NESCICROA THISBE

Just one word we all said - me, joachim, nathalie, nando - when we found it on Mt Palakong last July 2009 > WOW !!!!!!
Truly amazing species, such a gorgeous mix of colors.
Unfortunately my attempt to culture it here in Manila failed, one because they refused each and every foodplants I proposed to them and secondly, I think, because of the much higher temperatures here in lowland Manila than there high on the mountain.

OPHICRANIA PALINURUS

What can I say about that species > just magnifiscent !!!
Found it in QNP (Quezon National Park) in Atimonan, Quezon Province, South-East Luzon.
I found the male many months before the female was found by Joachim Bresseel last July 2009. That species feed on Palms exclusively, refuses Pandanus.
They live quite long in captivity, need a high humidity, they however produce very few eggs > more or less 5/6 eggs a week and only if conditions are good.
Males are very good flyers, females do not fly they are moving very little either and can remain immobile on the foodplant for a very long time they just wait for the males to fly and find them :)

NECROSCIA SALMANAZAR

Fantastic and quite large species, I found many months ago far in the mountains arround Tayabas, Quezon Province, East Luzon.
Will always remember the first female in my flashlight, standing on top of a large leaf, blue silverish antennas up and stricking pink wings open.......I was so stunned I could'nt even say anything, just stayed mute of admiration !!!!
Took a "big risk" that evening as the area we were in was a notorious communist rebels area infested. Incidently in the short 2 hours we stayed in that area we found only this species, about 6 couples, feeding on a wild species of cinnamomum. here in manila they accepted easily jasminum and sampagita as replacement plants. Eggs are very large, long and curved, the female "hammers" them with great force in a soft support, styrophoam in my case. Unfortunately none of the eggs I got ever emerged and i lost the culture of that species :((
Nothing else left to me that "repeat" the risky trip in that area to get new specimens again.......a trip to "think about" first for obvious reasons.....!!!

End Year Holidays

ASCELES SP "Real"

Species similar to Asceles scabra from QNP, found it there again, deep in Mount-Palakong, Real, East Luzon 6 months ago in the company of Joachim bresseel during that "famous" collecting night :))

MITHRENES SP Ilanin

Yet another Mithrenes species I actually found as early as August 2008.....but found only a single pair and the hatchlings from that couple all died as they refused all foodplants I was proposing to them ! Then last August 2009 I went back to the exact same place as the previous year hoping to find that species again and this time I was luckier as I found several pairs on a single night, however that species is confined to a very small area on a trail about 400 meter long along a river in the Ilanin forest, West-Luzon and thats it, never found any anywhere else than that piece of trail !!! This time too I was able to ID the foodplant and was able to breed it. Ilanin Forest is a place very kind to me as it previously gave me also the First Phyllium species 9 years ago, today known as PSG278 and the very first male of Sungaya inexpectata 2 years ago, unknown at that time :))

UPDATE # 5

And here are the pictures of the Adult male of Ctenomorphodes tessulata, missing in my previous post.

Other Non-Filipino species I breed / have breed #12

EXTATOSOMA TIARATUM SP?
Origin > Queensland - Australia
Here's a very nice and interesting species......starts with the eggs that are only half size of the "usual" ETs we all know, then the females colorations are very variable indeed : as pictured it goes from brown to orange and then green!!! I started culture with guava (Psidium gujava) till L4 then changed foodplant to Muntingia....from that moment on started to appear a few specimens turning green color :) I should have probably started with muntingia even a moult earlier and I'm convinced that some specimens would turn in very deep green color > next generation for sure ! Sexual breeding. (Thanks Alex)

Other Non-Filipino species I breed / have breed #11

CTENOMORPHODES TESSULATA
Origin > Queensland - Australia
Nice medium sized phasmid, pretty common, variable in colorations. Nice orange mini wings however. Have only females in culture as of today and a single male which is a subadult now (see future UPDATE for pics). Species is parthenogenetic anyway. I feed them problemless on guava (Psidium gujava). (Thanks Alex)

Other Non-Filipino species I breed / have breed #10

ACROPHYLLA TITAN
Origin > Queensland - Australia
Sumptuous and very large species, the largest I have breed so far. Both sexes have large wings, black and white with a nice purple base, the male flies nicely, strongly.
Here they accepted Guava (Psidium gujava) as replacement foodplant easily. That species require a very large cage, at least 80cm in height, as the final moult of the female is a tricky one, she needs that depth to fully hang her huge front legs and develop correctly her large wings. (thanks Alex)

Other Non-Filipino species I breed / have breed # 9

MEGACRANIA TSUDAI
Origin > Taiwan


My second Pandanus eater and Megacrania after sp. Phelaus ! Parthenogenetic culture......so all females.....less colorful species than Phelaus but has its charm too. Tought that Phelaus was eating many Pandanus but compared to this one > no match !!! They eat each and every variety of Pandanus I have been given to them, tried about 5 kinds and all were eaten ! (thanks Ken)

UPDATE # 4

1) Here is a "foodplants" update to consider :

> Orthomeria sp. pandora beside, Firethorn/Pyracantha (cf. Bruno Kneubuhler), also accept Willowherb as foodplant (cf. Rob Krijns / Netherlands - Thank you)

> Tisamenus sp Clotho? is NOT accepting Bramble as foodplant as other Tisamenus do, but feed on Firethorn (Pyracantha) and Hypericum (cf. Bruno Kneubuhler / Switzerland - Thank you)

> Scionecra sp. "QNP" will very probably feed on Cherry Laurel as do its close relative from "Negros" (cf. Bruno Kneubuhler / Switzerland - Thank you)