Ctenomorphodes tessulatus

Tessulata stick insect
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Phasmatodea
Family: Phasmatidae
Genus: Ctenomorphodes
Species: C. tessulatus
Binomial name
Ctenomorphodes tessulatus
(Gray)

The Tessulata stick insect or Tesselated Phasmid is a not very large but common species of stick insect found in the Brisbane area of Australia. Fully grown males in mating season exhibit frenetic behaviour. This species is also parthenogenic.

Description

Tesselated phasmids are brown-grey in colour and are about 150mm long (female) and males are 120mm long, the name comes from the dark black tesselations, which resemble small spines on the thorax, short-winged females and long-winged males obviously the males are capable of flight and females are not. Eggs are tiny (3mm), shiny black with white captullum.

taxonomy of a random phasma

Closely related species

There are three species in the genus:

Titan stick insect is also closely related

Behaviour

Females, like all phasmids, in Australia flick their eggs to the ground in order to attract ants to take them to the ant refinery where they hatch over seasons.

Males in breeding season can get over the top in sexual activity and can even mate with breeds not of their own to create new species. This sexual activity can occur when a dead dried up stick insect-mannequin is in the males sight, then the male performs his mating habits featured on the Titan stick insect[2] page, this species is a real mad man when it comes to mating.

Rearing in captivity

Nymphs will hatch if they are in crevices in rock and will not hatch in dry conditions, whilst on sand the eggs will hatch as well.[3] Cold conditions will hatch the eggs if they were in a non-dry environment, in a crevice, and on sand.[4] Females are Parthenogenic so lots of eggs can start a colony causing plant forest defoliation.[5] Rearing the nymphs is quick and easy, low maintenance cleaning and when adult, mating is easy and simple.

Notes

  1. ↑ species in genus Ctenomorphodes
  2. ↑ The titan stick insect is the largest phasmid in Australia reaching 28mm long
  3. ↑ Nymphs when hatching in crevices can use the rock, bark etc for helping hand to get out of the egg, also while on sand the nymphs can use the sand to emerge without having the egg still attached to rear legs.
  4. ↑ C. tessulatus eggs will not hatch in dry conditions. The presence of sand or litter helps the young phasmatid to completely free its metathoracic legs - if the eggs are placed loosely on the surface the nymph frequently cannot accomplish this and usually dies still attached to the shell.
  5. ↑ whilst reaching adult hood the tesselated phasmid needs to keep feeding in order to grow this causes great numbers then causing forest destruction

See also

External links