''Pseudodiacantha macklottii'', formally ''Orxines macklottii'', is a species of

stick insect The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida, Phasmatoptera or Spectra) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as ...

endemic to

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

. It is better known as the Javanese Lichen Stick Insect due to their habit of covering their bodies with moss and lichens to supplement their disguise in the wild.

Description

Females are sturdy, medium-sized, long-legged, and have a body length of about . Males are much smaller, with a body length of about . They are long-legged and slender and less contrasting than females. Both sexes have small bright orange wings, fringed with a black border and white dots, but lack flight capability.

Captivity

The first culture of ''Pseudodiacantha macklottii'' was imported by a zoo in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1946 but the exact origin of this old culture is unknown. They are considered easy to breed. Common food plants accepted by both nymphs and adults include ''

Corylus avellana ''Corylus avellana'', the common hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It is an important component of the hedgerows that were the traditional field boundaries in lowland En ...

'' and ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

''. ''Pseudodiacantha macklottii'' are active mainly during the night and when threatened, they release a distinctive odor.

Additional images

File:Pseudodiacantha_macklottii_male.jpg, Adult male ''Pseudodiacantha macklottii'' specimen

References

Brock. 1975. TIEG 10(1):28.

External links

Phasmid Study Group
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10643006 Phasmatodea Phasmatodea of Asia Insects described in 1842