Sceptrophasma hispidulum

Sceptrophasma hispidulum, commonly known as the Andaman Islands stick insect, is a species of the stick insect family. It originates from the Andaman Islands and is commonly found in tropical forests there. They eat a variety of foliage, though in captivity they commonly eat blackberry bramble, hawthorn, oak, rose, and lettuce. The species has the Phasmid Study Group number PSG183.

Sceptrophasma hispidulum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Phasmatodea
Suborder:	Verophasmatodea
Superfamily:	Anareolatae
Family:	Phasmatidae
Genus:	Sceptrophasma
Species:	S. hispidulum
Binomial name
Sceptrophasma hispidulum Wood-Mason, 1873
Synonyms
Gratidia hispidula     (Wood-Mason, 1873)[1] Sceptrophasma hispidula     (Wood-Mason, 1873)[2][3][4] Paraclitumnus hispidulus     (Wood-Mason, 1873)[5] Bacillus hispidulus     Wood-Mason, 1873[6][7]

Description

Females grow to 7 cm long and males to 6 cm long. The colours include: brown and bronze orange, with slight shining. The eggs take 2–3 months to hatch.

Reproduction

S. hispidulum must have both males and female parents for the ova to hatch. Females will stick their eggs just about everywhere. The ova are 0.8 cm long and are of slightly arched form. The eggs are rather fragile and take 2–3 months to hatch.

References

1. Seiler, C. & et al. (2000) , Phasmiden Pflege und Zucht von Gespenstschrecken, Stabschrecken und Wandelnden Blättern im Terrarium
2. Whiting, M.F., Bradler & Maxwell (2003) Loss and recovery of wings in stick insects, Nature 421(6920):264-267
3. Brock (2003) Rearing and Studying Stick and Leaf Insects. The Amateur Entomologist 22, Rearing and studying stick and leaf insects, The Amateur Entomologists' Society, London 22
4. Brock & Seow-Choen In Seow-Choen (2000) , An illustrated Guide to the Stick and Leaf Insects of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, Natural History Publications, (Borneo) Kota Kinabalu
5. Kirby (1904) , A synonymic catalogue of Orthoptera. 1. Orthoptera Euplexoptera, Cursoria et Gressoria. (Forficulidae, Hemimeridae, Blattidae, Mantidae, Phasmidae), The Trustees of the British Museum, London 1:1-501
6. Wood-Mason (1877) New and little known Insects collected in Upper Tenasserim. Orthoptera, Journal of the Asiatic Society Bengal (J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal) 46:160-163
7. Wood-Mason (1873) On new or little known species of Phasmidae. Part I. -Genus Bacillus, Journal of the Asiatic Society Bengal (J. Asiatic Soc. Bengal) 42(2):45-56, pl. 5-7

• Cameron, Stephen L.; Barker, Stephen C.; Whiting, Michael F. (2006). "Mitochondrial genomics and the new insect order Mantophasmatodea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 38 (38): 274–279. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.09.020. PMID 16321547.