Spiny Stick Insect, Phasmid - Female

Description:

The first picture is of a Sub-Adult female specimen found at un-named mountain in Ifugao province, Philippines. The specimen was collected and after 3 weeks, she molted and sheds her greenish skin colors to light brown color (pictures 2, 3 & 4).

Habitat:

Tropical forest at altitude ranging from 1,000 - 1,400 meters above sea level. In captivity, she feeds on mango & guava leafs. At lower altitude of 1,000 masl nearer to a river, they tend to seem to have keep a greenish skin whereas individuals found at higher altitude away from the river shows shades of brownish skin.

Notes:

This specie was first described by Rehn & Rehn in 1939 based on a single female sub-adult specimen. There were possibly no reported sighting/records of this specie until now. During our trip, only females of this specie were spotted, more than 10 of them and not a single male. It is possible that this specie could probably be parthenogenetic in the area we found them.