Trychopeplus laciniatus "Monteverde"

General Informations

• provenience: Monteverde, Costa Rica
• taxonomical evaluation by Oskar Conle (DE) and Pablo Valero (ES)
• further taxonomical informations ➤ Phasmida Species Files

Females

• medium-sized with a very mossy appearance
• body length ≈ 8 - 9 cm
• but as they keep their body all the time in a curvy shape when alive, thus it is not really possible to measure them accurately
• females coloration is highly variable across individuals
• some females are greenish, greenish-brown or brown in many varieties
• unwinged
• strongly curved antennae

Males

• very slender, long-legged
• body length ≈ 7 cm
• male coloration is much more consistant across different individuals
• winged
• antennae are slightly curved

Nymphs

• newly hatched nymphs are light turquoise
• handle with care, as they are very fragile
• body length ≈ 17mm, but again not easy to be measured
• even the antennae of freshly hatched nymphs are curved
• on how to distinguish between male and female nymphs

Eggs

• ≈ 5 x 2.5 mm - frehly laid / before having been in contact with a humid /wet environment
• ≈ 6 x 3 mm - after being in contact with a humid / wet environment
• fringes egg expand after the eggs has been in contact with a humid / wet environment. This expansion is not reversible
• the function of these fringes is not (yet) known, but also wellknown for eggs of Phyllium species. A possible explanation could be that this helps to anchor the eggs in moss or bark cracks in order to keep them in a safe place during their development. Or they have some adhesive propensities which could also help to keep the egg in a place
• light brown
• fringes make the eggs look furry

Food Plants

• wild specimens have been observed to feed on orchid leaves (e.g. Oncidium), but also on plants of other orders. In captivity they do also feed on different plants, which are not closely related. Thus it appears that this species is rather polyphagous in nature as well as in captivity
• Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
  very well accepted by nymphs and adults. But it can be a bit tricky to get newly hatched nymphs to start feeding on Salal, which might be due to the hard leaves of this plant
• hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
  rather well accepted by older nymphs and adults. Not tested with freshly hatched nymphs
• fern
  from time to time they like to feed on fern (unknown garden species), but overall they prefer Salal

Breeding, Behaviour

• rather easy to breed
• often also feeding during the day, but mainly night active
• contrary to many other phasmids, usually they do not show a strong defense reaction when being touched. Often they even go on feeding, even though the cage is moved and opened
• females fling the eggs away with a swift swing of their abdomen
• eggs just drop to the ground
• about 10 eggs per female and week
• incubation (Cup-Incubation-Method, on medium damp vermiculite) about 6.5 - 8 months at 20 - 24 °C
• general note - it is quite common that from the same batch of phasmid eggs, some nymphs will hatch weeks, months or even years (!) after the first nymphs emerged
• 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
• eggs of this species are not particularely prone to get mouldy, still one can use spring tails to limit mould growth
• nymphs hatch during daytime (around noon)
• sometimes it is not so easy to get freshly hatched nymphs to start feeding on Salal. I found that the best is to put rather a lot of Salal in their cage, and cut away the edges of all leaves
• once the nymphs have started to feed on Salal, then this is a very easy species
• when the nymphs grow up, then there will be brown, greenish-brown and green nymphs
• when moulting, then they anchor all their legs. So make sure that there are enough twigs in the cage, and it is very advisable to attach plastic fly screen to the top and at least two sides of the cage
• if you have orchids which are definitly not poisoned, then you may also try out such leaves. Even leaves of the vanilla plant could be an option
• a humidity of about 75 - 80 % rH seems to be good enough for nymphs and adults
• they can be sprayed 2 - 3 times a week 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 40 x 30 x 30 (cm, L x B x H) for 2 - 3 adult couples
• males will be adult after 3 months (at 20 - 24°C), females after 4 months

Some basics of phasmid breeding

• our detailed notes on how to successfully breed phasmids are an integral part of this care sheet
• keep only one species per cage. Informations on why and how to keep cultures seperate and pure
• use the full culture name with provenience affix. For example Trychopeplus laciniatus "Monteverde"
• if possible keep day temperatures below 28°C, a nocturnal temperature drop is natural and advisable
• do not spray too much, phasmids are no fish