Brasidas lacerta

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Brasidas lacerta is a species of stick insect from the family Heteropterygidae, native to Mindanao in the Philippines. It is very variable in color and form, which led to many different names in the past. Today these are all considered the same species.

Appearance and size:
- Females are about 80–95 mm long and often brown or olive-brown. They can have bright greenish patches on the sides and back, with many black bumps on the head and thorax.
- Males are about 48–57 mm long and are usually more uniformly brown.
- The end of the female’s abdomen often looks like a small bird’s head.

Eggs and development:
- Eggs are 4–5 mm long and are laid in the ground using a long ovipositor.
- They have gray shells that darken with humidity and lighten when dry.
- Nymphs hatch after about four months and take another four months to reach adulthood.

Habitat and biology:
- In this group, adults and nymphs are typical of stick insects in their behavior and appearance.

Taxonomy notes:
- The species was first described in 1906 as Obrimus lacerta by Redtenbacher, based on specimens from Luzon and Mindanao.
- Over the years, it was described under several other names and placed in different genera.
- In 2023, scientists merged Euobrimus into Brasidas and clarified the status of many specimens, making Brasidas lacerta the accepted name for this group. Many old names are now considered synonyms of Brasidas lacerta.

In captivity:
- They can be kept in terrariums and fed with leaves from bramble, other rose-family plants, hazel, oak, ivy, and Hypericum. Mist the plants occasionally.
- To help with eggs, keep a few centimeters of moist soil on the tank floor.

History in the hobby:
- The first live insects reached terrariums in 2008, collected in Mindanao. Since then, different strains have appeared in trade under various names.