Extatosoma tiaratum (PSG 9)

    ET originally came from Queensland, Australia.  Commonly called Australians or the Giant Prickly, the females of this large species can grow to be 8 inches long, the males 6 inches!  These are among the most spectacular of commonly kept stick-insects.  Females come in many different colors and ranges of spikiness.  

Short spines cover the females' bodies.  These are often slammed into any predator daring enough to pick one up.  Although generally painless to humans, it can be startling.  Males have long wings, and fly very well.

The claws consist of 2 hooks and a suction cup between them.  With these, E.t.'s can climb on almost any surface!    

    In Australia, the natural diet of this stick-insect is eucalyptus.   Blackberry leaves (bramble) and hawthorn have proven to be very suitable substitutes for this species in culture.  When laying eggs, the females will flick them up to several feet away.  It is interesting to hear them bouncing off the sides of the aquarium.  They often take 9 mos. to a year to hatch and must optimally be kept a little above room temperature with a small amount of humidity.  When hatched, the females have 6 instars ( 5 moltings ) before reaching maturity.  The males are mature at the 5th instar, and have their full wings.  Nymphs (click here for pics of nymphs and ova) are a red/black color until the first molting.  Instinctively, they  mimic scorpions, with their tales curved up and over as they walk ( see picture below).  From then on the females become more and more a straw color (although some can be darker with orange hues, have stripes, and others have varying shades of green).  The males are darker brown with speckled, opaque wing-covers, and often some orange.

Foodplants:  bayberry, bramble, eucalyptus,  hawthorn, oak, Photinia, raspberry, rose

The following data was collected by Mary Alice Beer and is displayed below with her permission.  It describes the life history of one female E. tiaratum.

"Hatched 9-2-99

1st molt 9-27-99 (24 days)

2nd molt 10-19-99(21 days)

3rd molt 11-9-99 (25 days)

4th molt 12-5-99 (26 days)

5th molt 12-30-99 (25 days)

6th molt 1-30-00 (31 days)

1st egg produced 3-9-00 (39 days)

I also note from the log the following:

Other ETs had periods of from 14 - 31 days between hatching and 1st

molt."