Genus
Stock
Culture status
Unknown
Foodplants
Bramble (Rubus spp.)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Guava (Psidium guajava)
Eucalyptus melanophloia
Hypericum spp.
Syzygium smithii
Breeding notes
(by Bruno Kneubuehler)
- please read my notes on Successfully breeding Phyllium, with lots of interesting details on Phyllium breeding
- incubation about 4 - 5 months, but some nymphs will hatch even months after the first nymphs
- food plants:
- feed well on bramble (Rubus spp.), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
- Guava (Psidium guajava) is very well accepted and prefered over Salal (info by Tim van Molle)
- silver leaf ironbark (Eucalyptus melanophloia) (info by Chris Bell, Australia)
- Hypericum "Hidcote" is also well accepted (info by Marek Nohejl)
- their natural food plant is in the family Myrtaceae, breeders in Australia feed this species usually on: "lilly pilly" (Syzygium smithii)
- I have kept nymphs from L1 to about L5 in a rather airy cage (Free-Standing-Setup) at around 65% rH
- older nymphs and adults (especially males) are better kept at a higher humidity of about 75%
- spray regularly but let water dry up before you spray again
- females about 8 -9 cm, males about 6.5 cm
- when they feel threatened (like when one handles them), they emit a rather odd smell, which reminds me of old potatoes. So far I have not smelled a similar sent in any other Phyllium