Phasmatodea

The birth of a butterfly The metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly is one of the most common biological phenomena. From an egg laid by the butterfly, a small caterpillar hatches which nourishes truthfully for 6-8 weeks, until maturity; it is then a fat worm of about 8 cm. The larva then spins the cocoon, inside which it turns into a pupa. During a period of hibernation the pupa's body is somehow rearranged to form a mature moth that will find a mate and repeat the cycle. But what causes this incredible body change? What mechanism controls the chronology of these phenomena so that the fragile moth leaves its cocoon only in...

Where and How to Collect Insects Insects feed on the leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruit of many horticultural plants, producing directly visible damage or symptoms. Examine plants closely. Look for holes in leaves or ragged leaves near the ends of branches. Turn leaves over to see for sure, especially if you spot any leaf discoloration or stippling patterns. Also check for ant activity – they often tend aphids or scale insects whose honeydew (sugary excrement) they love. Look for holes in stems – evidence of boring insect activity and insect frass (excrement). Plants damaged by soil insects or stem-borers may wilt in the heat of day...

PINNING, MOUNTING AND DISPLAYING INSECTS Temporary Storage Boxes You will need a least one, but more likely two “Schmidt Boxes”, a specially designed and constructed container for long term insect storage. The lid is tightly fitted to the box to help prevent entry of scavenger insects which feed on dead insect specimens, into the box. Cigar boxes make excellent containers for temporary storage of pinned insect specimens. Line the bottom of cigar boxes with styrofoam material, corkboard, balsa or cardboard to receive and hold the insect pins. While cigar boxes are fine for temporary storage, they are poor over long periods of time. For ex...

Well I finally got round to doing this! It was about time I emptied my freezer a bit. I do this because it keeps the insects from rotting until I find a time to preserve them. I will hasten to add I don't freeze healthy insects just to pin them - all the specimens I preserve have died naturally, but I do occasionally do euthanasia when a moult goes wrong, or with some species that take a long time to die (this can happen with Heteropteryginae, sometimes taking weeks). The insect in this demonstration is an adult female Anchiale sp. from Malaita. She moulted to adult, but failed to start feeding and died a few days later (the rest are doin...

This will help us position the insect without it moving all over the place. Next I use some more pins to hold the insect in a straight line, so when you move a leg it doesn't pivot on the main pin. Next, position the legs so that the insects is as close to symmetrical as possible. Don't put the legs too close to the body, but not so far apart the insect takes up loads of room. On the right rear leg I've laid the pins almost flat so they won't catch on the wing. Now let's get that wing out! I use the setting pins for this. Carefully slide the pin along the hind-wing until you can easily lift up the elytron (fore-wing).