Ramulus artemis

Okay, camera has arrived and so far I am super chuffed.

Here are a few pictures, we will start with probably the most common and easiest to care for species, Ramulus artemis. This is a parthenogenic species which means there are no males in culture today (mean there are no males in captivity). Strangely enough, this is actually the case with quite a few phasmid species.

Here are the ova (eggs). They are quite small, probably 4-5mm long.

That little finged circle at the one side is called the operculum, which is the "egg cap." That is the part that opens up when the nymph emerges. I will post some pictures later of other species showing the size of the newly hatched nymph relative to the size of the egg. You will be amazed!

The adults are fairly typical phasmids, green coloured, about 120mm long (excluding forelegs) and quite smooth.

I feed them mostly on mango leaves, but they are know to take rose, bramble and many other leaves. They are even known to feed on grass and parsley!

If you have any questions regarding this species, or its care, please give me a shout.