Selling 30 pcs Extatosoma tiaratum eggs, "Spiny leaf insect / Giant prickly stick insect", Phasmatidae Eggs from mated female
world-wide shipping

Species details:
Decription from https://phasmatodea.com/extatosoma-tiaratum-innisfail

Origin

• Innisfail, Queensland, Australia

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Females

• body length about 12 – 14 cm
• but it is very difficult to accurately measure the length of the females, cause they always bend their abdomen upwards
• coloration different amonst females
• dark brown, reddish-brown, light brown and greenish females
• numerous, green spines on head, thorax, abdomen and legs
• short antennae
• short fore- and hindwings
• thumb-thick abdomen (when full of eggs)
• lateral, leaf-like, spiny lobes especially on the 5th and 6th abdominal segment
• strongly developed, leaf-like lobes on the legs
• subgenital plate about as long as the abdominal ending

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Males

• body length about 9 – 10.5 cm
• coloration is consistent amongst males
• few brown spines on head, thorax and legs
• antennae about as long as forelegs
• distinct ocelli (simple eyes) on the head
• well developed, long wings which reach almost to the abdominal ending
• lateral, leaf-like lobes on the 5th – 7th abdominal segment
• leaf-like lobes on the legs
• anal region of the hindwings (the membranous part) chequered light-dark
• a light-green area close to the hindwing joints

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Nymphs

• body length about 17 mm
• short, brown antennae
• dark brown with a light marking on the mesothorax
• by L3 it is quite easy to draw a distinction between ♀♂ (by the naked eye)
• examples on how to differentiate between male and female nymphs

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Eggs

• about 5 x 5 mm
• roundish
• strongly light-dark brown mottled
• some eggs are almost white, while few are almost black
• suface smooth and shiny
• distinct capitulum present on the operculum (lid)
• micropylar plate long and light colored

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Food Plants

• it is very much recommended to cut away the edges of the leaves for nymphs in L1
• regularly change the plants and the water in which they stand, if possible once a week
   
• bramble (Rubus spp.)
  is very well accepted by nymphs and adults
• hazelnut (Coryllus avellana)
  is very well accepted by nymphs and adults
• Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
  is very well accepted by nymphs and adults
• Eucalyptus
  is the natural food plant of this species
• more food plants are mentioned elsewhere, like oak (Quercus spp.), Guava (Psidium guajava)
• most probably a wide variety of food plants is accepted, especially by older nymphs and adults

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Behaviour

• freshly hatched nymphs are very active and run about a lot
• they settle down after some days, once they started to feed
• even small nymphs usually show the typical posture, the upwards bent abdomen
• older nymphs and adults are often passive during the day and out and about feeding at night. But some activity is also possible during daytime
• older nymphs and adults often drop to the ground when the feel threatened, but usually they ze up after just a few step
• especially adult females try to clamp a potential predator with their hindlegs
• this species does not spray a visible spray from its defensive glands on the prothorax. But a very specific odor can be perceived when handling these insects, which might originate from their defensive glands
• adult males can fly, but do so rather seldom
• matings are frequent and couples can stay together for 1 – 2 days
• females fling the eggs away - with a swing of the abomen
• eggs just drop to the ground
• eggs can crack if the hit a glass or similarly hard cage wall

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Developement

• incubation time (HH-incubation on slightly damp sand at 20 - 23 °C) is about 4 – 5 months
• the LTD-method (Low-Temperature-induced-Diapause) can be applied. An LTD-duration of 3 months at 8 – 10°C has been tested, and hatching ratio was high afterwards
• please note, that for phasmids it is not uncommon that some nymphs hatch a few or many months after the first nymphs hatched
• spread some dry spruce needles (Picea abies) over the eggs - this will make it much easier for the nymphs to hatch unscathed
• hatching ratio is usually high
• males will be adult after about 3.5 months (at 20 – 23°C), females after about 4 – 4.5 months
• females start laying eggs after about 3 weeks
• about 20 – 25 eggs per female and week
• adults can live for several months