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Costa Rican Walking Stick
August 15. 2009Hi Bugman:
I traveled to Costa Rica this past winter with few expectations but with a clear objective to finally find a walking stick (family Phasmatidae). Our weather was pretty awful and despite two weeks of considerable searching I had no luck until the very last day when I spotted this Metriophasma diocles clinging to the underside of a leaf in Carara National Park. Even turning the leaf over for a closer look did not convince some of the people with me that it was actually a living creature. So I tapped it gently with my finger and was immediately rewarded with a spectacular startle display. It relaxed after a short while and resumed a more cryptic posture along the stem, but by this time a small crowd was gathering and it decided it had had enough. It flew away, very slowly but with surprising grace, and took cover on a higher branch. Regards.
Karl

Walking Stick from Costa Rica: Metriophasma diocles

Hi Karl,
Thanks for this wonderful contribution to the website.  We found some other photos online for a link.

Walking Stick from Costa Rica: Metriophasma diocles

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