Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Phasmatidae Scientific name Ctenomorphodes tessulatus | Phylum Arthropoda Order Phasmatodea Genus Ctenomorphodes Rank Species | |
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Similar Ctenomorphodes, Didymuria violescens, Acrophylla titan, Onchestus rentzi, Acrophylla | ||
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.
Contents
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.
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 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. Cold conditions will hatch the eggs if they were in a non-dry environment, in a crevice, and on sand. Females are Parthenogenic so lots of eggs can start a colony causing plant forest defoliation. Rearing the nymphs is quick and easy, low maintenance cleaning and when adult, mating is easy and simple.