The Phasmid Study Group MARCH 2004 NEWSLETTER No 98 ISSN 0268-3806 INDEX Page Content 2 Diary Dates 3 Editorial 4 The PSG - Where Did It Start? 9 Stick Talk 10 Food For Thought 11 C'est Pas Sorcier 12 The Newark Show "13 Building Your Own Cage 16 PSG Quiz 17 Photographing Phasmids 21 Pharnacia species 24 Yeovil LETS 25 My Life With Homo Sapiens 26 Extatosoma tiaratum 26 Joy's Cartoon 27 The Colour Page 28 PSG Merchandise 29 Wants & Exchanges 30 28 PSG Committee Above Page 17, Below Page 9. I Newsletter 98.1 Website: www.stickinsect.org.uk Diary Dates Spring Entomological (formerly Kettering) Show 10.30 am, Sunday, March 28th 2004; Kettering Leisure Village, Kettering, Northants (Contact Jack Harris, 01455 444792). ELG Spring Fair 9th May 2004. Pattishall Village Hall, Pattishall, Northants. British Tarantula Society Exhibition 1 lam, Sunday, 16th May 2004. Woodgreen High School, Wednesbury, West Midlands (2 mins from Junction 9 of the M6). (Contact: Ray Hale 01323 489047). Newark Entomological Show Sunday, 13lh June, (and again 121'1 December), !2am-4pm, Balderton, Newark (off the Al). (Contact for tables or information: Paul Holt, 01636 674723). Green Fair Saturday, 1 Ith July 2004. Somerset. (Does anyone know more details?) PSG Summer Meeting Saturday, 17th July 2004 - 11.30 am, Spencer Gallery, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London Invertebrate Day at Colchester Zoo Sunday, TBA August 2004 - Colchester Zoo, Maldon Road, Stanway, Essex. 01206 331292. Lincoln Exotics (formerly: Invert) Show Sunday, TBA September 2004. Main Hall, North Kesteven Centre, Lincoln. (Just off the A1434, which is off the A46). (Contact Jim Tweadle, 01522 501241, e-mail: [email protected]). (Does anyone know more details?) Castle Drogo, AES Bugshow! Saturday TBA October 2004.11 am-4.30pm, at Castle Drogo, Devon.. (Does anyone know more details?) AES Exhibition Saturday, 2nd October, 2004, 1 lam. Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road, Kempton Park, Sunbury-on Thames, Middlesex. Contact: AES, PO Box 8774, London, SW7; E-mail: [email protected] Bugs & Beasties Show (date unknown) Selby, North Yorkshire (Contact Steve Dye, www.bugsnstuff.co.uk). (Does anyone know more details?) West of England Creepy Crawly Show (date etc unknown) (Does anyone know more details?) Please check with the organisers that shows are still on, & at times shown, before setting out - the PSG cannot be responsible for a wasted journey. If you attend these or other shows, please send in a review for the Newsletter. If you are aware of any additional shows involving phasmids, or other insects, spiders, etc, however big or small the show, please pass the details on to the editor. The Phasmid Study Group is invited to exhibit at some shows. If you would like to help run our stand, please contact the member named, or Paul Jennings, our Exhibitions and Meeting Officer: 89 Brackensdale Avenue, Derby, DE22 4AF, Tel: 01332 343477. REQUEST FOR ARTI CLES. ETC. FOR THE PS6 NEWSLETTER Please send me your articles, reviews on shows and meetings, wants & exchanges, drawings, photos, phasmid problems, answers to problems, r Jk crosswords, quizzes, puzzles, comments, web site details, etc, etc. Providers of such submissions are likely to receive a full colour Newsletter! My details are at the back of each Newsletter. Also send me your ideas or comments on the Newsletters. Many thanks, Editor. Newsletter 98.2 Website: www.stickinsect.org.uk Eclitor'isail Welcome to the March edition of the PSG Newsletter. It is another bumper edition containing photos, articles, etc, generously provided by our membership. Hopefully, it will arrive without the minor formatting problem we had on some editions of the last Newsletter. THE WINTER MEETING & AGM. I understand the AGM and winter meeting was an excellent event. The livestock and picture competitions being the icing on the cake of a very interesting day, which included a talk by Cameron on making stick insect cages. "Unfortunately", I was touring in the South African sun at the time, so missed it all, but I am pleased to say I have included in this Newsletter an article by Cameron covering all the information (and more) on cage making covered by his talk, a copy of the winning picture entry, and an article on taking photos of stick insects by none other than the winner of the picture competition. I also have lined up for the next Newsletter an article on the AGM and winter meeting, with photographs. (It would have been in this Newsletter, but there were a few problems producing it on time). Meanwhile a brief summary of the AGM (thank you Judith for providing the details). Judith welcomed the members, and thanked me, Paul Brock and George Beccaloni for helping to produce the article on her retirement party in the December Newsletter. The officers of the committee each spoke, and Judith gave "apologies" from me and Paul Jennings, and read out our prepared notes. Committee membership: Kristien Rabaey agreed to replace Kim Povin as European representative, and Paul Taylor offered to assist Paul Jennings, our Exhibition & Meetings Officer (who had said he would continue if no-one else volunteered). [George and Jan Beccaloni, both curators in the Entomology Department, joined the meeting during the afternoon. George is more interested in cockroaches than stick-insects, but as Curator of Orthopteroid Insects he is responsible for all groups.] GENESIS OF THE PSG. There is an awesome article on the next page on how the PSG began. Written by member Tony James aka PSG member No 1. It contains a fascinating insight into the beginnings of our group, and includes some early pictures. A very enjoyable read. BACK COPIES OF NEWSLETTERS FOR SALE. Back copies of all Newsletters are now available at £2 each, or £1.50 each for copies before September 2001. Prices include postage in UK only. [Overseas members need to contact Paul Brock for details of the postage costs]. Copying will be done in batches within 2 to 3 months, so members need to be patient. The culture list refers out to which Newsletters cover each species. MORE PHASMID INFORMATION. There is a comprehensive section on phasmids by Paul Brock in the well-illustrated Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Insects. Publ. Gale Group (December 2003) ISBN 0787657794. The book includes up to date text by many experts and is well worth the entomologist obtaining it at least by library loan. PAYMENTS BY OVERSEAS MEMBERS. There is a new way for members (especially overseas members) to make payments to the PSG eg for membership renewal. The PSG has embraced Paypal, where you can pay securely by credit card. Details of it are on the PSG website www.stickinsect.org.uk. (But there are some countries, eg the Philippines, which have not yet embraced Paypaf). Alternatively, the old-fashioned way is to send a £ Pound Sterling cheque drawn on a UK Bank, or £ Pound Sterling notes (or your own currency notes, but please add the equivalent of £3 to cover exchange costs), via the postal system - but then you are advised to use secure registered post or your local equivalent. Regards to all IV1IKE SIVIITH Newsletter 98.3 Website: www.stickinsect.org.uk The PSG - Where Did It All Start? What is your PSG Membership number? .Mine is 1973. Well, it started over 20 years ago, with only 10 members! Currently we are reaching the 3000 membership No mark - what a lot of people have passed through our books. In its hey-day. the PSG had around 1,000 current members; but with competition from other clubs, and especially the internet, we now have less than 300 members. But still quite an achievement, all things considered. 1 often cross paths with ex-PSG members, and invariably they say how much they enjoyed being a member and that they would like to join again. Some even do. But have you ever wondered how it all began? Where did the PSG come from? It was Sally Ewen that asked me this question and, intrigued, 1 asked Judith Marshall, and Judith then asked Tony James. We now have the privilege of hearing this fascinating story from Tony James himself - PSG Member No 1. A nicer chap you could not hope to meet, and we all owe many thanks to our enthusiastic founder for helping to make today's PSG possible. ; Included in the following article are details and pictures of prominent PSG members from their younger days. 1 hope they are not offended or embarrassed by this; but the article would not have been complete without giving due credit to the early pioneers of our excellent group. And 1 now have the honour or recording it for posterity in this PSG Newsletter. Mike Smith. THE P.S.G. - HOW IT ALL STARTED by TONY JAMES A few months ago, I was asked by Judith if I could do an article about the history of the PSG so, supported by looking back through my records and the old Newsletters, here is how it all started I've always been interested in animals from a very early age. Playing in our small garden, I became interested in butterflies, moths, and caterpillars from around 9 years of age. A few years later, I discovered "The Butterfly Farm" owned by L.H.Newman in Bexley, Kent (not too far from where Ian Abercrombie lives). Whenever 1 possible, I started saving up pocket and birthday money to buy set insects and various caterpillars and pupae of many British species of Moths and Butterflies to rear (in those days, 10 shillings [50p new money], if you could save it, would buy a lot of insects!).