Buy Stick insect Lopaphus sp Cuc Phuong

Discover the stick insect Lopaphus sp Cuc Phuong , a fascinating species with a twig-like appearance, ideal for lovers of exotic insects. Native to the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, this stick insect is an expert in mimicry and has very particular colors that change abruptly depending on the part of its body.

Add this amazing arthropod to your collection now and dive into the fascinating world of insects .

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Breeding sheet: Stick insect Lopaphus sp Cuc Phuong

Difficulty: "Difficult". Or rather "difficult for a stick insect", nothing insurmountable but still harder than the majority of species. The main pitfall is that it is a "fleeing" stick insect. Stick insects use several methods of defense (mimicry, flight, stinging spur, repulsive appearance, toxin, "cry"...) and for this one it is flight AT ALL COSTS. It therefore has a huge tendency to autotomy (it will detach its legs to flee) and to constantly let itself fall no matter the height.
It's not insurmountable again, but it's still quite restrictive when you have a lot of it. You'll have to handle it with extreme gentleness and a lot of patience.

Then this stick insect only eats St. John's wort, and it's a big stick insect, so it eats a lot. It's found in the West, but it's not very common, and St. John's wort is more of a modest shrub with small leaves. So that will mean finding a very solid source of supply in quantity. Not easy.

Its reproduction is sexual. You will therefore necessarily need a male.

To finish off the lesser evil: it requires a constant humidity level of around 70%+. As a reminder, in a house, humidity is around 50%. Therefore, you'll need to spray regularly and keep the temperature under close control.

Temperature: 22-26°C

Humidity: 70-80% (tropical atmosphere required, regular spraying)

Food :

• St. John's Wort

Reproduction mode:

• Sexual reproduction: females lay eggs which they deposit on the ground or attach to vegetation
• Incubation: 2 to 4 months depending on humidity and temperature
• Development: several larval stages before the imago

Character :

• Calm and nocturnal, it remains motionless during the day and becomes active at night
• A master of camouflage, he perfectly imitates stems and twigs

Lifetime :

• 10 to 14 months in captivity

Size :

• 10 to 15 cm depending on the specimen, with long, thin antennae

Breeder's Note:

A not easy species (which costs me a lot of effort to maintain in captivity 😂). However, it has several interesting aspects that can be "favorite". First of all, it is quite rare, among French-speaking breeders it is likely that I am the only one to offer it at the time you read these lines. Then its flashy colors which vary abruptly make it a very aesthetic species for a terrarium combining entomology and aesthetics.
And finally, it's a large stick insect, quite large and thick, it will delight fans of "big creatures"!