The Phasmid Study Group

Pha1r : Mrs Judith Marshall Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD ('Phone 071 938 9344 Fax 071 938 8937)

Treasurer/Membershlp: Paul Brock ('Phone 0753-579447) "Papillon", 40 Thorndike Road, Slough, Berks SL2 1SR

Secretary : Ms Angela Parvani ('Phone 0332-769097) 14 Grenfell Avenue, Sunnyhill, Derby, Derbyshire DE3 7JZ

MARCH 1993 NEWSLETTER No 54 ISSN 0268-3806

DIARY DATES 1993 APRIL 24th/25th. INTERNATIONAL ENTOMOLOGY EXHIBITION Salle de Livron, Meyrin, Switzerland, 24th April 1400-1900 hrs., 25th April 0900-1700 hrs. For further details contact:- Andre Luthi, 48, Chemin des Ceps, CH-1217 MEYRIN/GE, Switzerland, Tel: 022-7825708 APRIL 25th. MIDLANDS ENTOMOLOGICAL FAIR. Granby Halls, Leicester. OCTOBER 9th. A.E.S. EXHIBITION. Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road, Sunbury, Middlesex. DECEMBER 5th. CHRISTMAS ENTOMOLOGICAL FAIR. Granby Halls, Leicester. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORT 54 members attended the A.G.M., held at the Natural History Museum, on the 23rd January. As well as the usual Phasmid exchange, when a large number of sticks were exchanged, Dr. John Sellick (No 49) gave a very interesting and informative talk on "Taxonomy and Variations in Phasmid Eggs". Dr. Sellick was introduced and thanked by Edward Black well (No 926). TREASURER'S REPORT Paul Brock (No 26) reported that 1992 ended with a total of 338 members (up 11 on 1991, but just short of our peak in 1990). 98 members live outside the UK, compared with 123 non- UK members in 1991. New members attracted to the Group in 1992 were often from two sources - purchasers of Paul's revised AES book and Alderton's TFH book. Due to the new structure in 1992, i.e. the splitting of the Newsletter into two publications, our primary expenditure, postages, printing and allied costs rose 30% compared to 1991. This was £276 short of subscription income, which was static. Donations kindly sent in by 54:2

members (and non-members at exhibitions) brought in much needed revenue of £201-07 reducing our deficit for the year to £122-55, which was not unexpected. On the brighter side, initiatives during the year helped to raise funds. Firstly, the sale of Salmon's New Zealand books to 50 members at below cost price in N.Z. yielded a net £71-47 and "T" - Shirts were sold by mail order and at meetings. Part of the Group's Bank Balance has been utilized to purchase more "T" - Shirts, which should show a profit in 1993. The increased subscription rate for 1993 should be sufficient to cover expected higher costs during 1993. It is hoped the subscription rate level will be kept at the same level at least for 1994. Copies of the Account sheet are available from the Treasurer, Paul Brock, on receipt of a S.A.E. EDITOR'S REPORT NEWSLETTER: Paul Taylor (No 852) thanked Dr. D Robinson (No 29) for all the help and support that had been given in the last 12 months. A number of articles had been taken from the Belgian-Dutch "Phasma", as members were still not sending material in for publication. Considering the PSG had 338 members, this was a poor state of affairs. Perhaps members would be a little more willing in 1993 to put pen to paper, no matter how small the article is. PHASMID STUDIES: Phil Bragg (No 445) also agreed that material was not coming forward as had been expected, although more material had arrived for the June 1993 issue, but this should not deter members from sending articles in as material is still required for future issues. LIBRARIAN'S REPORT Dr. D Robinson (No 29) reported that stocks of certain back numbers where now running out. Members requiring back numbers may have to wait a little while as they were being photo-copied and only done in batches as required. EXHIBITION'S & MEETINGS Paul Jennings (No 80) reported that the PSG had exhibited at most of the major exhibitions, except the International Butterfly and Exotic Insect Fair, and at a number of smaller exhibitions. A considerable amount of interest has been shown in the PSG by the general public. It is hoped to exhibit at all the major shows this year, details of which can be found in the Newsletter. Meetings:- members who would like to volunteer to give talks at any of the meetings should contact Paul as soon as possible. LIVESTOCK CO-ORDINATION Paul Jennings (No 80) reported that plenty of requests had been received for livestock in 1992, mainly from the newer members, but there is still a shortage of material to give away. This may mean a member having to wait some considerable time before receiving their request. If you have surplus material please send details to the Livestock Co-Ordinator, or a member of the Panel, addresses and telephone numbers can be found further in the Newsletter. 54:3

OFFICERS & COMMITTEE No requests were made to stand on the committee, and all present officers were re-elected for 1993. This was proposed by Frances Holloway (No 3) and seconded by Joy Moss (No 77). NEXT PSG MEETING This will take place at the Natural History Museum on the 24th July 1993. Please send any items for discussion to the Secretary, Angela Parwani (No 419) to reach her by the 30th June at the latest. PHASMID STUDIES A number of back copies of Vol. 1, No 1&2 are available to non-members for £3-00 per copy. These will only be available whilst stocks last as no more will be re-printed. They will be available at all the shows that the PSG will be exhibiting at. "T" - SHIRTS The new batch of "T" - shirts with the motif of Heteropteryx dilatata are now available. Members who have paid for a "T" - shirt should have received theirs by the time this Newsletter arrives. New members, or even established members requiring another "T" - shirt, should order from Angela Parwani (No 419), address at the top of the Newsletter, they will make an interesting addition to anyone's wardrobe. Sizes available are:- Medium, Large & Extra-Large. Cost per shirt: £5-00 sterling plus £1-00 p+p (UK), or £1-50 p+p overseas. Send your cheques, made payable to "THE PHASMID STUDY GROUP.", to Angela to ensure your very own "hip" "T" -shirt. QUARTERLY CENSUS RETURNS & ENDANGERED SPECIES All census returns should be returned to the Editor. It is important that members return their forms as a check can then be kept on the numbers of species in culture. After processing, the forms will be forwarded to Adrian Durkin (No 78) who has kindly agreed to continue the work on endangered species started by Mel Herbert (No 232).

OBTAINING LIVESTOCK K If you write to the Livestock Co-Ordinator or a member of the Panel, please do not forget to enclose a S.A.E, regrettably no S.A.E., no reply. Contacting the Co-Ordinator or a Panel Member by telephone will make advice of availability easier. LIVESTOCK CO-ORDINATOR Paul Jennings (No 80) Tel: 0332 769097 14, Grenfell Avenue, Sunnyhill, Derby, DE3 7JZ. SUPPLIERS PANEL Ian Abercrombie (No 628) Tel: 0233 621026 59, Romney Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent, TN24 0RR. Paul Taylor (No 852) Tel: 0675 481578

24, Forge Road, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 2AU. 54:4

Nick Witham (No 848) 17, Clos-Treoda, Old Church Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF4 6DL. THE TAXONOMY AND VARIATION IN PHASMID EGGS Dr. Sellick first suggested to members wishing to get an International reputation, to pick a topic which is so obscure that no-one else had worked on it. The speaker had done this twice, the first time with "Wing Vein aberrations in Barklice", and secondly, the subject of his talk, "Taxonomy of Phasmids related to their Egg Structure".

In Phasmids we have what appears to be an ideal taxonomic item. In all of the eggs examined so far (over 300, i.e. about 10% of the total species) all species have the typical Phasmid form, and no insect of any other group has an egg like a Phasmid. The two features of a Phasmid egg are its operculum and its micropylar plate. The combination is unique, and in any case, no other group has a micropylar plate.

To see the real relationship between organisms (i.e. how they should be ideally classified) we need to look for features which are non-adaptive, ones which are independent of the mode of life of a particular species. The overall nature of the egg is related to its method of laying and dispersal (shape, capitulum, texture, etc.). However, it is suggested that the detail of the micropylar plate has no obvious adaptive value.

The micropylar plate is a patch of "spongy" tissue on the inside of the egg capsule. It contains air and is clearly visible in a broken egg as a white shape against the dark mass of the capsule. It is pierced by two micropyles - fine channels through which the sperm enters the egg; attached to the egg membrane by a narrow stalk - the only physical connection between the embryo and the outside world; and connected to the surface of the capsule around its edges - this outlines the plate shape that can be seen from outside. The main function of the plate is to allow gases to exchange within the developing egg.

Plates are of two main types:- Open plates are separated into two behind the stalk: closed plates have the stalk completely surrounded. A significant number of open plates have a detached line of similar tissue, the function of which is unknown. In most cases, eggs from the same Phasmid group have very similar plates, though in, for instance, Necrosciinae and Baculini the variations in plate structure indicate that the group are of mixed origin. m There is still more work to do yet, and the speaker appealed to anyone who may have new species, to forward a sample of eggs, in order that more research could be carried out. The talk was followed by a lengthy question and answer session in which it was suggested, amongst other things, that the plate might absorb water to stimulate hatching and that some eggs (at least) were good seed mimics - e.g. Ramulus and grass seed. There was some discussion of recent work suggesting that the capitulum was used to encourage ants to bury the eggs.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE AGM AND TALK by Alan Bridewell (No 1107)

As a new member of the PSG attending his first meeting, may I say how enjoyable I found the January AGM. I would particularly like to thank members who prepared a selection of livestock to increase my rather small collection, especially as I had nothing to offer in return. Hearing strong pleas for contributions to the Newsletter, I am offering this in recompense. 54:5

The talk which followed the AGM produced a great deal of discussion on the remarkable similarities between Phasmid eggs and angiosperm seeds, particularly legumes. Much of the discussion was based on the assumption that this similarity is due to imitation of seeds, though exactly what advantage it would be for Phasmid eggs to imitate seeds was not clear. A further point was made that although the overall similarity was evident, it was very difficult to establish that any particular Phasmid egg was imitating any particular host seed, particularly not when looking for, say, a host species. I would like to take the discussion in a slightly different direction by considering the following speculation. Many Phasmids disperse their eggs by simply dropping them, or even "throwing" them away. Many species of legumes disperse their seeds in a similar manner. The survival and subsequent hatching/germinating of such eggs/seeds would be likely to depend on the same external characteristics, eg. aerodynamic properties, or resistance to impact on tree bark, rocks, etc. Natural selection is then likely to produce similar external characteristics in both. In other words, I am suggesting that two very different groups of organisms arrived at similar solutions to a survival problem from very different starting points. This could explain the general similarity, without the specific species imitation. Is this a possibility? To return to the imitation theory. Suppose this imitation began when the first Phasmids evolved, and it developed on a host which was an early, long extinct, "proto-legume". (I don't know what the fossil record tells us about when Phasmids and legumes first developed, so this speculation may be nonsense, however, I shall persevere). As time passed, and both groups evolved and dispersed, the original precise species imitation became lost, but the general characteristics remained, leaving Phasmid eggs in general looking like legumes in general. A final speculation (and I know this is a long shot). Many legumes are eaten by a wide variety of herbivorous insects, birds, mammals, etc., and need to protect themselves. Is it not possible that it is the legumes that imitated Phasmid eggs, and not the other way round? If my first speculation was correct, there would already be a broad similarity so it would not require a major evolutionary change. Well, there it is, all ready to be shot down. I confess now that my subject is Physics, and I have only a school textbook knowledge of Biology, and I certainly know nothing of the evolution of Phasmids and legumes. So this may all be so much nonsense, in which case, perhaps some other members would like to enlighten me. PHYLLIUM sp. by Gert Baarda I am writing this piece as an answer to the article by Kim D'Hustler (No 372) in the last Newsletter (53:4). My own experiences with Phyllium are not that much better. I started four times with a reasonable quantity of eggs (25 -100) of three different species of Phyllium, and only succeeded in bringing up one adult male of Phyllium celebicum. However, last September I met a person (a butterfly breeder) who had two Phyllium, one of which was starting to lay eggs. According to his description they were Phyllium giganteum. At the beginning of the year the man phoned me to say his adult insects had died after laying 150 eggs, and as yet, nothing had hatched. I advised him to be patient. In September he informed me that he had been successful, and even had a surplus. He brought along 20 young green nymphs (a total of 70 nymphs had been obtained and had 54:6 started eating without any problems) and that after six weeks all the nymphs were doing well. What is the secret? The man concerned keeps his insects at a constant temperature of 20°C in a glass cage. The cage is near a window facing North (no direct sunlight) and close to a radiator (central heating). Food was for the first stages small bramble plants, but they are now regularly fed on bramble and oak. The insects had never been sprayed until I made contact with the man, he now sprays them once a day (midday). The first ecdysis went very well under theses circumstances. This successful story of Phyllium giganteum happened in a way I would never advise a new breeder to do. The story is more optimistic than the story Kim told us. MORE ON HATCHING & REARING PHYLLIUM Sp. by Stan Pack (No 99) It appears that members of the group are having difficulties with keeping Phyllium sp. and so I should like to set out how I have kept them in the past, with a good success rate. 1. Obtain eggs from a good source and make sure that when they arrive they are moist and well packed against the elements. 2. Set up a propagator with a mixture of one part Silver Sand and three parts Moss Peat, well mixed, and make sure it is damp, but not too wet. 3. Get two small jars with flexible plastic lids to use for the food plants and fill with water; make holes in the lids just large enough to take the stems of the food plant without any space left around the stem, then secure these into the peat mixture which needs to be about two inches deep. 4. Make holes in the peat mixture about half inch deep and place each egg in the holes with the operculum facing to the surface, spacing the eggs about one inch apart, then gently smooth over the surface and cover them. Spray the surface of the peat and the food plant thoroughly after you have buried the eggs but DO NOT SPRAY when the insects start to hatch. I have never sprayed after hatching but let the moisture from the peat keep the humidity at about 90% and I keep the temperature at 80°F. If I felt that they needed more moisture I would put water down the side of the propagator tray and let the peat soak it up. 5. Beech and Bramble was used as the food plant, but I found that they consumed the Beech and rested on the Bramblg. 6. To keep the propagator at an even temperature I placed it on the top of one of my tropical fish tanks which are kept at 80°F. 7. Good ventilation is required so get a propagator with vents at each end and have them wide open, covering them with some fine gauze, secured with a strong adhesive. 8. When the Phyllium are still small make sure the cover is kept free from moisture, as this will trap them, being as flat as they are, and try not to disturb them, except when changing the food. PHYLLIUM PHILATELY by Pat Matyot (No 604) Members of the PSG will be interested to know that the leaf insect, purported to be Phyllium siccifolium, has appeared on a postage stamp. This is the 70-chon (or jon) stamp issued by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). Apparently it was 54:7 issued in 1990 (it bears that date) but it did not draw much attention until it featured in the PHTLA NIPPON philatelic exhibition which was held in Japan in 1991. P. siccifolium was the first leaf insect to be described. It occurs under the name of Gryllus (Mantis) siccifolius on page 425 in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturea, written by the great Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus, and published in 1758. However, it is not dear if the insect depicted on the North Korean stamp is actually P. siccifolium. For instance, the outer dilation or lobe of the front femora of P. siccifolium is typically narrow and semi-oval, without any teeth along the margin (Klante, 1974; Page 75, Figs 8 & 10). The front femora of the insect on the stamp, however, bear an outer dilation that is more reminiscent of that of, say, P. bioculatum. Moreover, the teeth that occur along the flattened, tapering sides of the middle segment of the thorax (mesothorax) in P. siccifolium axe not present in the drawing on the stamp. In his book "INSECTS ON STAMPS", F. Smit (1978; Page 5) points out that "A number of stamps show insects which do not at all belong to the native fauna of the issuing territories; a practise to be frowned upon." In the case of Phyllium species, I have seen no record of them ever having been collected in Korea. Certainly their occurrence at around the latitude 40° North, so far outside the Tropics and outside the Oriental Zoogeographical Region, is extremely unlikely. References: KLANTE, H. 1974. Die "Wandelnden Blatter" - Eine Taxonomische Revision der Gattung Phyllium 111. Zool. Beitr., 22(1): 49 - 79. SMTT, F.G.A.M. 1978. Insects on Stamps. Tring, U.K. 78 pp. FURTHER NOTES ON THE CULTURE STOCKS OF EURYCNEMA VERS IE A S CIA TA by Paul Brock (No 26). Frank Hennemann's report on breeding PSG 28 (1992, in Phasmid Studies 1(2) : 34) states "The PSG culture originates from West Malaysia". My notes below elaborate on this remark, in respect of a species rarely reared in Britain, but successful in some European/U.S.A. cultures. I prefer to use the name E. versifasciata rather than E. herculeana (see Ragge's comments in Nadchatram 1963), although the exact status, as mentioned in the report, is not known with certainty. I am currently working on the affinity of these insects to E. goliath, prior to publishing a book covering the Stick and Leaf Insects of West Malaysia and Singapore. The brief comments on this species in my AES book (1992) referred to culture stock from Malaysia (Selangor) and Java. Most, if not all, European culture stocks have originated from a supplier in Java, who has also despatched eggs of the Javanese Leaf-Insect, Phyllium bioculatun to entomological dealers. E. versifasciata is common in some parts of Java and the same issue of Phasmid Studies (p. 49) refers to a very good report in Dutch by Eric van Gorkum. Eric has noticed this species is commonly kept as house pets in East Java - on Guava leaves. There are many large and beautiful species of stick and leaf-insects in West Malaysia, most occurring in the Tapah Hills, Cameron Highlands. However, E. versifasciata does not appear to be associated with this area, although I have seen females from Selangor region, where stock has been cultured in the past. This species is well represented in European museums, as historical material from Singapore, in addition to Javan material. The Singapore examples are most likely the culture stock referred to by Hanitsch (1902), again probably originating from Java. 54:8

CENSUS - WINTER 92/3 56 members returned the forms that were sent out in the December Newsletter (53), and they provided the following information.

PSG Non-est Est Surplus PSG Non-est Est Surplus No. Culture Culture Avail. No. Culture Culture Avail. 1 1 23 Y 85 6 4 Y 2 3 6 Y 86 3 2 Y 3 2 9 Y 89 0 3 Y 4 3 17 Y 90 0 2 N 5 4 17 Y 92 1 1 N 6 1 1 N 94 4 6 Y 7 0 1 N 96 0 1 N 9 10 30 Y 99 12 10 Y 10 4 6 N 100 5 6 Y 12 1 8 N 101 5 15 Y 13 10 12 Y 102 1 1 N 15 3 1 N 103 0 10 Y 16 4 1 N 104 6 11 Y 17 2 3 Y 105 4 5 Y 18 14 19 Y 106 1 0 N 19 3 6 Y 107 1 1 N 22 2 10 Y 108 1 2 N 23 5 16 Y 109 4 1 N 25 6 2 Y 110 3 2 N 26 4 1 Y 111 4 10 Y 28 1 0 N 112 7 4 Y 29 3 1 Y 113 0 1 N 31 3 5 Y 115 0 1 N 32 3 8 Y 116 0 1 N 35 2 3 Y 117 0 1 N 36 6 4 Y 118 12 12 Y 37 4 5 Y 119 2 1 N 38 - 3 2 Y 120 1 1 N 44 3 9 Y 121 0 1 N 45 2 1 N 122 1 2 N 47 5 7 N 123 0 3 Y 48 2 7 Y 124 0 1 N 52 5 4 Y 125 3 1 N 60 1 0 N 126 3 0 N 61 2 2 Y 127 1 0 N 66 1 2 N 128 3 0 N 69 7 7 Y 129 1 0 N 70 1 0 N 133 0 1 N 72 7 1 N 141 0 4 Y 73 2 6 Y 142 0 1 N 80 1 1 N 143 0 1 N 81 1 0 N 144 1 0 N 82 8 3 N 145 1 0 N 84 5 7 Y 54:9

EGGS FROM PHENACEPHORUS CORNUCERVI by Wim Potvin (No 916) My first generation of Phenacqjhorus cornucervi (PSG 73) came from about 25 eggs. The four males were already adult and about three weeks later the three females reached adulthood, all in the same week. In order to seperate newly laid eggs from older ones I searched the frass once a month, the first month collecting about 75 eggs, and there on about 100 eggs per month. I incubate the eggs on a layer of soil, and the first nymphs to hatch were from the eggs laid in the second month. Some weeks later the nymphs from the first and third months eggs started hatching. In total only four nymphs hatched from the eggs from the first month, whereas the hatching percentage for the other months was about 75% From these results it would appear that hatch rates from the "first" eggs from young adult females is somewhat unreliable. ODD EGGS by E. Blackwell (No 926) Having reported on "odd eggs" of PSG 104 in Newsletter 53.9,1 made a reference to them being possibly "double-yoked" eggs in as much as there was no operculum or capitulum. Instead the micropylar plate was elongated, stretching from "pole to pole" of the egg. Furthermore there appeared to be two micropyles. Since the eggs are now well past their "hatch by" date, my curiosity led me to open an egg. Surprise! surprise! not one , but two fully formed nymphs lay in the dish, completely separate, but with a tangle of legs. TOLERENCE IN PHASMIDS by Wim Potvin (No 916) I once had a female of Ramulus sp. (PSG 141) with an egg glued on her mid leg. I can only conclude that another female thought that this would be a good place to attach her egg. About one week later I saw a Baculum female hanging from her recently shed skin, which was hanging on, yes,to another stick insect. In both cases the other stick insect involved was acting passively by not walking away and disturbing them. Unfortunately the opposite is also true. Several months ago I had one adult male and one large female nymph of Aplopus sp. (PSG 61). The female was shedding her final skin. In the morning I found the female lying on the cage floor, with all her legs still in her old skin and the adult male sitting on her and trying to mate with her. The female had already lost four legs and died two days later. ALIEN LIFEFORM'S by Simon Parffett (No 1000) On rrV's late night debate programme a large Extatosoma tiaratum was shown and described as "A poor, uncomplicated, piece of life on our Planet". Exactly what it had to do with Alien Lifeforms, I do not know! FOODPLANTS PROBLEMS WITH BUYING FOODPLANTS by Ian Abercrombie (No 628) In Feb. 1993, Phil Bragg (No 445), while on the way to the Continent, dropped in to see me and leave 2 species of rare Phasmids to look after for a week. One of the species was a new Dinophasma sp. Phil had caught last year in Borneo and from which he had obtained quite a few eggs. Phil had brought about 8 nymphs down in a small plastic pot with one leaf of the foodplant - Fuchsia - and I spoke to him about re-housing them in a larger container with more foodplant. 54:10

After Phil had left I went to a local specialist Fuchsia nursery and spoke to both the owner and his wife and told them exactly what I wanted, ie. a Fuchsia that had not been in contact with any insecticide. They assured me that contact poisons had not been used and only insectiadal smoke was used to control whitefly, and even this had not been used in the greenhouse for some months, as whitefly was not a problem in the winter. So feeling that the plants were safe, I bought 3 well rooted cuttings about 150mm high with healthy looking foliage. Upon returning home I washed out a plastic sweet jar and put in fresh vermiculite, dampened it with hot water, and let it cool down. That evening I put one of the Fuchsia plants into the jar and added the small nymphs. The jar was then put into the cupboard where I keep all my nymphs. At about 10pm. I checked to see if all was well, and it was. The next morning at 9am. when I next checked, the nymphs were in obvious distress. They seemed to have lost co- ordination and were unable to climb, just rolling around on the vermiculite. The smallest died in about 2 days and the largest 3rd ins tar nymph died after 8 days. My immediate reaction was that it must be the foodplant, so I replaced it immediately with one of my old ones, but of course it was too late. The questions I ask myself are these:- 1) Was the Fuchsia cutting sprayed with a systemic insecticide sometime in the past?, perhaps when the cutting was still on the stock plant. 2) Does whitefly smoke adhere to the foliage of plants. The smoke only kills adult whitefly leaving the encysted nymphs and ova untouched. 3) Can the answer be that all commercially grown pot plants have a small residue of insecticide that remains in the plant for a very long time and perhaps has very little effect on the whitefly, these having built up certain resistance. 4) Do Phasmids from such remote places as Borneo, having virtually no contact with insecticides have an especially low tolerence. The answer is of course that I will feed my Phasmids only on plants that I've grown myself and can guarantee are pollution free. WINTERFOOD IN FINLAND by Ilati Nousiainen Jouni (No 825) Because there are no Brambles naturally available in most places in Finland, one has to find alternative plants. PSG 1, It is easier to tell what it does not eat as my stocks eat just about everything that is green. In Finland there is available Parsley and Salads cultivated in small pots, without any insecticides. I am giving both of them to PSG1 and sometimes PSG23. PSG 9. I have had to buy them either Eucalyptus or Gaultheria shallon ("salal") leaves. I have now seeds of species of E. gunnii, E. niphophila and G. shallon and I am going to culture them in my garden, as I have found out that they could survive with extra care in mild winters, even in our climate. Gaultheria is a better foodplant because it stays fresh for several weeks, also PSG 23 eats it. 54:11

PSG 23,1 feed them almost entirely Bergenia cordifolia. The plant is an evergreen perenial with very large leaves and pink flower in early spring. The sticks eat it eagerly and there have been no problems. PSG* 82, There is always Rhododendron available, it is a common and hardy garden plant in Finland. PSG 99,1 have found a perfect foodplant for them, an aquarium plant, Hygtophila polyspermy, that is one of the fastest growing and easiest kept plants in aquariums. The sticks prefer it to other plants, it is very smooth and even the smallest nymphs eat it easily. I have recently tried to find out if other evergreens will survive in our climate and I am going to try Pyracantha coccinea and Mahonia aquifolium (has anyone any experience of this plant as it is the hardiest evergreen after Rhododendron in Finland). Two bramble species may be interesting:- Rubus caucasicus with very large leaves that stay evergreen to late winter, even in quite an ordinary winter, and Rubus laciniatus, one of the spiniest plants I have ever seen, with quite small and hardy evergreen leaves. My PSG 99 nymphs ate it eagerly, because of their resemblance? OTHER FOODPLANTS by A W Darby (No 123) Whilst in Jamaica in 1983,1 came across a pair of specimens resembling the species Anisomorpha buprestoides. They were found on [introduced] Buddleia sp. (syn. Buddleja) in the gardens of Chinchona Great House at c. 5000' in the John Crow Mountains. They were easy to find, and like their American counterparts, tended to move in tandem. The one pair that I did find that was on the move was on the ground, wandering through a patch of [introduced] Viola sp. Nearby was the web of a Black Widow Spider, Latrodectus sp with its occupant out doing a few repairs. This stick insect reacted to handling in much the same way as A. buprestoides, and may indeed have been the same species? Specimens and eggs were collected and given to Peter Curry at the Centre For Life Studies at London Zoo. Chinchona is not as warm as coastal Jamaica, and people often drive up the coffee tracks just to see the assortment of unusual and rare flowers, such as Nasturtiums, Daisies, Day- Lilies, Dahlias, etc. One or two other sticks were found, but none survived the fierce heat of Kingston in the weeks following my stays at Chinchona! One species was feeding on a trefoiled vine and was wingless. It was slightly larger than Carausius morosus and laid furry eggs. I did find one lowland species during a week at the Discovery Bay Marine Station. This was on an unidentified plant near the beach and resembled a winged form of A. buprestoides. Again eggs were passed on to Peter Curry. Regarding other foodplants, I noticed some droppings under a Ficus benjamins in my hall during the summer. A daytime search revealed nothing, but switching on the light at night revealed a large C. morosus nymph. I left it and it is now adult, laying eggs all over the place. PHASMIDS ARE A TOURIST ATTRACTION IN THE SEYCHELLES! by Pat Matyot (No 604) The Seychelles islands are best known for their palm-fringed beaches and turquoise sea. However, unusual plants like the Coco-der-mer Palm, Lodoicea maldivica, and animals such as the Giant Land Tortoise, Geochelone gigantea, also draw visitors to these shores. 54:12 Now, with the advent of "eco-tourism", it looks like Phasmids, too, are beginning to earn a place in the tourist brochures! An advertisment for an "island-hopping safari" to the Seychelles organised by BBC Wildlife mentions the stick insects found in the mist forest of Morne Blanc National Park on Mah6 Island as one of the highlights of Day 9 of a two week trip during the second half of October 1992. The advertisment appeared in May 1992 issue of BBC Wildlife magazine (Vol.10, No 5, Page 41). It does not say so, but the stick insect most likely to have been seen by those taking part in the "safari" are three Carausius species, (C. gardineri, C. sechellensis and C. alluaudi in decreasing order of abundance). As long as nature reserves like the Morne Blanc National Park are protected, these endemic insects will survive. Activities like the BBC Wildlife "safari" that bring "eco-tourists" to the Seychelles prove that the protection of bio-diversity, far from being merely an academic exercise, can have economic spin-offs as well! POINTS OF VIEW - YOUR LETTERS In response to Stan Pack's idea on selling PSG surplus livestock for capital gain, may I say that the suggestion appalls me. Surely the group exists to study the creatures, not to market them. If we need more money, then why not raise the membership fee slightly? I think the service provided by the group could comfortably justify a rise without seriously affecting its attractiveness to current and prospective members Perhaps we could even enlarge on PSG merchandise - lapel badges, perhaps, or any of the small logo embossed items offered by so many other organisations. On the subject of surplus livestock, it is a long time since I have had any requests for surplus. On the other hand, whenever I request anything, which is rarely, it never seems to be available. What is wrong? My apologies for grumbling, but if we do not speak, we shall not be heard. Mark Roberts. (No 46) * * * » * In reply to Stan Pack's item on stick prices, I recently received a price list from a dealer. They were charging £8-20 for a pair of Extatosoma tiaratum, £9-90 for a pair of Eurycantha calcarata and £19-90 for a pair of Acrophylla xvuelfingi. In 1989 another dealer was charging £5-00 for one adult Extatosoma tiaratum. Simon Parffett. (No 1000) ***** I thought the International Butterfly and Exotic Insect Fair was GREAT!! I went with a friend (who is in the PSG) and we both enjoyed it very much, even buyimg some new Phasmids. I have been to the Midlands Entomological Fair, but this one was bigger and better. We spent 2 hours there and if Paul Taylor spent only 4 minutes looking around then he did not give it a chance and should not be writing such rubbish. Damian Randle 54:13

I am writing to comment about Stan Pack's letter in the last Newsletter. OK, so Butterfly Farms sell stick insects, but that does not mean the PSG should. Surely the PSG was set up to encourage the keeping and study of Phasmids - not to profit from them, and who would get the profits? I think we should encourage more scientific articles and leave the selling to the entomological dealers. Incidentally, I thought Paul Taylor's comments about the International Butterfly and Exotic Insect Fair a bit unfair. I could not have seen it all in 4 minutes if I had tried to run round without looking at any of the excellent stands (and I could not have got through the crowds!) It was the first time I had seen foreign exhibits (I have never seen any at the AES Annual Exhibition or at Leicester) as well as some very good Phasmid displays. It certainly made a change from a drafty sports hall or betting hall - and I managed to get a hot lunch. The fair certainly was not "pathetic". R. Brookes (No 657)

REQUEST from Mark Roberts (No 46) I am hoping to go away this summer for two weeks or so, and wondered if there was a member of the Group who might be able to come and feed my Phasmids, two or three times during that period. If anyone feels that they can manage to do this reliably, I should very much like to hear from them, and I am sure I could offer some form of incentive or favour in return. Please write to:- Stafford Lake Nursery, Stafford Lake, Knaphill, Surrey, GU21 2SJ. WANTS & EXCHANGES A male mate for an adult female Eurycantha sp. (PSG 44). If anyone has one which is not wanted, please contact Alan Bridewell (No 1107) on SWINDON (0793) 822759. He would like to negotiate some suitable swap. OVA of PSG No's 18, 26,66, 70, 84,86, required by Stan Pack (No 99), 7, Little Copse Road, Hassocks, Sussex, BN6 8PG. Tel: 0273 844448 OVA of PSG No 18 required by James Stockley (No 1141), 10 Swarthmore Rd, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 4JR, Tel: 021 475 3571. NEXT NEWSLETTER Please send all contributions to the Editor:- Paul Taylor, 24 Forge Road, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 2AU. Tel: 0675 481578 (note new phone number) to reach me by May 15th, or preferably earlier. All contributions to the Newsletter will be deemed to be submitted to the French GEP he Monde des Phasmid and to the Belgian-Dutch Phasma for translation.