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Stick insect eggs

Phasmatoidea ova

Photo by MartinL
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Various eggs of stick insects. Ova (Eggs) imitate seeds, as their parents imitate sticks. Often (but not necessarily) they are carried by ants into their nests to incubate in air conditioned comfort safe from floods, molds, heavy footsteps and hungry vertebrates. The ants carry the egg by the knob (frenulum) on the end and in return the ants eat the sugary knob. Incubation may be between three to 48 months depending on species but is most often about 12 months.

Habitat:

These eggs are all captive bred

Notes:

Top left; CROWN STICK INSECT Onchestus rentzii Cairns NQ
Centre left; STRONG STICK INSECT Anchile briareus,East coast.
Lower left; MARGIN WINGED STICK INSECT Ctenomorpha South East
Top right; GOLIATH STICK INSECT Eurycnema goliath, East coast
Lower right; SPINY LEAF INSECT Extatosoma tiaratum East coast
Pic #2 Children's stick insect
Pic #3 Indian stick insect (Laboratory stick)
Pic #4 Northern Anchiale stick insect
Pic #5 Sipyloidea larryi

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)

Added some other stick insect eggs; Pic #2 Children's stick insect Pic #3 Indian stick insect (Laboratory stick) (Live exotic sticks are illegal!) Pic #4 Northern Anchiale stick insect Pic #5 Sipyloidea larryi
The eggs have limited options to protect themselves. You can think of pupae as "second eggs" in the sense that they are immobile. They also use extreme camouflage or coverings to avoid becoming an easy meal.
for anyone who wants to see some more brilliant pottery craftworks ... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/21_Phasmid_Eggs.jpg
Now this is an amazing subject in its own right. It amazes me that they are so into mimicry for their eggs as they are for themselves.

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Photographed
PublishedDecember 27, 2011

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