''Peruphasma schultei,'' known as the black beauty stick insect and the golden-eyed stick insect, is a species of phasmid found in the Cordillera del Condor region of northern

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. In the wild the insect feeds on ''

Schinus ''Schinus'' is a genus of flowering trees and tall shrubs in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as pepper trees. The Peruvian pepper tree ('' Schinus molle'') is the source of the spice known as pink pep ...

'' plants, but will feed on

privet A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, with a native distribution from Europe to tropical and subtropical Asia, and with one species each ...

, ''

Aucuba japonica ''Aucuba japonica'', commonly called spotted laurel, Japanese laurel, Japanese aucuba or gold dust plant (U.S.), is a shrub () native to rich forest soils of moist valleys, thickets, by streams and near shaded moist rocks in China, Korea, and Jap ...

'' and

honeysuckle Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or Vine#Twining vines, twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely kno ...

in captivity. In Peru they are only known to exist in a region of less than 5 hectares, usually on volcanoes or mountains, but since their discovery they have become increasingly popular as pets worldwide due to their unusual colouration and they are now bred regularly in captivity.

Description

A large and compact species,

females An organism's sex is female (symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and male ...

can reach 5.5 cm and are larger than males, which measure 3.8 to 4.3 cm. They have a black body, yellow eyes and red/brownish mouth parts, with adults having bright red

vestigial Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. Assessment of the vestigiality must generally rely on co ...

wings. When disturbed, adults of this species are able to spray a defensive liquid from glands at the rear of the head which can be irritating to the skin and eyes.

Habitat

''P. schultei'' has been found in regions like the Cerro Casapita, which consists of grasslands and other vegetation the species is known to live in. The species best thrives in grassland and forest habitats, however they cannot handle pasturelands.

Conservation status

The insect is listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered and was last updated in May 2018. Since then, their population has been actively decreasing. While no direct conservation efforts have been made for the species themselves, they are known to inhabit at least three known protected areas that were created for the preservation of the endangered Marañon Poison Dart Frog.

Threats

Multiple threats to ''Peruphasma schultei'' are the result of human activities. These include habitat loss due to converting land for agriculture and livestock farming. There are also natural threats from wildfires.

Etymology

This species is named after Rainer Schulte, who collected the original specimens. One of its common names that is listed under the IUCN red list is the Golden-Eyed Stick Insect.

Gallery

Image:Peruphasma schultei, pair.JPG, Pair Image:Flügel Peruphasma schultei.jpg, Hindwing Image:Peruphasma schultei - female.JPG, Female Image:Weibchen Peruphasma schultei.jpg, Illustration of a female Image:Peruphasma schultei, eggs.JPG, Eggs

References

External links

*
Phasmid Study Group: ''Peruphasma schultei''Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum Düsseldorf''Peruphasma schultei''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q684212 Phasmatodea Insects described in 2005 Endemic fauna of Peru Insects of Peru Insects of South America