日本竹节虫

日本竹节虫的基本数据

饲养难度

适合新手

寿命

雌成虫4～6个月 / 雄成虫3～4个月

体型

Males 57-62mm (only a few records), females 74-100mm

饮食

The leaves of broadleaf trees such as cherry, konara oak and evergreen oak

Temperature & Humidity

No published figures for rearing temperature or humidity could be found for this species, so none are given. It occurs widely from the lowlands to low hills of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, so indoors it can be kept at temperatures that follow the Japanese seasons. Mist the enclosure so the insect can drink droplets from the leaves.

Breeding & Egg-laying

It reproduces by parthenogenesis, so a single female can carry a line forward. Females drop eggs to the ground with the ovipositor or a movement of the abdomen, or else place them in leaf axils, bury them in soil, or glue them to stems and leaves; a female may lay between 100 and 1,200 eggs. The eggs are covered by a hard shell and resemble plant seeds, hatching in anything from thirteen days to more than seventy, on average twenty to thirty. Temperate species pass the winter dormant and hatch in spring.

Cohabitation

It is placid, and several of the same species can share an enclosure. Being touched during a moult, however, easily spoils it, so give the container height and plenty of footholds. The legs can be shed; a nymph regrows one at each moult, but a limb lost in the final instar or as an adult does not return.

Lifespan & Rearing Period

No lifespan published specifically for this species could be found, but the Japanese Wikipedia records that most stick insects mature in a few months through five or six moults and live from a few months to at most three years. Temperate species overwinter as eggs.

Health & Notes

It is easily confused with Phraortes elongatus, so check the length of the antennae. It is native to Japan and is on neither the invasive alien species list nor the CITES appendices, but it should never be released outside the area it came from. The eggs look like plant seeds, so check the substrate for them before discarding it.

关于日本竹节虫

分布于本州至九州、日本最著名的竹节虫。雌虫通过单为生殖繁衍，触角较短是与枝竹节虫的区分特征。初学者级别的饲育难易度，是一种适合细心观察的昆虫。

迎接日本竹节虫前需要了解的7件事

1. 1搭建饲养环境

   在提供攀爬木枝和叶子的透气良好的饲育盒中饲养。通过定期喷雾保持湿度，防止过度干燥。由于活动量小，无需特别宽敞的空间，但应保证一定的高度以利脱皮。

2. 2食用叶片

   野生环境下，它们以各种植物的叶子为食生长。饲养时应持续供应新鲜叶片，并定期更换枯萎的叶子，这是维持其健康的要点。

3. 3无雄虫也能繁殖

   雄虫极其罕见，通常仅由雌虫单独产卵，通过单为生殖代代相传。这种物种无需考虑配对即可饲养，这是该物种独有的特点。

4. 4与细枝虫的区别

   与外形相似的细枝虫可通过触角长度来区分。购买时或饲养中容易在外观上混淆，记住这个特征会让人安心。

5. 5观察脱皮过程

   在成长过程中会进行多次脱皮。脱皮前后，动作可能会变得迟缓，体色也可能出现变化，因此请温柔地观察，避免强行触碰。

6. 6对刺激敏感的性格

   动作迟缓且性格温和，但受惊时可能会身体僵硬或脚肢自断。观察时请在安静的环境中进行，尽量避免振动和刺激。

7. 7迎接前的准备

   迎接新成员前，请准备好通风的饲养盒和新鲜食草。提前确认是否能在附近持续采集所需食草，这样会更安心。

日本竹节虫的常见问题

Q.你们有雄虫吗？

A.雄虫极其罕见，通常仅由雌虫产卵，通过单为生殖繁衍。无需配对，仅需一只雌虫就可期待繁殖。

Q.如何与其他棘刺虫区分？

A.外观看起来很相似，但可以通过触角的长度来区分。购买时如果不确定，最好确认一下触角的长度。

Q.初学者也可以饲养吗？

A.是的，饲养难度被认为是初学者友好型。只要能确保食用植物的叶子并妥善管理湿度，就可以轻松开始饲养。

Q.它会长到多大?

A.成体大小在雌虫中约为74〜100mm。雄虫极其罕见，但有57〜62mm的记录，发现的例子极少。

Q.蜕皮时需要注意什么？

A.蜕皮前后身体容易不稳定，所以避免摇晃或触碰饲养盒。如果准备多根树枝作为栖木，可以为蜕皮提供足够的支撑点，让人安心。

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