AusBonsai

One of my main passions, has been for many years, is invertebrates. I keep and breed a number of spiders, scorpions, snails, cockroaches, stick insects etc. Here are some pics of one of my fave species, the lord howe island phasmid, also the rarest insect in the world. Onece believe to be extict due to the accidental introduction of rats to lord howe island back due to a ship grounding itself back in 1918, by 1930 it was declared extant but forunately back in 2001 the species was rediscovered on balls pyramid, a rocky seas stck 23km off the coast of lord howe island. I was lucky enough to obtain some of these amazing insects last year and now have a number of eggs which should hatch early-mid next rear. Enjoy

John

wow, it must've been pretty hard getting your hands on something this rare and endangered, congrats

do you plan on donating some of the smaller ones to a zoo or releasing them back into the wild after they hatch?

also it says on the internet that they run extremely fast, got any feedback on that?

I would love to be able to have some released back into the wild but due to quaranteen restrictions on lord howe island and the fact rats are still prevalent there that wont be possible. Melbourne zoo is running an effective breeding programe for this species with hopes one day they may be released back to their original habitat. As for running fast, they can move but nothing compared to some other species of phasmid i keep.

John

Oh wow, I love stick insects I think that one is one of my favourites, where did you buy them from and do you know if they still sell them?

Declined to a population of around 30 living under a single tree, Melaluca Howeana. I am hoping to have some success in getting some cuttings to strike and read a bit on the insect when researching. Apparently they make good bait, which may have also contributed to their decline on LH!

Thats amazing and is worthy.

I use to keep Phlogius sp. Tarantula's, still have one 50mm Goliath.

What do you feed them? They eat banyan figs don't they?

please let me know if you have any luck with the howeana, this is one of the reasons for me wanting the species . I'm guessing their main food source on the island would have been the native banyan fig, thyey were often found roosting in the hollows. I have kept mine successfully on a diet of various ficus species, yet to find one they wont turn down. This is also the reason i'm collecting Ficus species, see what they will and wont eat.

John

I've been searching all night to find somewhere to buy a pair of these, I've turned up nothing, would you mind sharing where you got them? Does Melbourne zoo sell them? They are amazing creatures!
If they eat all the ficus species you have fed them is it possible they could establish a population on the mainland? Or would the rats get them here to?