Indian Stick Insect

Looks how to spot one

Wingless, twig-like exoskeleton

A long, thin, wingless insect that looks like a small twig. Adult females carry a red patch on the inner base of the front legs and a yellow patch on the middle legs. Newly hatched young are tiny, dark and thread-like.132

Personality what they are like

Calm and slow-moving. It spends the day resting quietly on its food plant and becomes active and feeds after dark. When disturbed it may go stiff and still, which is part of its camouflage rather than any sign of stress to the keeper.14

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Very low. The insect feeds and moves mainly at night and needs only enough climbing space among its food plants.1

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Mist the inside of the enclosure and the food leaves lightly each evening with lukewarm water. Keep cut food stems in a water pot with the opening covered so nymphs cannot fall in. Move insects gently with a soft paintbrush rather than pulling them from a perch, as legs can come off. A lost leg can regrow at the next moult while the insect is still a nymph. Females lay eggs freely, so collect them from the floor if you want to hatch more; eggs can take from about two months to a year to hatch.453

Home where they are happiest

A ventilated enclosure at least three times as tall as the adult insect (30 cm or more is a good minimum) so it can hang to moult. Normal home temperatures of about 17 C and above suit it, and it is happy in a fairly open, airy cage. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from overheating spots such as greenhouses.45

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Fresh leaves only. Bramble (blackberry) is the staple, and privet, ivy, hawthorn, rose, raspberry, pyracantha and oak are also eaten. Wash leaves and offer them on stems kept in water so they stay fresh for several days.2543

Company who they like around

Peaceful with its own kind and commonly kept in small groups. Because females reproduce without males, a group grows on its own unless eggs are removed.43

The story where it all began

The species was formally described in 1901 by Sinéty. The insects kept around the world today descend from culture stocks that came from Tamil Nadu in southern India, and nearly all of them are females that reproduce by laying unfertilised eggs. Their easy care made them a classic laboratory and classroom insect, which is where the name laboratory stick insect comes from, and they became the first species on the Phasmid Study Group culture list, numbered PSG 1. Escaped or released insects have also settled outdoors in a few places outside India, including parts of Great Britain, Portugal, South Africa and the United States, where they have been recorded on ornamental garden plants.1267

Recognised by the official bits

Phasmid Study Group

Culture number PSG 1, listed as a common culture species from India (described by Sinéty, 1901)2