Giant Walking Leaf - Phyllium giganteum PSG72

Nymphs of a considerable size already, they are already in stage L3-L6 and are therefore already strong (grown).

This species used to be known as Phyllium sp. Walking leaves fall under the group Phasmida, which also includes walking sticks. Phyllium giganteum has also been given a psg number, namely psg 72. Phyllium sp. occurs naturally in Malaysia.

The information below is mainly about the PSG72.

Appearance and Origin

The species lives only in western camouflage: the body looks exactly like a ragged leaf. Not only is the color green and the body flat and oval, the vene are also imitated. The legs are brown and have notches and appear irregular. This makes it even more difficult for a potential enemy to see them. If the animal is caught, it will play dead, because insect eaters do not eat dead insects and sometimes drop the walking leaf. This is also the only defense, a walking leaf is completely defenseless.

A mature female is over 13 cm. (PSG278 remains a bit smaller with 8 cm as a max.)

Reproduction

Reproduction is special. Males do occur in nature, but they are not needed when breeding animals in captivity. In captivity, only females are available. The females then get unfertilized eggs that do hatch and are all female. This is called virgin reproduction (parthenogenesis). (PSG278 also has males, which are smaller and narrower and can fly reasonably well with large wings.)

Development

All specimens born through parthenogenesis are females. This species also has gynandromorphism: the phenomenon that a specimen has many male characteristics, but is still female. Young animals are called nymphs and are reddish brown until the first molt. When the nymphs have just hatched, they look like spiders. Later, when they start eating, they turn green. The eggs hatch after 5 to 6 months and it takes almost a year for the animals to become adults. The leaves go through 8 stages of molting.

Housing

Giant walking leaf is kept at room temperature. Approximately 20 ^o to 25^o Celsius. They need a terrarium of at least 20cm long x 20cm wide x 40cm high. Such a tank is suitable for housing approximately five adult animals. There must be sufficient ventilation.

Food

They live on blackberry leaves. If available, a sprig of rose leaves or oak leaves.

A jam jar with holes in the lid serves as a vase for the blackberry leaf sprigs. This prevents eggs and nymphs from ending up in the water and keeps the blackberry leaf good for a week to fourteen days.

It is important that the climate in the container is relatively dry. This is achieved by spraying it sparingly with a plant sprayer. The animals drink moisture from fresh leaves. So always make sure you have fresh blackberry leaves where the branches/stems are in moisture as described above.

Grabbing and moving

Sometimes it is necessary to move the walking leaves. The small ones can be easily grabbed by the tip of the “tail ” and if necessary carefully pulled loose if they hold on. If you find this scary, a spoon is a solution. With a bit of skill they will walk onto it by themselves. The larger ones can be grabbed carefully. If they are holding on to a twig, don't pull too hard. You can also manipulate them so that they walk onto your hand.

Replacing blackberry leaves with nymphs

The advice is to first replace the dead leaves by first cutting off the leaves from the old twigs in the container and leaving them in the container with the nymphs on them. Remove the twigs and some leaves. Continue in this way until all the twigs have been removed from the jam jar with holes. Once the jam jars have been cleaned, they are put back and the new twigs are put in. A few days later, remove the dried leaf. Be careful not to add any nymphs. mfen on.

Maintenance

For example, you can put a few centimetres of sandbox or tile sand on the bottom. This prevents mould. The dry sand easily absorbs moisture and also releases it easily. Before using the sand, it is necessary to let it dry properly.

You can simply leave the droppings where they are. As well as the leaf waste. If there is a lot of it, you can easily scoop it up with a spoon and remove it. If there are eggs, you can also leave them there.

When cleaning, you throw droppings with eggs on a tray and you can separate them quite easily. For example, you can use a tea strainer to quickly separate the sand from droppings and eggs. Then separate the eggs from the droppings. The windows are only cleaned on the inside with kitchen paper with a little warm water.