Crown Stick Insect adult female (Onchestus rentzi)

Named for David Rentz who described many Australian orthoptera.
The 'crown' consists of two projections on the head which look like rabbit ears.
These come from Cairns only but are bred as pets, therefore my geotag is not the natural range.

comments (4)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

I just love absurd insects like this. Can this one actually fly? Posted 9 years ago
1. Martin Lagerwey
  
  Lion
  
  About 66% of stick insects have wings and about 33% can fly. If you can hide, you do not need to fly, as such movement is counterintuitive to camouflage. Stick insects are highly sexually dimorphic with females being large in order to produce prolific numbers of eggs and often have lost, or are losing, the ability for active flight. I have bred this tropical specimen. I am holding her abdomen to provoke this open wing display. The wing display is a last line of defense when she feels threatened and produces a loud 'rustling' sound. It is not to be underestimated the value of short wings which might save her life in a fall, when used as a parachute. Males by contrast will fly away.
  Posted 9 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Thank you so much, that paragraph alone taught me a lot about stick insects. Posted 9 years ago
3. Martin Lagerwey
  
  Lion
  
  Oh, to answer your question, I have kept male and female stick insects for several years. I have not ever seen a female Onchestus show the remotest interest to fly. I would guess if she REALLY had to she might fly a few meters. Posted 9 years ago

The Crown stick insect

''Onchestus rentzi'' is an Australian species of stick insect, commonly named the crown stick insect, described in 2006. It lives in rainforests along the coast of Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is named after the Australian orthopterist David Rentz.

Info 1 0

Similar species: Stick And Leaf Insects

Species identified by Martin Lagerwey