The Phasmid Study Group

Chair: Mrs Judith Marshall Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Treasurer/Membership: Paul Brock (Phone 0753-79447) "Papillon, 40 Thorndike Road, Slough, Berks SL2 1SR Secretary: Ms Angela Parwani 64 Kingsway, Gillingham, Kent ME7 3BD

March 1991 NEWSLETTER NO. 46 ISSN 0268-3806

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORT Despite the disappointing fall in the numbers from across the Channel, about 50 members still attended. Some 23 were given away - also 2 species of betting-shop biro and some hissing cockroaches! 1 Phil Bragg (No. 445) displayed photos and drawings of some of the sticks he has collected from Sarawak, together with a summary of his three trips so far. Paul Jennings (No. 80) showed 12 small living species, for those of us who are short of cage space. * MONEY AND MEMBERS - Paul Brock (No. 26) reported a record 343 members at the end of 1990 - more than one-third from over 20 countries outside the UK. The recent trend of small "losses" has been replaced by a healthy £200 profit, as a result of generous donations, higher interest rates and, surprisingly, 14% lower printing costs. No changes were proposed for the subscription rates for 1992. With the easier availability of back issues, it is hoped that demand for these will increase. NEWSLETTERS - Michael Lazenby and Frances Holloway (No. 3) again reported that the previous year had seen the largest ever Newsletter. But, although each Species Report was intended to include comments from the whole Group, once again the PSG was in the unhealthy situation of having to depend on the work of only a very few members. However, there will be no excuse for this situation continuing, since Reports should start soon on eight common species (to replace most of those in the earliest no-longer-available Newsletters). LIBRARY - David Robinson (No. 29) is still receiving his fortnightly printout of phasmid papers. He repeated his request for members to send in articles from news- papers or books. EXHIBITIONS AND MEETINGS - Paul Jennings (No. 80) reported that in 1990 the PSG had exhibited at six major events spaced out around the country; the only one the Group missed was largely snowbound! Members' meetings included two on the Continent. Paul continued to hope for more local meetings; also for new ideas and offers for future talks, displays, etc. LIVESTOCK CO-ORDINATION - Phil Bragg (No. 445) reported that the Species List (latest issue with this Newsletter) was expanding almost daily: there were about 30 further species being attempted. Members should inform Phil if these become estab- lished so he can add them to the list and avoid confusion when eggs are sent out. As regards distribution, demand greatly exceeded supply for PSG 2, 12, 20, 26, 38 and 84. The newer species from PSG 99 to 105 were doing well (except PSG 102). Wants should be phoned in to Phil first (0602-222118) - these will be taken off the waiting list after 6 months. As reported in Newsletter 45 (page 1), Phil will no longer accept live , but only eggs. However, if you have any surplus live- stock, you can still let Phil know and he will pass your name on if he gets any suitable requests. Further volunteers keeping several common species are needed for the Livestock Suppliers' Panel. 46:2

OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE - The officers who gave the preceding five reports or who are listed at the top of page 1 were elected for 1991, together with the following Committee members: Adrian Durkin (No. 78), Mel Herbert (No. 232), Kim D'Hulster (No. 372), Paul Taylor (No. 852) and Eric van Gorkom (No. 250). It was good that two new people offered to serve on the Committee. NEXT PSG MEETING - The Natural History Museum on 27th July - Judith Marshall (No. 13) had received no suggestions for other London venues. Please send any Agenda items to the new Secretary, Angela Parwani (No. 419), to reach her by 15th April. TALK AND VIDEO - Judith somehow managed to make really interesting the difficult subject of the classification of stick insects, using a historical approach to the literature. The importance of knowing the standard scientific languages Latin and German was emphasised by the fact that no literature in English was published until the 1970s. Judith also described the three phasmid features which are most useful for identification - even when incorrectly translated. Bed-time reading of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature Code rules was recommended as a perfect cure for insomnia! Finally, to remind us that we were, after all, talking about living creatures, Judith showed slides of 20 species of phasmid and two stick- like grasshoppers. (The text of Judith's talk can be found on pages 4-5.) Pat Matyot's (No. 604) Radio-Television ' video (complete with incidental music) showed all the six species of phasmid found on these islands, with examples of their foodplants, camouflage by. both sticks and eggs, and a multiple mating attempt. Two of the wingless species have close relatives in , and so presumably have been around since 66 million years ago when India was joined to the Seychelles. But why are the close relatives of Graeffea seychellensis only to be found as far afield as the South Pacific? Pat ended with a moral and intellectual plea for the protection of all these insects.

FRENCH GEP PUBLICITY INITIATIVES - Pierre-Emmanuel Roubaud (No. 4.15), the GEP founder, reported that, in addition to the initiatives described in Le Monde des Phasmes [summarised on page 10 of this issuej, the GEP is seeking firms to sponsor a trip to by 5-10 members. DUTCH-BELGIAN PSG ACTIVITIES - This sub-group now has 60 members. To communicate with this greatly increased number, and because only a limited proportion of them read English, a quarterly Dutch newsletter called Phasma has been started covering basics on rearing, species, exchange, and questions and answers. The Dutch version of Wapiti children's magazine also had an article about phasmids - some 50-60 people wrote for eggs, advice, etc, to Johan van Gorkom (No. 250). Johan is also organising four cages of sticks as part of an exhibition of " kept at home" running from 29th March to 7th April in Zwijndrecht. The next sub-group meeting is on 20th April at Hortus Haren (contact Kees Boele, No. 751).

EXHIBITIONS IN 1991 by Paul Jennings (No. 80) Thirteenth Midlands Entomological Fair - Sunday 28th April, 11a.m. -5p.m., at the Granby Halls Leisure Centre, Leicester. Two tables have been booked. Admission 30p juniors, 70p adults. Contact myself (0582-583954) for further details. Second South London Entomological Fair - Sunday 9th June, 11a.m. -4.15p.m., at the Arnhem Gallery, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon. Two tables have been booked. Admission 30p juniors, 75p adults. Contact myself as above. Possible exhibitions - Tables have not yet been booked, so if you are interested in attending, please contact the relevant person first: The Creepy Crawly Show - Sunday 9th June, 12 noon - 5p.m., at the Queen Eliza- beth Hall, Oldham Town Centre. I need someone to offer to run a PSG stand before I can book tables! Contact myself as above. Manchester Zoo Fair - Contact David Hewitt (0706-842355) for details. Members wishing to bring a display of livestock, photographs, etc, to any exhibition should please contact in advance the appropriate person above so that they know what to expect. If anybody knows about other suitable exhibitions, particularly if he/she would like to run a PSG stand, please contact me as early as possible. Please ensure that all livestock brought to give away at exhibitions is properly contained, labelled (including person's name) and that you check before leaving that your livestock has been given out. Enjoy your exhibitions in 1991! DERBYSHIRE ENTOMOLOGY SOCIETY EXHIBITION Report by Phil Bragg (No. 445)

As last year, this well-organised local exhibition was a 2-day event held at Elvaston Castle Country Park just outside Derby. Attendance on the Saturday was just over a hundred, about as many as the organisers had expected. More effort had been put into publicity this year, but even so the attendance of over a thousand on the Sunday was far beyond expectations. Paul Taylor (No. 852) provided some much needed help on our stand on that day. A lot of interest was shown, and quite a few membership forms, care sheets and phasmids were distributed.

HOW TO GIVE AWAY STICKS by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

Sticks can be given away to members or non-members at meetings or exhibitions, to organisations, or by post, so you have six different possibilities in all. What and how to post should be read up carefully in Newsletters 30 (pages 4-5) and 38 (page 7). To amplify on some of the less-obvious possibilities, nearby organisations such as zoos, butterfly houses, field study centres and perhaps schools may be glad to receive personally (or even perhaps to collect) quite large numbers of sticks. But, when making arrangements, also look to see that they do/will look after insects well - some don't! Another way of giving away a considerable surplus (but by post) is to contact individuals by writing a letter to a provincial paper (Willings Press Guide gives a list of all of these in the UK and is available in most public libraries). If you briefly describe what and how many sticks you have to offer, ask for good homes and only charge for postage (say how much this will be), we have found that provincial papers will usually print your letter. Other journals are more choosy! Make sure you have enough uncrushable posting boxes in advance! There are two other less-certain ways of giving away surplus. One is to notify the Livestock Co-ordinator, Phil Bragg (No. 445), of what you have; but he may not get any "customers" to pass your name on to (please note that Phil can no longer accept livestock himself). Or you can ask us to put a note in the next Newsletter - but again you may get no customers, or the Newsletter may come out at a time inconvenient for you, or we may not have space! Finally, Paul Taylor (No. 852) has recently told us that he has space for surpl livestock for later distribution - but contact him first before sending anything. This method does mean that your unfortunate surplus is liable to be posted twice! (Paul's 'phone number is 0675-81578.)

LAZENBY'S LAW by Michael and Frances (No. 3) From Newsletter 4, page 1

Everyone's sticks behave differently from everyone else's, and from year to yea

THERE ARE NO CORRECT ANSWERS! by Michael and Frances (No. 3) From Newsletter 4, page 2

David Robinson's (No. 29) comments (now see Newsletter 44, page 8) that one selects sticks with a genetic background suiting the conditions one supplies, and that one has a small gene pool to work with, and also some apparent contradictions between observations reported by different members make us feel more and more that there are no absolutely correct answers to many things like coloration (including eggs), detailed behaviour, and optimum rearing conditions for sticks.

STOP PRESS - STICK MAKES IT TO THE CHARTS! by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

An adult sipylus can be briefly glimpsed (apparently at large in the English countryside!) on the Candyflip video of "Gossip".

DIE EIER EINIGER CARAUSIUS-ARTEN UND EINIGE BERMERKUNGEN ZU DIESEM GENUS, BY BURGHARD HAUSLEITHNER

This paper (in German) in Ent. Zeit., 100 ( 1990) (21 ), 393-400, describes and illus trates for the first time eggs of nine Carausius species and of Leprocaulus rudis. 46:4

CLASSIFICATION OF STICK INSECTS: Talk at the PSG 1991 AGM by Judith Marshall (No. 13)

Classification is the act or system of arranging in classes, and is linked with identification, as it is the grouping of similar genera together. There are now about 2500 described species of phasmid in about 360 genera, so sorting them into smaller, related groups would be useful. Identification is often not an easy process - the article by Paul Brock (No. 26) in Newsletter 45 (pages 4-5) explains the problems involved here; in order to identify an unknown species, it is often necessary to undertake a lengthy search of literature and collections material. However, in the early days of publication there was less of a problem because so few species were known. . It became established practice in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to give a descriptive sentence for each plant and . This sentence would be in Latin, the language used among scientists then. During the eighteenth century the great Swedish naturalist Linnaeus developed the system of binomial nomenclature; that is, of giving two Latin or latinised names to every animal or plant species, as a sort of "short-hand" name. For animals, the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae, published in 1758, is the starting point. Linnaeus had already established a similar system for plants, and the plant and animal kingdoms are treated separately. Thus the name Bacillus, meaning "a little rod", is used both for a group of stick insects and for the group of bacteria which are commonly referred to in the plural as "bacilli". Linnaeus described only two stick insects in 1758, though under the generic name Mantis; these were (Phasma) gigas and (Pseudophasma) phthisica. During the next few years other species were described, by Linnaeus, Fabricius, Thunberg, de Geer and others, and in 1796 the genus Phasma was described by Lichtenstein. From this name Leach in 1815 derived the name Phasmida for the'whole group. By 1838 there were 15 described genera, to which Burmeister gave a key, in Latin, though his book was mainly printed in old German. The first couplet was winged or wingless - one of the most obvious distinguishing features. (Though a good point to bear in mind here is - if wingless, is it adult? Some older descrip- tions are unfortunately of nymphs.) The first major work on stick insects was published in 1859 by Westwood; he was able to list 39 genera, comprising 471 species, in two main groups - adults winged or wingless. Westwood's work was based on the specimens in the collection at the Natural History Museum in London and other material; he particularly mentions "Mr Saunders' collection", which now forms part of the Hope Department collection in Oxford. The book is particularly valuable for the many illustrations, as Paul has said. The first major work on the classification of stick insects was that published by Stal in 1875, which forms a key to the approximately 95 genera then described. It is not easy to use, being in Latin and about 60 pages long, and it does not have a straight couplet key but a collection of descriptive paragraphs. However, Stal established the main features of real value in identification. He introduced the terms "areola apicalis" and "segmentum medianum". The areola or apical area is the name he gave to the triangular depression at the apex or tarsal end of the mid and hind tibiae. The segmentum medianum, or median segment, is the first abdominal segment (named presumably because it is in the middle of the body) and it is compared in length with the metanotum or third thoracic segment. Brunner, in 1893, discussed Stal's work (in French) and gave a short key (in Latin) to families. Two further major works on stick insects were published early this century: Kirby's 1904 catalogue, and the immense monograph by Brunner and Redtenbacher, 1906-08. One might think that this would make identifications easier, but keys and descriptions in B. & R. are again in Latin, and unfortunately there are many taxonomic errors. Karny corrected many of these errors in his 1923 paper. Other problems exist because B. & R. did not know of Kirby's catalogue, and Kirby had included new names and other taxonomic changes. 46:5

The most useful taxonomic work this century was the 1953 paper by Gttnther, in which he keyed out families and lower ranks, and listed the included genera with appropriate comments. The paper is in German, but he refers to the "area apicalis" and also to the "segmentum medianum", immediately quoting = 1. Abdominal-Segment. Beier used Gunther's key in his publications on the Phasmida in 1957 and 1968, but using the term "mittelsegment" for median segment. In the 1970s two English translations were published: Clark (No. 48) in 1975 translated Beier's 1968 key and included a most useful drawing of the apical area (see Ent. Rec, 87, 104-7), and in 1977 a comprehensive translation of Gtlnther's key was published by Bradley and Galil. Unfortunately the translators did not appreciate the nature of the median segment, and in both publications the median segment is referred to as the mesonotum, the mid-thoracic segment. However, as long as one is aware of this, it does not detract from the value of the translations There are also other errors in the Bradley and Galil paper, in the interpret- ation of earlier works and usage of family-group names etc, but sadly Bradley died whilst working on the translation, and though Galil valiantly completed the work, she did not have Bradley's knowledge of . (I have been compiling a list of problems over the years, only some of which do I believe I have sorted out!) The most recent work to discuss the classification of the stick insects is that of Kevan (No. 441) in Parker, 1982 (see also Newsletter 39, pages 3-5). Kevan has worked on orthopteroid insects for many years and has a good knowledge of the group, though he seems to enjoy inventing extra names! He has elevated the ranks of existing family-groups, divided the order into two suborders and inserted infra- ordinal names - whilst omitting tribes altogether and dropping some subfamily names. Recognition of the different groups is important, however, whatever their rank or name may be. Whilst checking through papers and books during the last few days, I read Kevan's pages on the "Phasmatoptera" in Parker. I am ashamed to say that, although I had noted his arrangement of families etc, I had not actually read every work he had written. Near the bottom of the second page, referring to the , I read that the "first abdominal segment is shorter than the thoracic mesonotum" - a typing error! - particularly as in the next column, on Bacunculidae, metanotum is correctly used. However, on the next page, on the Necrosciidae and Heteronemiidae, the "thoracic mesonotum" is compared in length with,the metanotum. Kevan was obviously initially aware of the correct usage here, but failed to spot the mis- usage which crept in later. Brunner and Redtenbacher used the names Areolatae and Anareolatae for the major groups or divisions described by Stal. Later authors, including Karny, Gunther and Beier, have used the subfamily names and Phasmatidae. Family-group names are subject to the rulings of the Code - the rules formulated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. One,of the rules of the Code is that family-group names are derived from the genitive plural stem of the generic name on which the family is based: hence the family name Phasmatidae, from phasma, phasmata; not Phasmidae. However, names above family-group level are not subject to any rules. Thus the first name proposed and since used for the Order - Phasmida - is a valid name. It also has the advantage of being short and easily spelt. Various other names have been proposed and are in use for the Order; Phasmatode was proposed by Jacobson and Bianchi, 1902, as being correctly derived from Phasma, and the name Phasmatoptera is derived from the Phasmoptera of Crampton, 1915, as using the correct stem. £~See also Newsletter 38, pages 5-7. - EdsJ

SCIENTIFIC NAMES ON THE SPECIES LIST by Phil Bragg (No. 445) The form used is either "Genus species Author" or "Genus Author sp." The genus always comes first and starts with a capital letter. The species always comes second, if it is known, and always starts with a small letter. This is then followed by the name of the person who first described the species. If the second word begins with a capital letter, then it is the name of the person who invented the genus. This will then be followed by "sp.", showing that the species is unknown. In some cases the author's name is in brackets. This is because the has been moved to another genus since being first described. 46:6

NOTES ON THE SPECIES LIST, JANUARY 1991 by Phil Bragg (No. 445)

This list was brought up to date at the end of January. The main changes since the last update (in Newsletter 45, page 1) are as follows:

1. PSG 27 and PSG 66 - Paul Brock (No. 26) has examined the type specimen of Carausius sanguineoligatus (Brunner) and has found that PSG 66 is C. sanguineo- ligatus and not PSG 27, which shows slight differences. Hopefully details will be given in the next Newsletter. PSG 27 was reported as lost several years ago but some cultures have been reported this year. I have shown PSG 27 as a "lost" culture until it is possible to check the identity of those cultures reported this year. PSG 66 is certainly still in culture. 2. Foodplants - This section has been expanded by reference to the Species Reports and as a result of a few trials of my own. 3. Species Reports - For the brief reports only, I have included the page number after the Newsletter number. 4. Four new species have been added to the list. 5. PSG 103 appears to be a Sipyloidea sp.

SPECIES CENSUS RETURNS 1991 Analysis by Phil Bragg (No. 445)

The following is a summary of the results of the species census which was sept out at the bottom of the membership renewal* form. A total of 118 census forms were returned. Of these, 12 people stated that they do not have any phasmids in culture at present. A further 23 people who returned the form had not completed it. More than two-thirds of 1990 members have not completed a census form. There are 76 species reported as being in culture (PSG 59 and 60 are the same species), plus 29 species not on the Species List which people are attempting to rear. The most popular species is reported to be PSG 4 (Sipyloidea sipylus), followed fairly closely by PSG 1 (Carausius morosus) and PSG 9 (Extatosoma tiaratum). The worrying aspect of the census is that there are only 35 species which are reported as established by five or more members.

C T C C C c 1 T sp. sp. c I sp. > sp. sp. sp. sp. c

1 47 1 17 5 3 31 19 53 0 81 0 2 100 4 12 112 2 1

2 6 9 18 24 22 32 2 57 1 82 12 101 10 113 3

58 0 84 « 102 4 114 0 3 7 10 19 < 35 5 1 24 1

< 20 37 59 2 85 I 103 12 115 0 53 2 > • 2 2 26 3 22 26 2 38 2 60 2 86 104 9 3 116 0 2 23 34 39 61 5 89 105 4 2 » 2 3 2 46 12 25 44 12 66 3 90 106 0 • 2 2 2 1

10 6 26 2 45 3 3 69 12 5 92 3 2 107 1 2

12 6 « 27 2 47 1 72 4 5 94 12 108 2

13 13 15 28 3 3 48 2 73 10 96 3 109 0 1 3 15 2 29 * 51 1 2 74 1 97 0 2 110 0 2.

IB 5 2 30 1 2 52 8 10 80 1 3 99 12 10 111 0 2

Key: sp. = PSG species number; C = Number of established cultures; T = Number of tentative cultures. 46:7

THE DIFFICULTY OF KEEPING IN AN ASSOCIATION A LARGE NUMBER OF CULTURES WITH A MINIMUM OF BREEDERS by Serge Mallet (No. 706) Some pretty or spectacular species are kept by many members, and these are not in danger. Many other species are kept by only a few members. These species are certainly interesting for science but are similar to other species and not pretty or spectacular; the beginner does not ask for them and the "better" breeders have many other new and/or rare speces to breed. If you want a species not to disappear from the Species Census reports, don't stop your own culture. If you want to change for another species, you can't be sure that another member will keep the species and the culture may be lost. One hundred and sixteen species on the PSG list; how many in 1992? And how many breeders for all these species? [in the 1991 Census (see page 6) there are 76 species in culture and 582 estab- lished cultures. If we guess that we need 5 established cultures per species to keep it securely in the Group, that means we need only 380 established cultures to keep all 76 species; so this could be done, at least in theory. But it would need both a vast amount of administration to set up and keep running (who would do this work?) as well as a lot more co-operation than members have so far given. And 582 estab- lished cultures including many easy-to-keep species may not be equivalent to as many as 380 cultures including proportionately many more harder-to-keep species. - Eds]

MEMBERS SHOULD STOP COLLECTING PHASMIDS IN THE WILD An opinion by Michael and Frances (No. 3) What is the point of PSG members collecting phasmids in the wild? Now that more and more of the Group's energies are being devoted to collecting, we feel we must speak out about this - at the risk of losing some valued friends, and not forget- ting the steady grind of administering the Group nor the serious independent studies being carried out by a few members. The Group's collecting seems to us almost pointless when so little effort is being put into seriously studying the phasmids collected - only six members have ever completed a Study Sheet. Further, old species are now being "lost" nearly as fast as new ones are collected (compare recent Species Census reports), so there is little overall gain to the Group's cultures. And then there is the cruelty to the sticks, when in general so many of them die in transit, some even before leaving their country of origin. (A more caring strategy for the collector is to make enough time to stay in one spot, so that the insects can be kept in their natural environment until they have laid sufficient eggs for a culture before being released.) Rather that the Group collecting phasmids like so many postage stamps, we think its energies would be better devoted to studying our present stocks - what do they look like, how do they behave, and why do they die so often?!

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH OUR SURPLUS? - Replies We have had two replies to our article under the above title in Newsletter 45 (page 2) - from Serge Mallet (No. 706) and Matthew Gale (No. 770). As these replies would take up several times the space of the original article, and also overlap each other to a considerable extent, we have decided to summarise the main points they make, as fairly as we are able. Both Serge and Matthew argue that, because only a small number of sticks survive in the wild, the small number which survive in the PSG is acceptable. But we feel that the situations in nature and in the PSG are not comparable because in nature the deaths are for survival of predators and inevitable, whereas in the PSG most of the deaths could be avoided by taking more care and none are necessary for survival (of the sticks or us). We agree that if we kill eggs we are denying these sticks the chance to survive, but we still think it cruel to allow sticks to hatch into more or less uncaring conditions. It is pleasing to be able to say that both Matthew and Serge appear to be among our few "welcome exceptions" and, unlike our experience, most of Serge's given-away nymphs do well. 46:8

WHY DO EXTATOSOMA TIARATUM HAVE EXTRA EYES? Comments by Matthew Gale (No. 770)

Concerning Nicholas Wadham's (No. 358) article in Newsletter 45 (page 15), the three extra eyes on males' foreheads are ocelli. These are "simple eyes", which are really nothing more than clusters of light-sensitive cells for perceiving the direc- tion and intensity of light; they do not form images as compound eyes do. Nicholas is right about these eyes being useful for winged species; they may help to orientate the insects (through the position of the sun/moon - the most intense light sources during the day/night). However, males of species such as Acrophylla wuelfingi, E. tiaratum and Aplopus sp. would probably depend more on pheromones to find females (as, I suspect, most species do). Their antennae are longer and, especially with Aplopus sp. and E. tiaratum, more complex structurally than the females', having more hairs, segments, etc.

PSEUDO-MOULTING IN ACROPHYLLA WUELFINGI? A possible explanation by Matthew Gale (No. 770)

Having the opportunity to re-read the article I wrote on the hapless A. wuelfingi nymph which continued to try to moult even though she'd already done so (Newsletter 45, page 6), caused me to think about why this might have happened. Changes such as ecdysis in insects are usually governed by the corpora allata (part of the "brain") and, while I can't explain why, I believe that the corpora allata must have continued to churn out the hormones which govern ecdysis, regardless of the fact that this process should become dormant after a moult. The corpora allata also governs the number of moults necessary for the insect to become adult and, if something was wrong with this nymph's corpora allata, her prominent abdominal protuberances and larger than normal wing-buds for a fourth-instar female A. wuelfingi could have been a result of this, in that her development was somehow speeded up.

DEFENSIVE STRIDULATION IN HETEROPTERYX DILATATA PARKINSON, BY ULF CARLBERG

This paper in Zool. Anz. (223 (1989) 3/4, 165-73) states that the sound in adult females is produced by the reddish hind wings, which are exposed, the green fore wings probably being used as sound reflectors. The peak sound level surpris- ingly reaches almost 100 dB(A) 10 cm from the insect, falling to 75 dB(A) 100 cm away - the maximum sound level occurs at frequencies from 8 to 13 kHz. The sound consists of a short and weak hiss (initially) followed by a strong click, and ends with a series of hisses and some weaker clicks - the whole lasting about 2 seconds. The defensive posture of course mimics scorpions and the sound probably also mimics that of scorpions (and perhaps rattlesnakes), and can frighten and mammals. The references include three to the Newsletter!

EURYCANTHA CALCARATA MALE DOMINANCE SHIFTING by Robert Lind (No. 315)

I had a pair of adults and one large male nymph. The nymph moulted to become a slightly larger male than the first one. From observation it was quite clear that the old male was dominant over the new one: ihe would sit on top of the female and chase off the new male. Then I took the new male and the female to college for a week's "showing". During this time the old male at home became very restless, even breaking out of the cage! In the period at college the new male and the female had a chance to pair, probably for the first time. When I brought the pair back home, a fight broke out between the males; all dominance had been forgotten about. The dominance changed and the new male became dominant over the old one: sitting over the female and chasing (at speed) the old male away. Then a few days after the initial fighting, the old male died (perhaps from exhaustion). .- The fighting went on all night and most of the day for several days; it was so noisy, owing to general fighting on newspaper and also to the strange "tapping" produced by the males beating their hindquarters, that it was difficult to sleep through! It was interesting to see how the dominance shifted. 46:9

STRANGE EURYCANTHA SP. (PSG 44) BEHAVIOUR by Daniel Isaac (No. 803) I took one out of the tank and his mouth foamed up with a white creamy liquid. Later he was acting all right.

HOW TO PRESS A NYMPH by Alain Deschandol (No. 238) Moulting accidents occur very frequently with Phyllium nymphs. If the insect is caught in its old skin for a long time, the new skin hardens and the insect cannot emerge normally. Many Phyllium phasmids die owing to this. One of my male Phyllium nymphs (fourth instar) was caught in this way. I freed it by cutting the old skin with scissors, but his leafy abdomen was crumpled. So I decided to press it! I laid the nymph on a piece of polystyrene and held his thorax with needles (outside!). I covered his abdomen with transparent paper tape and very delicately pressed it. After some minutes I replaced the paper tape by Sellotape cut to the right outline; the Sellotape held his abdomen spread out. The nymph kept his "bandage" for several weeks. When I decided to remove the Sellotape, this proved very easy because it was somewhat dried. The abdomen retained its spread- out shape without damage! This nymph is in good health in his cage.

ABOUT PHYLLIUMS BRED IN EUROPE by Alain Deschandol (No. 238) So far as I know, there are several Phyllium species in culture in Europe. Ph. giganteum (from Malaysia), Ph. celebicum (Thailand), Ph. siccifolium (Malaysia), Ph. pulchrifolium (Java), Ph. scythe (), Ph. agathyrsus (Sri Lanka) and different sorts of Ph. bioculatum (Malaysia, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Java, etc). The first six species are easily identified because of their shapes and characteristic eggs. But there is great confusion about Ph. bioculatum. This is due to numerous forms taken by this species and the lack of complete classifications made by "specialists". Some of them think that Ph. bioculatum, Ph. crurifolium and Ph. scythe are the same species, because there are few differences between their shapes and between their eggs. Others write that any species of Phyllium can take many shapes (including the eggs). After 2 years of study I do not agree with this. In my cultures I have "Ph. bioculatum" of several different species or sub-species, and the lengths, shapes, nymphs, adults and eggs are all different. The colours are also different, but this is not a good criterion for separating leaf insect species. As I wrote before (Newsletter 41, page 20), it is necessary to specify the country of origin when speaking about Phyllium species. Ph. bioculatum from the Seychelles is quite different from Ph. bioculatum from Malaysia, and the latter is quite different from Ph. bioculatum from Sri Lanka, etc. Dealers are supplying eggs from different countries all under the name Ph. bioculatum and, as these eggs look nearly identical to the naked eye, confu- sions arise. Actually the most widespread species in culture is the Ph. bioculatum from Sri Lanka, because the nymphs feed on bramble at the first stage. Breeders think this is number 10 in the PSG Species List, but this is not correct for two reasons: 1. PSG 10 is said to originate from Java. 2. The species described by Mel Herbert (No. 232) in the Species Report in Newsletter 37 does not look like a Ph. bioculatum species but like a Ph. pulchrifolium species. I am breeding both these species. The curved-in tip of the abdomen of Ph. pulchrifolium is very characteristic. I have no information about PSG 59 and 60, also Ph. pulchrifolium, so I would be pleased to get eggs, or specimens, drawings, photos, etc. Who is breeding these two species? 46: 10

LE MONDE PES PHASMES: SUMMARIES AND HIGHLIGHTS by Michael and Frances (No. 3)

NUMBER 9-10 (October 1990)

Foreword by P. E. Roubaud (page 2)

The GEP sub-committees on rearing, identification and literature will encourage all members to study their phasmids.

Identification and biology of French phasmids by Philippe Lelong (pages 3-12)

French version of article on pages 18-24 of Newsletter 38.

Clonistria sanctae luciae (Redtenbacher) - A Caribbean phasmid by A. Salzemann (pages 13-14)

Brief Species Report (without illustrations) on a 15-year-old culture. Adult females are green or brown.

Parapachymorpha spinosa Brunner, 1893 by P. E. Roubaud (pages 15-16)

See pages 5 (under First species) and 6 of Newsletter 40.

Exuviae and shedding in Extatosoma tiaratum by Isabelle Delschlaeger (pages 17-19)

This description of the shedding process includes drawings made under a micro- scope of the various "skin" layers before, during and just after shedding. (For translation see pages 12-13 of this Newsletter.)

Colours of the exuviae of phasmids by Dorothy Floyd (page 20)

These are usually white but exceptions are those of Baculum extradentatum, which are pink, and those of large Heteropteryx dilatata females, which are green. The colours do not change with time.

The identification of phasmids by P. Brock (pages 21-24)

French version of article on pages 4-5 of Newsletter 45.

GEP committees on identification and literature (pages 25-26)

Reports work on the GEP phasmid reference collection and library.

Small ads (pages 27-29)

Livestock wants.

Ecdysis (page 29)

This new A4 monthly journal consists of advertisements of insect surpluses and exchanges. For further information contact Noel Mai (No. 395).

List of species in culture and for exchange (pages 30-33)

The Commentary at the end by A. Deschandol points out that the three French species are barely represented. The "Hit Parade" of eight starts with E. tiaratum, kept by 78% on the list, and includes Oreophoetes peruanas, kept by 43%.

NUMBER 11 (December 1990)

Foreword by P. E. Roubaud (page 2)

The article in Wapiti (see Newsletter 45, page 2) attracted 1500 requests for eggs and 50 new GEP members. Further articles will appear in two other French magazines. The GEP showed phasmids at four recent.exhibitions, covering nearly 40 days in 2 months! 46: 11

Carausius morosus "males" by F. Gagneraud (pages 3-7) Discusses their chromosomal structure, production by heating the eggs, and external and internal sexual organs, mainly based on Bergerard's paper in Bull. biol. France et Belgique, 95 (1961) (2), 273-300.

A new phasmid from Thailand: Baculum thaii n. sp. by Burghard Hausleithner (pages 8-11) A translation by Monique Vergne of the paper in German in Ent. Zeit., 95 (1985) (15), 216-9 describing and naming this species.

Pharnacia acanthopus (PSG 25) by D. Faux and L. Zancarli (page 12) A short Species Report, with sketches of the eggs only.

Extatosoma tiaratum by D. Faux (page 13) Suggests that increasing problems of first-instar mortalities and reduced sizes are due to brother-sister interbreeding. This problem (which is well known to breeders of fish or butterflies) could be avoided by exchanging eggs.

Description and rearing of Acrophylla wuelfingi by F. Oterelo (pages 14-18) Includes the lengths and shedding dates of the eight instars of a female.

Eggs of Phyllium species - a contribution to the systematics of "leaf insects" by Burghard Hausleithner (pages 19-22) A translation by Monique Vergne of the paper in German in Ent. Zeit., 94 (1984) (17), 241-5 giving a key to six species based on the form of their eggs.

Sub-committee meetings of 18th November 1990 by P. E. Roubaud (page 23) Discusses the correct names for pre-adult phasmids ("jeunes" rather than "larves or "nymphes") and the correct styling for species names.

Small ads (page 24) Wants.

List of species in culture and for exchange (page 25) Continuation of the list in Number 9-10. Each cover now has a detachable coloured photograph on it. With the standard acetate cover, this makes this journal very attractive.

TWO ARTICLES IN "IMAGO" Review by Michael and Frances (No. 3) s This quarterly French journal is sub-titled "Biology et elevage des insectes", and issue Number 40 (price Fr. 30) for July 1990 contains two articles on phasmids. "Des insectes aux moeurs parfois...speciales!" by Alain Deschandol on pages 9-11 covers foodplants, egg laying, mating and defence methods. "Observations sur une espece dominicaine d'Aplopus" by Ray and Miguel Adams on pages 13-14 is a brief Species Report adapted from the German paper "Beobachtungen an einer dominikanischen Aplopus-Art" in Ent. Zeit., 92 (1982) (19), 263-4.

PARIS INTERNATIONAL ENTOMOLOGICAL EXHIBITION Report by Alain Deschandol (No. 238) This was a great success. Only two tables had living material, the GEP and an arachnid dealer. French TV was present and Pierre-Emmanuel Roubaud (No. 415) was interviewed. Ten new members were recruited. 46: 12

THE STORY OF AN EXTATOSOMA TIARATUM SKIN SHED by Isabelle Delschlaeger Translated by Margaret Day (No. 635) from Le Monde des Phasmes Number 9-10 For the benefit of those people who may still be wondering whether the skin shed begins at the head or the tail, or for those who have trouble "digesting", not their skin, but terminology which is a bit too specialised, I have been leaning over my phasmid cage, equipped with a prickly commentary (!) and a lot of patience. I have thus tried to draw a parallel between scientific descriptions and my own observations. The phenomenon of shedding is the solution found by nature to remedy the problem which the exoskeleton (since the skeleton is external) poses to the growth of the insect. Because the organs are completely contained in this rigid envelope, they cannot grow without "pushing out the walls". The insect, therefore, sheds its skele- ton repeatedly in order to grow bigger, and at the same time manufactures a new one which is more becoming and several sizes larger, Looked at under a microscope, the process unfolds as follows: Stage 1 - The cuticle (exoskeleton), composed of three layers of different thickness and strength, detaches itself from the body as the shed begins. Stage 2 - The detached skin is partially digested from the inside by the exuvial Fluid, while the glands secrete a new skin in its place. To be more specific for the perspicacious who may ask why the old skin is eaten away but not the new one, despite the fact that they are both in contact with the exuvial fluid: the two upper layers of the skin, which are the first formed, are also the strongest, and they protect the third layer from the greedy proteinaceous digestive enzymes. Stage 3 - During shedding, the insect is covered by its new skeleton, which is soft. It frees itself from the old skin (exuviae) and stays hanging for some time to let its new skin absorb air, which hardens it. As soon as the phasmid is strong enough, it catches hold of its old shed skin and eats it.

Cuticle = exoskeleton • 1st layer: epicuticle 7 •2nd layer: exocuticle Old cuticle 3rd layer •3rd layer: endocuticle (eaten away) New ' * ** New cuticle • finished *— Break + exuvial fluid m v.* J cuticle Body cells Alt:.:

Special cuticle-forming • gland Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Getting down to basics, this is what happens. The phasmid rests immobile, hanging head downwards. It bends its head hard forwards until it bursts its old skin at the neck, the split continuing up to the head. The back of the neck and the head are therefore freed first. Then the legs free themselves very gradually from the envelope, as though taking off a glove; this can be seen through the transparency of the shed skin. It is funny to see the "leafy" and rather large parts of the legs passing through the constrictions of the old joints. Once the limbs are freed, the insect hangs only by its abdomen from its shed skin, and it spends its hardening time like this. After a short time you can clearly see the difference in size between the insect and its shed skin. Finally, our little creature performs some acrobatics in order to catch hold of its old skin and devour it in "mandiblefuls". The shed skin can sometimes be recovered as a memento of this phenomenon which is over so quickly. As far as the early instars are concerned, while the insects are very young, I have never found a trace of the shed skins; perhaps the insects shed very quickly and do not leave a shred. (Could it be because the very small body volume in proportion to its surface area makes it necessary for the young creatures 46: 13

to reabsorb the elements of the shed skin owing to lack of reserves?) As they grow, I have often found some feet, and I have finally been able to retrieve and keep intact some shed skins of the final moult, as they were abandoned. Since the skins are fairly soft at first, one can arrange the position of the limbs. Personally, I wedge the three legs on each side with a support to keep them looking more natural, other- wise they look flattened.. The shed skins harden afterwards and are best kept in a transparent box as they become very brittle. My advice, therefore, to those who want to keep a souvenir of their "guests" without launching into the preservation of complete insects is: a little skin is better than nothing! Now I must thank Blandine Andre, my veterinary student friend, for lending me her course notes, without which I could not have written this article.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO APLOPUS SPECIES by Matthew Gale (No. 770) First-instar nymphs are very similar in appearance except that PSG 48 nymphs have green mottling on their legs while PSG 61 nymphs have white markings. Also at first instar, my PSG 61 females seem to have slightly larger sub-genital plates than PSG 48 females, while PSG 48 males appear to have larger sub-genital "bumps" than PSG 61 males. Morphologically, both species are very similar throughout their development! PSG 48 nymphs, however, tend to have slimmer mesothoracic segments than PSG 61 nymphs. In my experience, PSG 61 nymphs tend to be a lighter, brighter green in colour than PSG 48 nymphs. PSG 61 nymphs take to bramble more readily than PSG 48 nymphs. Adults are also very similar in appearance, although PSG 61s seem to be more uniform in colour. My PSG 61 males are more glossy or waxy than those of PSG 48. PSG 61 males also seem to have a more prominent facial mask; their antennae are also a red/brown colour. The ova are about the same size, but those of PSG 61 have what appears to be a semi-hollow cylindrical capitulum, unlike those of PSG 48. The micropylar plates are basically the same, except that the PSG 61 plate often reaches from one end of the ovum to the other. PSG 61 ova seem quite varied in colour, often with pinkish patches; they are not as hairy as those of PSG 48. I found that PSG 48 ova tend to go mouldy easily while PSG 61 ova do not.

FOODPLANTS FOR BACTERIA SP. (PSG 47) by Ingrid Lorrain (No. 539) This species is doing well on a mixturezyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA of and bramble (of these two, they clearly prefer oak). My nymphs are now at third and fourth instars - from the 12 that hatched only two have died, and these because of malformations at birth.

IVY AS A FOODPLANT by Phil Bragg (No. 445) I have recently found that both Lamponius guerini (PSG 101) and Parapachymorpha spinosa (PSG 105) will happily eat ivy as adults and large nymphs. (I have not tried small nymphs of these species on ivy.)

PYRACANTHA AS A FOODPLANT by Phil Bragg (No. 445) Recent trials have shown that the following species will eat Pyracantha sp.: PSG 22, 52, 69, 99, 100, 101, 105, 109, 110, and Haaniella grayi. jjPSG 9, 13, 32 and 73 can be reared exclusively on P. coccinea, according to D. Collignon in the GEP Revue No. 2 (page 7). - EdsJ

UNUSUAL STICK INSECT "FOOD" by Stan Pack (No. 99) This year many species of my sticks have been eating the wet white kitchen roll that I put into my cages to provide humidity. This is not caused by lack of foliage, so I wonder why. /Perhaps the sticks are really after the moisture rather than the roll. - EdsJ 46: 14 4

SOME EAST AFRICAN PHASMIDS by Charlye Woolman (No. 2) From Newsletter 7, pages 2-3

The montane forest on Mount Kilimanjaro was very rich in invertebrate life of all types, including a truly attractive stick insect. The party's main objective was to climb the mountain (40 miles walk from the base) and so there was not much time to study the fauna. Even so, while climbing through the forest at 6000-8000 feet, my friend Dr Merrett showed me a male and female stick insect copulating - on his butterfly net! The female had a body length of 38 mm and was quite stumpy, and had four striking dark blotches on each side of the body, a feature found later on nymphs as well. The legs were of a moderate length and the mid pair were characteristically held pointing to the front. The background colours varied from female to female and ranged from brown to green to -dropping coloured. The males were shorter, 26 mm, and much thinner. All males were found coupled to females, while the latter were 'equally likely to be found unaccompanied. The males were brown and mottled like a piece of bark. v

The foodplant was usually a shrub with pinnate leaves, the individual leaflets being rather similar to beech leaves. There were up to five pairs of leaflets on a pinna. I also found one insect on a leaf similar to witch-hazel. While in captivity, each female laid several eggs per day, dropped loose on the ground. The eggs were very pale brown ovoids 2 mm long and had a small, rather darker, operculum at the blunt end. On 25th February, at 15,000 feet, two females, a male and a nymph survived in their tin in my camera bag which I left at the third hut. The air temperature in the hut went down to about -5 C and even in the insulated bag they must have come close to freezing. Ironically, the sticks which survived the low temperatures succumbed to the heat and vibration in the Land Rover on the journey back to Dar-es-Salaam. (This species seems never to have come into culture in the Group in the UK. - Eds!

MARMESSOIDEA MARMESSUS (?) by Paul Brock (No. 26) From Newsletter 8, page 2

Two dozen eggs were sent to me from Taiping,'Malaysia, which were laid in March/April. Kept at 70 F they hatched in late May, but the nymphs did not survive on the normal selection of foodplants which I tried them with. 46: 15

The eggs were 1.2 mm x 3 mm long and had an unusual shape. They were grey, with the operculum darker than the rest, and the underside was a very light cream/ grey. They were laid glued on to surfaces. The newly hatched nymphs had light green bodies (dark grey underneath), with black eyes, brown legs, and long black and white antennae. The body was 1.7 cm long and the antennae were 1.8 cm. They were very fond of water droplets, and tended to stop at the top of the lid (perhaps because they didn't have a food which suited them). 1 have had a try at identifying the species at the Natural History Museum and it is probably a Marmessoidea species, likely to be M. marmessus, but as this is from the males only, it could be another related species.

ANOTHER DOMINICAN PHASMID by Miguel Adams (ex No. 72) From Newsletter 12, page 4 I found it while searching for the Aplopus species (PSG 48): it also feeds on guava. This species is much smaller than the other one, being about 10 cm long, bright green and wingless. The ova are a bit smaller than those of Bacillus rossius, but they have a similar micropylar plate and colour. They hatch in less than a month. [This species seems never to have come into culture in the Group in the UK. - Eds.

LIFE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC by Miguel Adams (ex No. 72) Abbreviated from Newsletter 8, page 3 This country is very beautiful and abounds in a wealth of exotic plants, flowers and trees. There is always a lot of rain during the months of November, December and May, but these rainstorms are quite unlike anything seen in England - think of the hardest rainstorm in England and multiply by 10i The hottest months are July, August and sometimes December. Temperatures vary little, ranging from about 80°F to 95°F. I have confirmed that stick insects exist here. The natives call them "Maria Palito", which roughly translated means "Mary's little sticks". I have been told not to look for them since they are poisonous and can kill people! 46: 16

PSG No. 85: PARAPHASMA RUFIPES (REDTENBACHER) by Paul Jennings (No. 80)

Classification: This species was described in 1906 as Phasma rufipes. The PSG culture was identified by Burghard Hausleithner (No. 132).

Culture history: The original specimens were collected in the region of Tarapoto in Peru by Didier Mottaz (No. 45) in August/September 1984.

Adults: The original culture had both sexes - sadly the male escaped very early on and the culture is now parthenogenetic. The female is an attractive, small, unspined insect. Her general appearance resembles that of a male Creoxylus spinosus but she is 1*j times as large. Her body is very mottled with light, medium and dark brown - it is not possible to distinguish the ground colour. The dorsal area covered by her wings is very dark shiny brown with only a few markings. Her head is dark brown; the eyes are also dark brown but with a few light brown patches. Between the two eyes there are two small shiny round mounds, presumably simple eyes. There is a faint light brown stripe running from just behind the eyes down to the prothorax. Her antennae are made up of contrasting light and dark brown segments. Behind the head on the prothorax there are two small pits. Her elytra are fairly small and resemble those of a male Extatosoma tiaratum in shape. They are finely veined in the central portion and edged in a very dark brown. Her wings are very well developed and run the entire length of her body. When folded they appear finely veined and are a milky coffee colour, with darker markings. When she opens her wings they are a beautiful bright carrot orange colour. She is quite active when dis- turbed and flies well with a climbing path. All three pairs of legs are quite similar in shape and colour, being a very dark brown to just before the knee joints, where they change to an orange-brown colour. Her genital operculum is quite short, not reaching beyond the tip of the abdomen, and her cerci are just visible. The average dimensions (in mm) of my current generation are: body length 67, total length 117, antennae 50, front legs 45, middle legs 33, hind legs 46, and abdomen width 6. Redtenbacher gives body lengths of 78 mm for the female and 52 mm for the male. The life-span of the adult female is 4-5 months,. perhaps longer.

Nymphs: Newly hatched nymphs are very dark brown. Their total length is 23 mm with a body length of 12 mm. The legs have the same colour scheme as the adult female. The antennae are 13 mm long and have only one light 46: 17

patch, just before the tip. At this stage, the nymphs are very active and run very fast when disturbed. This makes getting the lid on the cage very difficult, and I usually find at least one crawling up my sleeve! The nymphs also curl their abdomens upwards. 1cr\ As the nymphs grow they take on the colours of the adult insect. In the penultimate instar the bright colour of the wings is visible in the wing buds. At this stage the nymphs resemble adult female Anisomorpha buprestoides in shape and the way they move. The nymphs grow slowly and the following periods at each instar were recorded: first instar 38 days, second 45 days, third and fourth combined 60 days, and fifth 33 days - so the first adults appeared approximately 180 days after hatching. The nymphs were kept at 20-25 C and the cage was sprayed once every one or two days. I tried keeping some first-instar nymphs unheated at 15-20 C, but these died.

Ova: These are 3 mm long, 2 mm wide and 2h mm thick, dark brown in colour and with a wizened textured surface (a bit like a passion-fruit skin). The flat operculum is encircled by a rim, and there is no capitulum. The almost round, nearly smooth, micropylar plate is centrally positioned and also encircled by a rim. The micropyle is a small raised ripple. Hatching takes about 4 months when the eggs are kept at 22-27°C on slightly moist tissue in a closed plastic box. The hatching rate is 1 n\m quite high - about 75%. Under these conditions mould can be a problem, and it may be necessary to change the tissue and wash the eggs. The adult female does not start laying until she is 2-24 months old, the eggs being simply dropped to the ground. The egg production rate is not very high, as is usual with a large egg to body size ratio.

Foodplants: I have tried only privet, on which all stages feed well. Ulrich Ziegler (No. 233) reports in Newsletter 32 (page 10) that he has used ivy, but only one nymph reached adulthood. Alan Longhurst (No. 862) has noticed them sheltering on the underside of eucalyptus leaves, but doesn't know if this is an alternative food.

Defence: The adult females do not appear to use camouflage as a means of defence. When kept warm the adults readily take flight if disturbed. They also flash their wings, presumably as a warning. As already mentioned, the nymphs run fast if disturbed. I have also very occasionally noticed a spray, presumably from the two pits just behind the head. The smell was quite acrid, a bit like that from A. buprestoides, which is in the same family.

Comments: This is an interesting and attractive species, which does not require a lot of room for a culture. It is not too difficult if kept at. 21-25 C and humid. Unfortunately, it does not eat bramble, but privet is quite common, evergreen, and lasts well in a cage.

Acknowledgements: Thanks are due to Paul Brock (No. 26) for his comments.

FORTHCOMING SPECIES REPORTS - Lonchodes amaurops, Acrophylla wuelfingi and Baculum thaii. Please send all your information on all these species (particularly the last two common ones) to the Editors (address below) to reach us by 15th April. NEXT NEWSLETTER - Please send all other contributions to the Editors: Michael Lazenby and Frances Holloway, at 9 Oaklands Court, Nicoll Road, London NW10 9AU, to reach us by 1st May, or preferably earlier. All contributions to the Newsletter will be deemed to be submitted also to the French GEP Le Monde des Phasmes and to the Dutch-Belgian PSG Phasma, for translation. 46: 18

SUBJECT INDEX (To Newsletters 38-45) 45 (underlined) = Species Report in Newsletter 45. 45:5 (with colon) = Newsletter 45, page 5. 44:20* (with asterisk) = solely from an earlier Newsletter. Entries on a particular species can usually be found under that species and not under a general heading. For further notes, see the Index in Newsletter 21, page 7. For further indexes, see the end of Newsletters 21, 29 and 37.

Acanthoxyla inermis identification, 45:5 Cages, 40:13, 44:15-16, 45:14 Acanthoxyla prasina food, plastic, 39:8 for Dares species, humid, 42:16 Acanthoxyla species rearing, 40:18 heaters, underfloor, 38:4 Achrioptera species drawings, 40:9 for small nymphs, 43:11 Acrophylla wuelfingi, summary of paper on, 44:18 life-span, differences between sexes, temperature control, 45:17* 44:9 thermometer, 40:13 shedding, pseudo, 45:6 Canadian sticks, summaries of papers on, African species, 44: 18 eggs, gluing, 40:19 Carausius alluaudi, multiple mating unidentified, 40:3-4 maximum?, 43:10 Anchiale maculata laying record?, 44:20* Carausius morosus, Anisomorpha buprestoides, 42:5 foodplants, 41:19, 43:12* eggs, unusual, 40:19, 42:5 males, 38:3, 39:5, 41:4 flattened, 45:5* mating, 42:5 forms, 45:5 regeneration of feelers as feet, 40:17 gregariousness evidence, 45:6* Carausius scotti in Seychelles, 44:6-7, laying, 40:19, 43:10 45:7-9 light, effect on laying, 43:11 Carausius sechellensis distribution and necrophilia in, 40:4 foodplants, 45:9 rearing, 40:18 Carausius species (PSG 66), 44 sway, 43:10 Census of species results, 39:2, 45:3 tapping by adult males, 43:10 Classification of sticks, 39:3-5 Antillophilus brevitarsus, see Lamponius gallica, 38 guerini distribution, 38:14-16 Aplopus species (PSG 48), 45_, 45:20 eggs, differences from Bacillus Aplopus species (PSG 61) mating damage, rossius, 43:15 40:4 foodplant broom, 41:19 identification, 38:18-24 Bacillus rossius, Creoxylus spinosus, 43 colours, 43:15, 43:16* foodplant skimmia, 41:19 eggs, differences from Clonopsis laying medium preferences, 44:19 gallica, 43:15 territorial behaviour, 39:14 identification, 38:18-24 Ctenomorphodes briareus foodplant, rubber Bacillus species distribution, 38:12-14 plant, 43:12* Back issues, 42:2, 43:20 Culturing, see Rearing Baculum impigrum, competition with Sipyloidea sipylus, 39:14 Dares nolimetangere, 44 Baculum insignis, 39 Dares species (PSG 69), Baculum thaii foodplants, 41:20, 43:12* behaviour, 39:14 Behaviour, hatching delay, 40:19, 41:4 mating, multiple, maximum?, 43:10 life, long, 44:9 piggyback, 43:10 Dares species rearing, 42:16 sways, unusual, 43:10 Diapheromera femorata hatching mechanism, territorial, 39:14, 40:7 summary of paper on, 43:14 see also individual species Diapheromera species, aggression by matin Book review, Malaysian insects, 43:2 males, summary of paper on, 43:2 Bostra aetolus, 41:3 Dyme rarospinosa, 44:9 Breathing mechanism, 43:11, 45:11 Burghard Hausleithner's papers, summaries, Eggs, 39:8, 43:14 activation, and , 43:14 46: 19

Eggs - continued Film with Sipyloidea sipylus, 41:3 dormancy, and life cycles, 43:16* Florists' moss, see Moss hatching, 38:9, 39:13, 44:19, 45:10 Foodplants, laying media, 38:4, 39:13, 40:19 apple slices, 43:12* mould inhibitor (MHB), 38:9 bramble, sorting from frass, 43:11* collecting perils, 41:19 European sticks, varieties, 44:5-6 distribution, 38:12-17 winter provision, 44:6 identification, 38:18-24 flowers, 40: 17, 41 : 19, 43:13* Eurycantha calcarata, , 39:8 aggression, rhododendron, 45:9 against other species, 40:7, 41:7 stems, keeping moist, 38:4, 45:10 between adults, 41:7-9, 42:13, see also individual stick species 43:3-9, 44:10*, 44:11-13 Foods, artificial, 39:7-8, 40:10-12 behaviour, 42:6-8, 44:10 French sticks identification, 38:18-24 adult, thesis, 41:3, 42:3 time variation, 44:14 Gene pools, 43:11 unusual, 42:11-13, 45:6 GEP rules, 41:2 foodplant ivy, 39:9 gregariousness and fecal odour, 42:8-9 Haaniella echinata, handling, 43:9*, 45:2 death feigning, 45:6 hatching, 38:9 foodplant bramble, new shoots, 43:12 hissing, 44:10* Haaniella mulleri, 44:18 laying, 44:10 Hatching, see Eggs, hatching mating, 41:10-12, 44: 1 1 Hermarchus species (PSG 57), egg laying pits in, 44:9 number variation, 38:8 shelter preferences, 42:10, 43:9 Heteropteryx dilatata, tapping by adult males, 42:13 colour, 40:12, 41:4, 45:2 Ulf Carlberg's papers on, summaries, dying females, 40:12, 41:4 42: 13 feeler movement, sudden, 45:6 Eurycantha species, foodplant ivy, 39:8 interbreeding, 41:7 gynandromorphs, 39:6, 40:12, 42:3 resting places, 40:7 laying medium, 42:16 , Eurycantha species (PSG 44), rearing, large, 42:16 aggression, 41:7, 42:13 sex ratio, unusual, 40:22 behaviour, unusual, 42:13 spray, 44:9 darker, 39:14 striped males, 40:12, 42:5 food polystyrene, 40:17 foodplant ivy, 39:8 Identification of sticks, 45:4-5 gynandromorph?, 40:17 Insectarium, Hortus Haren in Holland, 44 handling for charity, 45:2 Instars, denoting, 44:28* learning by, 42:5 newcomers to cultures, 41:7 Lamponius guerini, 40 (see Antillophilus parthenogenesis?, 41:7 brevitarsus), 41:4 pits in, 44:9 Law, and releasing sticks, 41:2 regenerated legs, 40:17 Laying, see Eggs, laying smell, 41:7 Le Monde des Phasmes summaries, 43:17, Extatosoma species, new, 45:2 44:17-18, see also Revue summaries Extatosoma tiaratum, 45:15, 45:16 Learning by sticks, .42:5 aggression between males, 39:12 Leptynia hispanica, 45 clicking, 39:12 identification, 38:18-24 colour, 39:12, 45:15 Leptynia species distribution, 38:16-17 eggs, 44:20*, 44:21* Libethra regularis, 44 feet loss, 39: 1 1, 42: 15 jumping, 40:7 mating, 39:12, 40:4 wallowing, 42:5 sway, 43:10 Life cycles and egg dormancy, 43:16* territorial behaviour, 40:7 Life-span, differences between sexes, 44 Ulf Carlberg's papers on, summaries, Lonchodes brevipes, 39: 12 biting by nymphs, 43:10 vibration sensitivity, 40:7 territorial behaviour, 39:14 46:20 It* Malaysian insects, book review, 43:2 Malaysian sticks, collecting trip, Revue summaries, 39:9-11, 40:14-15, 45:12-14 41:13-14, 42:14-15, see also Le Monde Mating, multiple, maximum?, 43:10 des Phasmes summaries Menexenus species (PSG 96), see Rhaphiderus scabrosus, Staelonchodes species dark adult females, 43:16 Moss, florists' ("Oasis"), foodplants, 41:20, 43:12 for eggs, 39: 13, 45:10 pollution danger, 40:18 for foodplant stems, 38:4, 45:10 mating, before adulthood, 40:4 Museum collections, 38:3, 40:2-3, 45:3 Rules, GEP, 41:2 Scilly Isles sticks, 40:17 Names, seychellensis or sechellensis?, 40:13 corrected, 38:4, 41:3, 41:4, 45:1 Seychelles sticks, 41:5 ordinal, 38:5-7 distribution and foodplants, summary of seychellensis or sechellensis?, 40:13 paper on, 43:1 Newsletter back issues, 42:2, 43:20 Shedding, feelers, bad, 42:16 Oncotophasma martini, 45:6 Sipyloidea sipylus, Oreophoetes peruanas, 39 attacked by wasp, 43:13 humidification using sphagnum moss, colour preference, 43:13 40:18 competition with Baculum impigrum, 39:14 Orxines macklottii, 45:11* defence, 43:13* sway, 43:10 eggs, gluing, 40:19, 41:4 foodplants, 41:20, 43:13* Papers, summaries of, see Summaries males, 38:3, 43:13*, 44:9 Paramyronides perakensis, 40 Size differences between sexes, summary of Parapachymorpha spinosa, 40:5 (see First paper on, 43:2 species), 40:6, 44:1 Species List updates, 39:3, 41:3, 42:3, Parthenogenesis, 43:14* 44:1, 45:1 Pets, popularity of sticks, 44:2 Splint for bent stick, 39:13 Pharnacia acanthopus, Ulf Carlberg's papers Staelonchodes species (PSG 96), 41 on, summaries, 40:16 Summaries of articles, 41:3, 42:3, 43: 1, Phasma species biting, 38:2 43:2, 43:14, 44:18, 45:1, 45:: 2 Phenacephorus cornucervi, by Burghard Hausleithner, 39:8, 43: 14 mating, 40:4 on Canadian sticks, 44:18 rearing, 42:16 in Le Monde des- Phasmes, 43:17, Photographing sticks, 44:5 44:17-18 Phyllium bioculatum(?), 38:10-11 in Revue, 39:9-11, 40:14-15, 41:13-14, behaviour, 40:8, 44:8* 42: 14-15 rearing, 40:8, 44:8* by Ulf Carlberg, 39:12, 40:16, 42:13 in Seychelles, 42:4 Surplus disposal, 45:2 shedding, 41:20 Sways, unusual, 43:10, 45:6 sway, 45:6 Teaching, use of sticks, 44:4-5 see also Phyllium species Territorial behaviour, 39:14, 40:7 Phyllium giganteum hatching, 38:9 Thailand species, 40:5-7, 41:15-19 Phyllium species, 38:10-11 colour of hatchlings, 43:16, 44:8 PSG 103 flying, 43:10 distribution, 40:8 in Species List, 42:3, 44:1, 45:1 Thermometer, 40:13 foodplants, 42:3 Tirachoidea species (PSG 58), regenerated identification, by origin, 41:20 legs, 40:16 Posting sticks, 38:7, 44:1 TV Really Wild Show, review, 44:2 Potatoes for foodplant stems, 38:4 Tweezers for picking up sticks, 39:13 Preserving sticks, 45:17* Pseudophasma flavipenne identification Ulf Carlberg's papers, summaries, 39:12, 45:5 40:16, 42:13 Rearing, Unidentified species, 41:3 African, 40:3-4, 40:19 drowning danger, 43:11 splint for bent stick, 39:13 Thailand, 40:5-7, 41:15-19, 42:3, 43:10, surplus disposal, 45:2 44:1, 45:1 thermometer, 40:13 Weather, tweezers for picking up sticks, 39:13 books, 41:3 see also individual species Caribbean, 40:20-22