# Stick insects in southern california?



## Mantidguy (Dec 2, 2020)

Hello i was wondering if there are any stick insects native to Southern California


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## BensBeasts (Feb 14, 2021)

Timema sp. are native there!



Mantidguy said:


> Hello i was wondering if there are any stick insects native to Southern California


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## Orin (Jun 23, 2021)

There's also the western short-horned phasmid which has been kept for dozens of generations. Find any Timema Mantidguy? I've never seen anyone with those.


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## cometmoth (Jun 27, 2021)

Orin said:


> There's also the western short-horned phasmid which has been kept for dozens of generations. Find any Timema Mantidguy? I've never seen anyone with those.


I heard Timema are almost impossible to keep in captivity since they require their local soil to encase their eggs in


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## Orin (Jun 27, 2021)

cometmoth said:


> I heard Timema are almost impossible to keep in captivity since they require their local soil to encase their eggs in


Where did you hear that? Sounds interesting, I've never heard of eggs of anything that needed native soil (just vampire coffins).


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## cometmoth (Jun 27, 2021)

Orin said:


> Where did you hear that? Sounds interesting, I've never heard of eggs of anything that needed native soil (just vampire coffins).


According to Wikipedia (and via citation link, David Grimaldi’s “Evolution of the insects”), timema females encrust their eggs in particles of soil they have consumed. Following this, many species will have their eggs carried off into ant nests where the nymphs will hatch and emerge.


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## Orin (Jun 28, 2021)

cometmoth said:


> According to Wikipedia (and via citation link, David Grimaldi’s “Evolution of the insects”), timema females encrust their eggs in particles of soil they have consumed. Following this, many species will have their eggs carried off into ant nests where the nymphs will hatch and emerge.


That's pretty neat but I would imagine a similar soil from anywhere in the world would work. I've never had a chance to even see a live Timema, but I have reared various eastern spp.


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## Acro (Jun 30, 2021)

Orin said:


> I've never heard of eggs of anything that needed native soil (*just vampire coffins*).


Baha! 

Love that!


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