# Giant Stick Insect, ACROPHYLLA WUELFINGI



## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[26.01.14]*_

Bought 6 small nymphs of these at the S.E.A.S from Arthropodia.

_*[01.02.14]*_

Pics of a female nymph



IMG_5607 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_5604 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[10.02.14]*_

Another pic of a female nymph



IMG_5742 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

*[02.03.14]*

A pic of a female, one or two moults on since the last pic.



IMG_7016 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[09.03.14]*_

I sexed them and I have 5 females and 1 male... :/

Pics of a male and female moulting at the same time.

Female


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr

Male


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr

After the moult


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr

Size difference between two different instars


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[12.03.14]*_

A pre-pre-subadult female



IMG_7081 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[14.03.14]*_

Two females simultaneously moulting to pre-pre-subadult.



Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[30.03.14]*_

Moulting sequence pics



Picture1 by darkrai283, on Flickr

Size difference between two different instars


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[09.04.14]*_

A group shot and a pic of a pre-subadult female



IMG_7400 by darkrai283, on Flickr

Pre-subadult female


IMG_7447 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7453 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[10.04.14]*_

The moulted to subadult.

The male moulting


IMG_7483 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7485 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7491 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7496 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7499 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7498 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7502 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7503 by darkrai283, on Flickr

Comparison between the subadult male and pre-subadult females


IMG_7504 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

*[25.04.14]*

All are subadults now.  



Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[30.04.14]*_

The subadult male is very soft and the wingbuds are swollen so he should be moulting to adult any time soon.  



Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[01.05.14]*_

Well, well, well... look who's an adult now.

Adult male


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr

Size difference between an adult male and a subadult female


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[11.05.14]*_

Pics of the first female that mis-moulted to adult... she's quite small and roughed up.



11.05.14- first female to moult to adult... She's ridiculously small and she messed up her final moult as well. by darkrai283, on Flickr


11.05.14- first female to moult to adult... She's ridiculously small and she messed up her final moult as well. by darkrai283, on Flickr


11.05.14- first female to moult to adult... She's ridiculously small and she messed up her final moult as well. by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[14.05.14]*_

The 2 largest females moulted to adult.  



IMG_7530 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7529 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7528 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7532 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7536 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7541 by darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7538 by darkrai283, on Flickr

_*[14.05.14] *_

3 females are adult now.



 by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[27.05.14]*_

Caught the male mating with his first female.



Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

*[06.06.14]*

Some pics



IMG_7788 by Darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7803 by Darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7844jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7847jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7816jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr

Male


IMG_7855jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr


IMG_7859jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr

Ovum


IMG_7880jpeg by Darkrai283, on Flickr


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## CosbyArt (Dec 31, 2014)

Thanks for sharing, it's very interesting to see. I haven't seen a wild walking stick for several years. I wouldn't have thought of one as a pet, or a mantis either till recently.  

Too bad it's hard to find blackberry leaves for food - and lettuce is such a bad substitute; otherwise, would have liked to raise one myself. Seems like a very docile pet.


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[04.07.14]*_

The 3 females are laying around 200-250 ova a week inbetween them and here's a pic of one of them with a subadult Sphodromantis viridis.



Untitled by Darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[09.08.14]*_

Here's an Eurycantha calcarata nymph that's hiding on the underside of one of the females. LOLOL



Untitled by Darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

_*[17.09.14]*_

The largest female passed away.



Untitled by Darkrai283, on Flickr


Untitled by Darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

*[20.12.14]*

So... 3 months since the last pics and the 3 laid me over 2,000 ova which I have sold almost half of.

Anyway, they have started hatching and the oldest is now 4th instar. She lost a leg though in her previous moult and isn't looking that pretty so here are two pics. One of a 1st instar and the other of a 2nd instar.

1st instar


IMG_1672 by Darkrai283, on Flickr

2nd instar


IMG_1659 by Darkrai283, on Flickr


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## Darkrai283 (Dec 31, 2014)

CosbyArt said:


> Thanks for sharing, it's very interesting to see. I haven't seen a wild walking stick for several years. I wouldn't have thought of one as a pet, or a mantis either till recently.
> 
> Too bad it's hard to find blackberry leaves for food - and lettuce is such a bad substitute; otherwise, would have liked to raise one myself. Seems like a very docile pet.


The females are monsters if you manage to piss them off lol. They flare their wings and thrash their spiky legs around wildly in the air... and if they manage to hook onto your hand or finger, they just squeeze the life out of it with their spiky legs. hahah :surrender: 

...but as you said, they're docile most of the times and they're lovely.


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## CosbyArt (Jan 1, 2015)

Darkrai283 said:


> The females are monsters if you manage to piss them off lol. They flare their wings and thrash their spiky legs around wildly in the air... and if they manage to hook onto your hand or finger, they just squeeze the life out of it with their spiky legs. hahah :surrender:
> 
> ...but as you said, they're docile most of the times and they're lovely.


With their large size I guess they are bound to do some damage when pissed.  Thankfully the ones in my area are much smaller. I may have to see if I can find one in the wild this summer - and teach it to eat crickets or fruit flies and give up the whole leaf business.


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## MantidBro (Jan 7, 2015)

ive only ever owned a manomera blatchlyei (spelling?), quite small compared this these! id love to have some of these some day. Theyre awesome. Great pics dude!! Did you breed em?


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