Peruphasma schultei

This species is also known as Black Beauty, due to its beautiful dark color. The small red wings that adult specimens develop are particularly distinctive. The stage in which we currently ship is adult.

Appearance

This species is black with yellow eyes, and when adult, it has small red wings.
The difference between male and female is clearly visible in adulthood. The male remains significantly smaller than the female.

Behavior

This species of stick insect is very fast. Especially in the evenings, they tend to move quickly when the enclosure is opened. During the day, they hide among the leaves. When handled roughly, this species of stick insect can secrete an irritating fluid. This substance is harmless but temporarily irritates the eyes and nose. It is therefore advisable not to let children handle the animals unsupervised, as they can sometimes be rather rough.

Food

This species eats privet leaves. Privet is evergreen and is often used as a hedging plant. In the city, this plant can often be found in gardens. Privet branches are easy to propagate. Cut them at an angle and place them in a pot of water, and they will continue to grow. Black beauties are not big eaters, so you don't need too many leaves.

Environmental Requirements

Room temperature is fine for these animals, a temperature between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
This species requires a humidity of approximately 40 – 60%. This is achieved by misting about twice a week. Keeping them too wet can lead to infections. You can ideally measure this with the 2-in-1 meters available on our site (with or without sensor).

Housing

As with all stick insect species, the enclosure needs to be at least 3 times the length of the animal in height and at least 2 times the length of the animal in width. For an adult female, this means at least 18 cm high and 10 cm wide, but larger is, of course, also allowed. On our site, you will also find a special insect terrarium with a good ventilation strip at the top and a sliding window at the front.

Reproduction

Males and females can be distinguished by their size. Females are thicker and wider and much larger than males. You can keep them together in one enclosure, and when they are ready to mate, they will do so naturally. The eggs are round black pellets. The eggs hatch after 4 to 5 months. Store the eggs on a damp paper towel. This should remain damp but not really wet. Beware of mold!