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.