The Phasmid Study Group CHAIRMAN: Judith Marshall. Ik-pL of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD. (Tel: 0171 938 9344 ; FAX 0171 938 8937) TREASURER/MEMBERSHIP: Paul Brock. "Papillon", 40 Thorndike Road, Slough, Berks. SL2 1SR. (Tel: 01753 579447) SECRETARY: Phil Bragg. 8 The Lane, Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2QP (Tel: 0115 9305010) SEPTEMBER 1998 NEWSLETTER No 76 ISSN 0268-3806 Drawing by Daniel Hallett DIARY DATES 1998 OCTOBER^ AES EXHIBITION Kempton Park Racecourse. Offers of help to Phil Bragg NOVEMBER 22nd WEST OF ENGLAND CREEPY CRAWLY SHOW Newton Abbot Racecourse NOVEMBER 29th REPTILE & ENTOMOLOGICAL SHOW This show will be held in the Leicester area - more details in next Newsletter. DECEMBER 6th MIDLANDS ENTOMOLOGICAL FAIR The Kettering Leisure Village Arena 1999 JANUARY 23rd. PHASMID STUDY GROUP A.G. M. Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London. The Phasmid Study Group has been invited to exhibit at some of the above Shows. If you would like to help run our stand please contact the member named or Paul Jennings at 89 Brackensdale Avenue. Derby, DE22 4AF, (S 01332 343477. If members are willing to run a stand at shows not mentioned here, please contact the Editor with dates, and remember to send in a review if you have attended a show. If you require Membership Forms these are available from the Editor. Change of address: Phil Bragg has moved house and his new address is: 8 The Lane, Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, NG16 2QP. His phone number remains the same, 0115 9305010 COMPETITION With this Newsletter you should find an additional sheet, with questions on one side and a male and female Heteropteryx dilatata on the reverse. Unfortunately there is no prize for getting all the answers on the front of the sheet right, that is just for fun, the answers can be found somewhere in this Newsletter, but the competition is the colouring competition on the reverse, so get colouring everybody. You can use colouring crayons, paints, there are no restrictions. All ages can enter, just tick the age selection box, and don't forget to add your name and PSG number. Judging will take place at the AGM next January, so you have plenty of time to do the competition and send it back to the Editor, Paul Taylor. The prizes, well you have guessed, PSG T-shirts of your choice. There will be one for the winner of each age group. You will be contacted after the AGM, unless of course you are there. Good luck everybody, and get colouring! Phasmid Studies With the June issue of the Newsletter, there should also have been an issue of Phasmid Studies, but as I have had no complaints, perhaps members were being kind in not contacting the Editor. Well, what did happen to the June Phasmid Studies? It was printed and sent to the local area office for collection by the Editor, but instead, some kind person decided to "borrow them", 9 boxes full of Phasmid Studies. What anybody would want to do with 9 boxes of Phasmid Studies is beyond me, but sure enough, they have vanished. So, unfortunately for the printers, they have had to re-print 9 boxes of Phasmid Studies, and hopefully, with this Newsletter you should receive your June Phasmid Study booklet. But if you don't get it, please think of your poor Editor and don't all complain at once. Exhibition & Meetings Report West of England Creepy Crawly Show - Newton Abbott Racecourse. Janine Fletcher This was my third visit to the show, but this year I'd been roped into helping on the Phasmid Study Group and Mantis Study Group stands by Paul Taylor, and as usual my mother was coming as well, so her services were volunteered as well. My mother was somewhat apprehensive at first, as although she likes stick insects and mantids, her knowledge of them is about as good as my knowledge of nuclear physics! We arrived about half an hour before the show opened, and found that the stand was already set up, so we had a good chance to look around before the show opened. This year, I was a bit disappointed to see that several of the stands, although pre-booked, remained empty, and I think that there was less on show generally than in previous years. When the doors opened at 10.00 am, we were pleased to see that there was a steady flow of people arriving and visiting our stand. A lot of interest was shown in the stick insects and mantids on display, especially the Peruvian Fern Insects, Oreophoetes peruana. We handed out many PSG and MSG membership forms, and many questions were asked, from the sensible to the ridiculous. In all, the day was a great success, and even my mother enjoyed herself, and said she'd be happy to help out again. We're now both looking forward to the next show there in November. West of England Creepy Crawly Show - Newton Abbott Racecourse. Paul Taylor This is the first time that I have ventured down to do this show, and I must say I was impressed with the venue and the layout. The show was certainly well spaced out with a steady stream of people all day long. I was certainly made most welcome by all, and will definitely do this show again. It was very nice to meet members of the Group from the South West whom we do not normally see. A special thanks to Janine and her mother for helping out (I certainly needed their assistance), to Joe Rogers and his family, the organisers and the hospitality of the people from the South West. Phasmid Study Group Summer Meeting - Natural History Museum. The summer meeting was held on Saturday 25th July in the Palaeontology Demonstration Room and was attended by approximately 75 members and families. Following the formal meeting and lunch, Ian Abercrombie gave a most interesting illustrated talk on his collecting trip with Phil Bragg to Malaysia. A variety of plants, insects, spiders and mammals were shown from their extensive travels which took in Tasik Chini, Lulu and parts of Borneo. The area was unbelievable for the amounts of insects that were available, including stick insects. Following Ian's talk, young Samuel Cox gave a most interesting and descriptive talk on his rearing methods of Haaniella and Heteropteryx, from the popular Phasmid group, Heteropteryginae, the group that the insect workshop was about later in the afternoon. A copy of this talk given by Samuel will be found further in the Newsletter. It was then time for Ian's second and most important job of the day, as Livestock Co-ordinator, in charge of the Livestock exchange. As usual, Ian disappeared under a sea of members all clamouring for that sought after species. Ian eventually emerged with bare tables in front of him, and happy members all around. It was then time for our insect workshop. Phil Bragg brought along a number of drawers of set specimens of the Heteropteryginae group of insects, and other members brought live specimens. With 15 species presently in the group, ranging from the very popular Heteropteryx dilatata, to Dares sp. Haaniella sp., Hoploclonia gecko, Aretaon asperrimus, etc., there was certainly plenty to see and discuss. In fact, the discussions were still progressing when I left the museum, so if there is any member missing from home, I can only assume that they are still at the Natural History Museum. In all the day seemed to go down very well. Again it is nice to meet up with our newer members at these meetings and we hope that you all enjoyed it, and we shall see you at the AGM in January. Talk given by Samuel Cox on the culturing of Haaniella and Heteropteryx. Samuel has been a member of the Phasmid Study Group for VA years and although he has had many species in his collection, two of his favourite species are Haaniella and Heteropteryx. He inherited his first batch of Haaniella nymphs from Ian Abercrombie, along with some ova at the last PSG meeting. Samuel seems to be very successful in the way he is housing them at the moment. Whilst at the Entomological Fair in Kettering he managed to get hold of a butterfly cage made of wood with fine mesh sides. The three sides and the top were covered with polythene to keep out the draughts and increase the humidity, and the bottom was again covered in polythene and damp peat put on top. They are sprayed very regularly and the peat is always kept damp. The Haaniella are fascinating, especially as they are now fully grown. They are fed on bramble and oak, which Samuel changes once a week. The eggs that are laid are almost as big as a pea. They take up to 8 months to hatch. Out of all the Haaniella spp. Sam's favourites are Haaniella muelleri, and the most aggressive, Haaniella saussurei males. They hiss like mad and can hurt you very much with their back legs. The Haaniella moults about once every two months and their cast skins are delicate and still show a bit of the insects old colour. Samuel brought along the shed skin of a female Heteropteryx dilatata which was still bright green and looked like the original insect. The only loss that he has suffered is the death of a male Jungle Nymph which had a bad moult before adulthood. All the Haaniella species have wings but cannot fly. They use these in defence as they make a very loud hissing noise.