepted
• eggs are layed in clutches
• about 10 - 15 eggs per clutch
• 1 clutch per female every 2 - 3 weeks
• about 10 - 15 eggs per female and week
• incubation (Cup-Incubation-method, on medium damp vermiculite) about 4 months at 20 - 24 °C
• eggs can be covered with vermiculite (about 5 mm high), which makes it easier for the nymphs to hatch without getting stuck in the eggs shell
• nymphs hatch during the night
• it is quite common that some phasmid nymphs hatch weeks after the first nymphs - from the same batch of eggs
• a humidity of about 65 - 75 % rH seems to be good enough for nymphs and adults
• one can spray them regularly with chlorine-free water, but allow the water to dry up before spraying again
• small nymphs can be kept in a Faunabox (or a similar cage), which shall not be too small
• provide a cage of about 30 x 30 x 30 (cm, L x B x H) for 4 adult females
• females will be adult after about 7 months (at 20 - 24°C)