Eurycnema osiris (Gray, 1834)

Common Name:

Identification:

1. Body length: male 115-134 mm, female 170-221 mm.
2. Coloration: Green in female with bold pink longitudinal band on mesonotum, greenish brown in male.
3. Head: Antennae very short in female, in male longer, equalling or shorter than length of forefemora.
4. Thorax: Pronotum smooth, a little shorter than head. Mesonotum 3.3-4 × length of pronotum in female, typically 4.5 × length in male, with a range of short, stout spines, often black tipped. Underside colourfully banded.
5. Abdomen: Long, slender. Operculum long in female, extending well beyond end of abdomen, tapering to slightly pointed tip. End of anal segment semi truncate. Cerci long, 3-4 × longer than wide. End of anal segment in male broadened at outer margins, triangular when viewed laterally; claspers with several large black teeth, with subgenital plate not reaching end of 9th segment. Cerci long, over 10 × longer than wide.
6. Wings: Forewings long, green with white or pink bar in female, not aways present in male. Underside of forewings bright red, edged with green. Pre-anal part of hind wings green, with pink patches and red on inner margin, in male band is purple or reddish and more extensive. The underside is again bright red. Hind wings transparent, veins green.
7. Legs: All legs serrate. Inner margin of hind tibiae with approximately 10 green or brown, well spaced spines with central spines slightly longer. (Brock, 1998)

Note parental placement of eggs.
Operculum flat, surmounted by large pale yellow capitulum, c. 1.5 mm high and roughly spherical; capitulum readily becomes detached from operculum. Opercular angle c. 0°. Capsule roughly spherical, smooth and unpatterned, pale grey. Micropylar plate rather obscure. Dimensions: capsule length 4.0-5.0 (mean 4.63) mm; capsule width 3.4-4.1 (mean 3.83) mm; capsule height 3.6-4.4 (mean 4.15) mm (from Clark, 1976, but he got the name wrong, which was common at that time)

Egg: Capsule oval, grey or light mid-brown or mottled. Micropylar plate large, narrowed towards posterior of capsule. Operculum with a narrow black band; capitulum large, yellowish. Capsule length 4.6 mm, width 3.5 mm, height 3 mm. (Where is this from?)

Habitat:

Note typical vegetation, e.g. tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, grasslands, alpine, etc.

Foodplants: Eucalyptus and Acacia species.

Similar Species:

Rearing Notes:

Foodplants: Eucalyptus and Acacia species. In captivity accepts the same and also bramble Rubus fruticosus, Quercus sp., Psidium guajava and Cypress pine.

For a stick insect with body length 221mm, to keep 2 adult females, you need a cage at least 900mm high, 400mm deep and 550mm wide.

Range:

This phasmid is extremely common in the Northern Territory and may be found in many domestic gardens. People been rearing this species very easily for quite some time now. It thrives on acacia, cypress pine, eucalyptus and guava.

Status:

References:

• Balderson, J., Rentz, D.C.F. and Roach, A.M.E. (1998). in Houston, W.K.K. & Wells, A. (1998) (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 23. Archaeognatha, Zygentoma, Blattodea, Isoptera, Mantodea, Dermaptera, Phasmatodea, Embioptera, Zoraptera. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia (ISBN 0643 06035 9). pp. 347 - 376.
• Bedford, G.O. & Chinnick, L.J. (1966). Conspicuous displays in two species of Australian stick insects. Anim. Behav., 14: 518-521
• Bedford, G.O. (1968). Notes on the biology of some Australian stick insects (Phasmatodea), Journal of the Australian Entomological Society, 7: 81-82
• Bedford, G. O. (1976). Description and development of the eggs of two stick insects from New Britain. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 15: 389-393
• Brock, P.D. (1996). Hot Insect Collection, Insect World, 1(4): 14-15.
• Brock, P.D. (1998). Studies on the stick-insect genus Eurycnema Audinet-Serville (Phasmida; Phasmatidae) with particular reference to Australian species. J. Orthoptera Research, 7: 61-70.
• Brock, P.D. (1999). Review, Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Bulletin of the Amateur Entomological Society, 58: 177-178.
• Brock, P.D. and Lowe, L.M. (1998). A Study of Stick-insects (Phasmida) from Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. J. Orthoptera Research, 7: 71-76
• Clark, J.T. (1976). The eggs of stick insects (Phasmida): a review with descriptions of the eggs of eleven species. Syst. Ent. 1: 95-105. (as E. goliath, which was common mistake at that time)
• Gray, G.R. (1834). Descriptions of several species of Australian Phasmata. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, i, 1 (November 7), pp. 45-46.
• Gray, G.R. (1835). ‘Synopsis of the Species of Insects Belonging to the Family of Phasmidae.’ 48pp. (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green and Longman: London.)
• Key, K.H.L. (1970). Phasmatodea (Stick-insects). pp. 394-404 in CSIRO (ed.) The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, Vol. 1, 1st Edn. (Erroneously as E. goliath. It is possibel that Key was responsible for the error, as it dates from the time of this work. The ANIC collection, whick Key curated, contains both E. goliath and E. osiris specimens, but no eggs.)
• McKeown, K.C. (1936). Description of the male of Clemacantha regale Rainbow, Records of the Australian Museum, 29(6): 380-382, Sydney, 7 October
• Rainbow, W.J. (1897). Catalogue of the described Phasmidae of Australia. Records of the Australian Museum, 3(2), 37-44. [Note that he made a mistake re Extatosoma popa and E. tiaratum according to Gurney, A.B. (1947). Notes on some remarkable Australasian walkingsticks, including a synopsis of the Genus Extatosoma (Orthoptera: Phasmatidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 40(3): 373-396. .]
• Slater, P. (1997). Phasmids In Amazing facts about Australian insects and spiders and other bush and garden creatures, Steve Parish Publishing, Fortitude Valley QLD Australia, p. 39
• Tepper, J.G.O. (1902). List of the Described Genera and Species of the Australian and Polynesian Phasmidæ (Spectre-Insects). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 26: 278-287.
• Vickery, V.R. (1983). Catalogue of Australian stick insects (Phasmida, Phasmatodea, Phasmatoptera, or Cheleutoptera). CSIRO Australian Division of Entomology Technical Paper, No. 20, 15 pp.
• Search Google for Eurycnema osiris, or search Google Scholar for Eurycnema osiris.

Synonyms:

• Acrophylla osiris (Grey); de Haar, 1842
• Acrophylla osiris (Gray); Westwood, 1859
• Ctenomorpha osiris (Gray); Kirby, 1904; Redtenbacher, 1908
• Diura osiris Gray, 1834
• Eurycnema cercata Redtenbacher, 1902
• Eurycnema stenocerca Redtenbacher, 1908

Copyright © 2000-2003 Peter Miller This page was last changed 20-Sep-2006.