Stick insects are unusual insects that live mainly in hot tropical countries. They have mastered the art of disguise to perfection, perfectly imitating various parts of plants. In nature, they are represented by a huge number of species, about one of them, the Annam stick insect, information is presented in this publication.
Ghost Squad
Today, 455 genera and about three thousand species of stick insects are known. All insects of this order have an outstanding appearance, allowing them to be invisible to predators. With the help of a special color, body shape and various outgrowths, they copy the leaves and branches of trees. Thanks to this skill, they are called stick insects, leafworms, ghosts and even horror stories.
These insects look very different. For example, Phyllium giganteum has the appearance of a wide bright green leaf, and Dryococelus australis is black or brown, has a wide body and looks a bit like a bear. The Annam stick insect is one of the most famousrepresentatives of the detachment and more than others justifies its name. It has a very long body and really resembles a branching twig. Having met him in nature, you may not even guess that you have a living creature in front of you.
Description and photo of Annam stick insect
Stick insects usually cause mixed feelings on the verge of surprise and disgust. They have an elongated cylindrical body and thin elongated limbs. Their head is small, with small, round eyes and filiform antennae that are constantly moving. The mouth of the gnawing type is adapted for eating foliage and protrudes slightly forward. At the top of the head are two outgrowths in the form of small horns.
Annam female stick insects grow up to 12 centimeters. Males are much smaller and reach only 7-8 centimeters in size. Their limbs are located at right angles to the body and make up almost half of its length. At the ends, they are equipped with special suction cups that allow you to attach to various surfaces and move even on glass. Annam stick insects do not have wings at all, but some species have them and serve mainly to scare off ill-wishers.
Disguise and behaviors
Annam stick insects tend to be slow, inactive and very calm. They sit in the crown of trees or bushes and are active mainly at night.
Stick insects are painted in green or brown, the shades of which vary depending on the lighting and internal conditioninsect. The coloring pigment is located in special cells of the upper layers of their skin. Expanding or narrowing, they give the stick insect a brighter or duller color.
In order to blend in completely with the plants, the body of the insect is covered with tiny thorns and bumps, and the limbs are curved like real branches. But the special realism of the image is achieved by the ability to stay in a bizarre pose for a long time, while maintaining absolute immobility.
If an enemy has crept too close and is already grabbing a stick insect, it may drop one of its limbs to try to escape. For some time, the torn off part of the body moves and twitches on its own. In its place, the stick insect may have a new limb, which will be slightly different from the rest.
Habitats
Annam stick insects live in hot and humid regions of Asia. They inhabit forests, thickets near roads, clearings and light forests. High humidity and high ambient temperature are important for them, so they are not found outside the tropics. However, they are not very widespread in the world and live within Indochina and nearby territories. The homeland of stick insects is Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Development and reproduction
Like all insects, stick insects go through several stages of development, making a series of transformations and molts. Interestingly, their reproduction can occur without the participation of the male, with the help of parthenogenesis. In that case, ononly females appear. If both individuals take part in reproduction, then stick insects of both sexes hatch from eggs. Because of this, females are more common and more common in nature than males.
A female can lay eggs when she reaches a size of 11 centimeters. The little stick insects in them are in a twisted state, when they go out, many of them are injured or die. This is not surprising, because the size of the egg reaches only 3 mm, and the length of the stick insect larva is about 1.5 centimeters.
Young insects appear two months after laying eggs. Over the next 5 months they will need to shed about 6 times to become fully grown individuals. They don't spend too much time as adults - the total lifespan of stick insects is between eight months and a year.
Annam stick insect: maintenance and care
Due to their exotic appearance, stick insects are popular as pets. In pet stores you can buy about 300 species belonging to the ghost order. Judging by the reviews, Annam stick insects are the easiest to care for and do not require excessive care from their owners.
However, some conditions close to native, they still have to recreate. When keeping Annam stick insects, you will need a terrarium 20-40 centimeters high and at least 10 × 10 centimeters in area. Inside, it is imperative to pour a substrate of peat, earth, sawdust and foliage. Necessaryalso put various branches there so that the insect can crawl on them.
For a comfortable life of a pet, it is desirable to create a familiar microclimate for him. It is better that the temperature in the container is 26-28 degrees, and the air humidity is 80-90%. For the desired effect, you can periodically spray the stick insect and water the substrate in his "house".
The insect feeds on leaves of oak, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry and various fruit trees. In the summer it is easy to provide him with proper nutrition. In winter, you will have to freeze the greens in the refrigerator, and pour boiling water over them before serving to the stick insect. You can feed it with the shoots and leaves of indoor plants, such as tradiscany, hibiscus or rose.
Keep your pet very carefully. Immediately after molting, this is not necessary at all, because the animal is then very vulnerable. The rest of the time, you need to touch it very carefully so that the stick insect does not lose limbs.
