Could Medauroidea extradentata (Brunner von Wattenwyl 1907) survive in Provence (France)?

Gabriel Olive (1) , Gilles Olive (2)

1 EICVN - Ecole Industrielle et Commerciale de la Ville de Namur
2 Ecole Industrielle et Commerciale de la Ville de Namur

Several cases of accidental introduction of insects far away from their biotope have already been reported. Could Medauroidea extradentata, a stick insect originally from the district of Annam, Viet-nam, survive in Provence (France)? To answer this question, two sets of experiments were performed. In the first one, specimens were put together with five plants growing only in the Mediterranean areas (bear's breeches (Acanthus mollis), almond tree (Prunus dulcis), fig blanche d' Argenteuil variety (Ficus carica), fig violette de Solliès variety (Ficus carica), olive (Olea europaea), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis)) to investigate their adaptability to these diets. In the second set, the egg survival rate when exposed to moderate cold was investigated. In view of the results, M. extradentata could survive in Provence, since it was possible to breed specimens on almond trees and on the two fig trees, while half of the eggs have survived the cold.

Mots clés: Stick insects; walkingsticks; Phasmid; Medauroidea extradentata; breeding; Provence; acclimatization

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés

Gabriel Olive, Gilles Olive. Could Medauroidea extradentata (Brunner von Wattenwyl 1907) survive in Provence (France)?. Phasmid Studies, 2019, 20, pp.4-14. ⟨hal-01995824⟩