Mated & Egg

This is the same pair of Stick Insect/Phasmid - Abrosoma gibberum.
Picture taken from a different angle to show the Female carrying an Egg while being mated by the Male.

The full picture of this same pair can be seen here :

https://www.jungledragon.com/image/44319

comments (4)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Fantastic, surely the first time I've ever seen a stick insect egg. Surprisingly round :) Posted 9 years ago
1. Albert Kang
  
  Lion
  
  Ferdy, you be surprised that the eggs of Phasmids can be very amazing. Some of them are very intricately designed and can looks like tiny jewelleries.
  Some species of Phasmids has evolved into a very interesting strategy of laying eggs. They drop their eggs to the ground and their eggs looks like seeds of plants. This are sometimes collected by Ants, and brought back to their nest. The eggs has an operculum which the Ants can feed on without damaging the eggs. The eggs then gets to incubate in the safety of the Ant's nest.
  
  Check out this video of what I explained above :
  
  Posted 9 years ago, modified 9 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Wow, that is a clever strategy, if not a little risky. An incubation time of 3 years, did I hear that correctly? Posted 9 years ago
  2. 1. Albert Kang
      
      Lion
      
      Yes, you heard it right, up to 3 years but partly because Phasmid eggs have the ability to 'adjust' to the weather condition or season and delay their incubation and hatch at different times or when 'conditions' could be more ideal to them. Posted 9 years ago