Need insect id-Costa Rica
Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica
January 28, 2011 11:08 am
Hello. Photographed this very well camouflaged bug (insect, spider) in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde area Costa Rica.
Saw it walking across a leaf. when i got close it froze up, looking like a piece of moss. Got a pretty good pic. Brought a small twig close to it, and it jumped off the leaf, almost moved spider like.What could it be.
Signature: DC

Possibly a Phasmid

Wow DC,
That is one crazy insect.  Our first guess would be a Walkingstick or other Phasmid.  They are an order known for excellent camouflage.  Our second guess would be some species of Katydid, though the antennae don’t seem long enough.  We wish you had a better view of the head as the mouthparts might give us some clues.  We hope one of our readers will be able to assist in this identification.

Jacob’s Comment leads to a post in our archive
Thanks to Jacob who found the Moss Mimic Walkingstick, Trychopeplus laciniatus,  which was identified by Dr. Bruno Kneubühler  (Switzerland) in our own archives:  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2008/08/05/moss-mimic-walkingstick-from-costa-rica/.

Karl also cites our archives
Hi Daniel and DC:
I believe the same beast was posted previously on WTB?; by danielj on August 5th, 2008. It was subsequently identified by Dr. Bruno Kneubühler as a Phasmid, specifically “…a nymph (young one) of Trychopeplus sp. (most probably Trychopeplus laciniatus)”. I am quite envious of anyone that manages to find one of these; I keep searching but haven’t found one yet.  Regards. K

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Unknown Insect
Location: Sebring, FL, USA
January 5, 2011 9:46 am
Pictures were taken Dec 3, 2010.
Early afternoon.
Just wondering what they are.
Male and female.
Thank you.
Signature: Jack Nimon

Muskmare and her Stallion

mating Muskmares, a species of Walkingstick.  Be careful.  They spray a noxious substance with amazing accuracy.

Thanks very much. I’ve seen many in the area.
Jack Nimon

Muskmare and her Stallion

Hi again Jack,
We just fired off a quick response to you because we didn’t have time to write a lengthy posting before rushing out of the house to save the Southern California Black Walnut (Juglans californica) Woodland.  We love your one photo of the Muskmare and mate and we couldn’t think of a more romantic photo in recent memory that could serve as the Bug of the Month for February when it will run as a feature on our front page.  Some species of Walkingsticks or Phasmids reproduce parthenogenetically, meaning that young female Walkingsticks can develop from unfertilized eggs so they are genetically identical to the mother.  This is an example of a natural clone and it produces a race with no genetic diversity.  Your Muskmares or Two Lined Walkingsticks, Anisomorpha buprestoides, are capable of spraying a noxious fluid from the leg joints with amazing accuracy.  There are numerous accounts of them spraying the unwary right in the eye.

Daniel,
I do have more pictures from different angles and at a better resolution if needed. I’d be honored to have the picture posted as bug of the month.
Jack Nimon

Send a few more images and we will see if we need to update the posting which already looks great.  It will undergo minor alteration for the Bug of the Month.

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Unknown insect
Location: Australia
November 29, 2010 4:39 am
This little guy has turned up in the enclosed container that our spiny stick insect eggs are in. It’s very different to the babies that have come fron the eggs.
Signature: Andrew

Hatchling Phasmid: Macleay's Spectre Stick Insect

Dear Andrew,
Your inquiry brings up numerous questions in our mind because the insect pictured is an immature Phasmid or Stick Insect.  We can’t help but wonder where your spiny stick insect eggs came from.  Did you collect them or purchase them?  Were they purchased from a supplier?  It might be possible that the supplier deals in numerous species, and a stray egg was included in your batch.  What did the other hatchlings look like?  Since Stick Insects are vegetarian, you can probably raise this guy with the others.

Identification courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Andrew:
It looks like a Macleay’s Spectre Stick Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum), a native of the Australian east coast. Giant Prickly Stick Insect and Australian Spiny Stick Insect are also common names for this species. It appears to be quite popular among Phasmid fanciers so there is quite a lot of information on the internet.  The young nymphs are apparently ant mimics, and the adults are quite spectacular. Regards.  Karl

Update from Andrew
Dear Daniel,
Thanks very much for your help and quick response.
Quite strange as the eggs were all collected from the same spiny leaf female that we previously had.
This was the only one we’ve had so I’m puzzled by the different species.
A pic of one of the others is attached. This seems to have a similar body shape to our previous one.
Thanks again for your assistance.
Andrew

Stick Insect Hatchling, or Mantis????

Dear Andrew and Karl,
Now we are even more confused, and we believe this warrants tagging as a Mystery.  First to Karl, thanks for doing the research on the original image of the Phasmid hatchling and for providing us with links.  Now to Andrew, please clarify your species of spiny leaf female.  Is it the species that Karl has linked to, Extatosoma tiaratum, or is it some other species?  Was it a wild collected female? or Was it purchased?  The reason we are persisting in our questions is that the new image you have attached of the others actually looks more like a Mantis hatchling to us.  If it is in fact a Phasmid hatchling, we would like to identify it.  Thanks for any further information you are able to provide.

December 1, 2010
Hi Guys,
Once again thank you for your help.
The species that Karl has linked is the correct one. They look identical to the previous one we had.
I bought it from a pet shop and have kept about 100 of the eggs so i can wait and see what comes from the other eggs.
The smaller mantis looking one was the first to appear and we then put in some eucalyptus leaves to feed it. The larger one that you have identified as the stick insect then turned up.
My wife is convinced that the leaves were clean from foreign insects when she did this, as they were washed and wiped.
Thank you both for your help, i’m more than happy to keep you updated with photos.
Regards
Andrew

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What’s this Bug?
Location: Northeastern Oklahoma
November 5, 2010 10:39 pm
I live in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, this is pics of a bug we are finding in our home. I have lived here most of my life, and have never seen one, looking forward to hearing what it is. It is early Autumn here, November.
Signature: Thank you, Tonya

Northern Two Striped Walkingstick

Dear Tonya,
Your creature is a Northern Two Striped Walkingstick, which is a somewhat ironic name since it seems BugGuide only reports it south of the Mason-Dixon Line.  According to the BugGuide genus page:  “Members of this genus can deliver a chemical spray to the eyes that can cause corneal damage.“

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