Discover the Fascinating World of 'Specials'

Giant Leaf Insect - Phyllium giganteum PSG72

Depending on our breeding stock, you will receive PSG72 or PSG278. The nymphs are between L2-L6.

This species was formerly known as Phyllium sp. Leaf insects belong to the group Phasmida, which also includes stick insects. Phyllium giganteum has also been assigned a PSG number, namely PSG 72. Phyllium sp. is native to Malaysia.

The information below mainly concerns the PSG72.

Appearance and Origin

The species lives only in western Malaysia and is the largest known species.

The animal has excellent camouflage: its body strongly resembles a frayed leaf. Not only is the color green and the body flat and oval, but the veins are also mimicked. 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 anyway, it plays dead, because insectivores do not eat dead insects and sometimes drop the leaf insect. This is also its only defense; a leaf insect is otherwise completely defenseless.

An adult female is over 13 cm. (PSG278 remains a bit smaller, with a maximum of 8 cm.)

Reproduction

Reproduction is special. Males do occur in nature, but they are not needed for breeding animals in captivity. In captivity, therefore, only females are available. The females then lay unfertilized eggs which do hatch and are all female. This is called parthenogenesis . (For PSG278, males also occur; they are smaller and narrower and can fly reasonably well with strong wings.)

Development

All specimens born through parthenogenesis are females. This species also exhibits gynandromorphism : the phenomenon that a specimen possesses 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 from the egg, they look just like spiders. Later, when they start to eat, they turn green. The eggs hatch after 5 to 6 months and it takes almost a year for the animals to mature. The leaf insects go through 8 stages of molting.

Housing

Giant leaf insects are 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 about five adult animals. There should be sufficient ventilation.

Food

They feed on bramble 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 bramble sprigs. This prevents eggs and nymphs from ending up in the water and keeps the bramble leaves good for one to two weeks.

It is important that the climate in the enclosure is relatively dry. This is achieved by limited spraying with a plant sprayer. The animals drink moisture from fresh leaves. So always ensure fresh bramble leaves with the branches/stems in moisture as described above.

Handling and moving

Sometimes it is necessary to move the leaf insects. The small specimens are easiest to pick up by the tip of their "tail" and can be gently pulled loose if they are holding on. If you find this daunting, a spoon is a good solution. With a little skill, they will walk onto it themselves. Carefully pick up the larger specimens. If they are holding on to a twig, do not pull hard. You can also manipulate them so that they walk onto your hand themselves.

Replacing bramble leaves for nymphs

The advice is to first replace the withered leaves by cutting off the leaves from the old twigs in the enclosure and leaving them in the enclosure with the nymphs on them. Remove the twigs and some leaves. Continue this until all the twigs have been removed from the jam jar with holes. Once the jam jars are cleaned, they are put back and the new twigs are placed in them. A few days later, remove the dried leaves. Make sure to check carefully that there are no nymphs on them.

Maintenance

On the bottom, place, for example, a few centimeters of sandbox or tile sand. This prevents mold. The dry sand easily absorbs moisture and also easily releases it. Before the sand is used, it needs to be thoroughly dried.

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

When cleaning, you can put droppings with eggs on a tray and 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. Inside, the windows are cleaned only with paper towels and a little warm water.

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!

Breeding Kit with PSG1 Indian Stick Insect Eggs

PSG1 Egg Set

Order your breeding kit here, which includes a breeding container and approximately 20 Indian stick insect eggs. The eggs can be kept in the breeding container on a moist paper towel (rewetting once a week is sufficient).

The eggs are, on average, a few weeks old. We ship eggs of various ages mixed together so that, under normal circumstances, there's always something to see. Some are expected to hatch within a few weeks to a few months, with the rest hatching within six months at the latest. As care and conditions are important for the eggs to hatch, we cannot guarantee hatching success.

General Information

Indian Stick Insect eggs for sale. The Indian stick insect is also known as the laboratory stick insect and is the most commonly kept stick insect species worldwide. The species has also been assigned a PSG number, PSG 1. Its official Latin name is Carausius morosus.

Most people also start with this species when they first begin keeping stick insects. They are very easy to keep and eat readily available food, namely ivy.

Movement and Behavior

An Indian stick insect is a calm animal. As most stick insects are nocturnal, they won't show much movement during the day. However, in the evening, you can observe them moving and eating. They cannot bite, scratch, or secrete venom and are easy to handle. They also cannot jump or fly.

Diet

This species eats many types of leaves. They are known for eating ivy. They can live on all types of ivy and do not need other leaves to be healthy. You can also feed them many other leaves, such as blackberry, raspberry, oak, rose, hazel, and privet leaves. Blackberry leaves and ivy can always be found in winter.

Plants from stores are sprayed with insecticides! Your stick insects will die immediately if they eat these.

Environmental Requirements

The temperature can range between 18 °C and 30 °C. Room temperature is therefore perfectly fine for these animals.
The stick insect does not have high humidity requirements; misting the enclosure twice a week as a basic measure is sufficient. Watch out for mold development. They should also have some drinking water.
As with all stick insect species, this species requires an enclosure 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 an enclosure of at least 24 cm high and 16 cm wide.

Reproduction

This species is parthenogenetic in culture. This means that in captivity, there are only females, and the eggs they lay will still hatch without a male being present. Only females will emerge from these eggs.
When the females are mature, they will start laying eggs. The eggs are round and brown and have a small cap from which the nymph will later emerge. They simply drop them on the ground. The eggs hatch after a few months to half a year.

Our Own Breeding

All our eggs come from our own breeding and are well-cared for before shipment.

PSG 9 Spiny Leaf Insects

Breeding set of PSG9 eggs

Order your PSG9 breeding set here, a breeding container with approximately 15 eggs of the special Australian spiny leaf insect. These eggs have been fertilized in recent months. We package eggs of different ages so that they can hatch over a longer period. Since care and conditions are important for the eggs to hatch, we cannot guarantee that all eggs will hatch.

The eggs hatch between 2 and 9 months if a male has fertilized the female. We only offer fertilized eggs. Store the eggs on a damp paper towel. This must always remain moist but not truly wet. It is best to store the eggs at 25 °C. Beware of mold!

Extatosoma tiaratum is also known as the spiny leaf insect. The species has also been given a PSG number, namely PSG 9. E. tiaratum is native to Australia and New Guinea.

Popular

This is a very popular stick insect species, due to its unusual shapes and size. Read on to learn more about caring for this stick insect.

Appearance

This species actually looks more like a type of cactus than a branch or leaf. They have striking spines and protrusions on their legs. They are often brown in color, and very occasionally green variants of this species can be found.
What is striking is the large difference between males and females. Females are thick, spiny, and up to 15 cm long. Males are slender with long wings, few spines, and a length of about 12 to 13 cm.

Behavior

This type of stick insect exhibits very special behavior. As a defense, females and nymphs mimic a scorpion! By curling their tail upwards, they resemble venomous scorpions. Predators who see this are startled and do not dare to risk attacking a potential scorpion. The harmless stick insect cleverly gets away by bluffing with its tail!
Furthermore, this is a calm animal. Since most stick insects are nocturnal, they will not show much movement during the day. In the evening, however, you can see them moving and eating.

Food

This species eats blackberry, raspberry, oak, rose, hazelnut, and eucalyptus leaves. Blackberry leaves are always available in winter.
Beware of rose bushes from the store, they are always sprayed with insecticides! Eucalyptus is mostly unsprayed, but to be safe, you should always inquire at the store.

Environmental Requirements

The temperature can vary between 20 °C and 30 °C. Room temperature is fine for these animals.
This species does not have high demands on humidity. They need some water to drink, and for molting, the humidity can also be a bit higher. Ventilation is important. We recommend misting the enclosure about twice a week.
As with all stick insect species, this species needs an enclosure that is 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 45 cm high and 30 cm wide.
If the females become very large and heavy, it becomes difficult for them to climb on glass. It is better for your pet if you ensure that it can also climb up via a rough surface or branch. They often hang upside down.

Reproduction

Males and females are easy to distinguish. Females are thicker and wider and have many spines, while males are narrower with fewer spines. When they are mature, the males are very different from the females. They then have wings and are very slender. They also have very long antennae.
This species can reproduce parthenogenetically or sexually. You can keep the males and females together in an enclosure. The eggs are round brown balls. They can be distinguished from droppings because they are much rounder and shiny, and they do not fall apart if you rub them gently.

Egg Incubation Box

Practical

This incubation box is simple, but perfectly suited for its purpose. You can use it to hatch eggs from stick insects, leaf insects, and young praying mantises. With the right food, you can even keep a number of hatched nymphs in it!

It's a completely transparent box measuring 10 by 10 by 6 cm high.

Ventilation

The box is equipped with ventilation holes on both sides. So, the necessary ventilation is provided for.

Possibilities

You can easily provide the box with a layer of sand, a paper towel, napkin, or other material. Take care of your eggs by keeping them in a warm place and lightly misting them regularly.

Praying Mantis Mask

Introduction

With this high-quality praying mantis mask, you'll see the world around you like a true insect. The compound eyes are integrated into two beautiful lenses. The compound lenses consist of multiple small facets, making you see everything in small parts. Additionally, everything appears green through these glasses. Just like praying mantises, you now see only one hue.

How to use

You can easily flip the compound lenses forward or backward. This allows you to see normally or like a true insect. Recommended for children aged 4 and up.

Specifications

• This green praying mantis mask gives you an insect's view of the world
• Specially designed compound lenses that flip back and forth
• Lightweight, high-quality mask
• Safe and durable
• 14 cm wide and approximately 13 cm high