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How Not to Rear Neobarrettia spinosa (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Listroscelidinae)

Adult male and female Neobarrettia spinosa (Ariella and Adonis):


Neobarrettia spinosa (Caudell 1907)
Generic name: neo (Greek) = new; barrettia = ?, may be related to Greek root bar = heavy
Specific epithet: spin (Latin) = thorn (thorny, spines on legs)

Tettigoniidae family (Katydids) »
Listroscelidin0ae subfamily (Spiny Predatory Katydids) »
Neobarrettia spinosa group:
Theodore Cohn (1965) puts this species in the Neobarrettia spinosa group, which contains N. spinosa and N. vannifera, based on the unique features to Neobarrettia of wing colour, wing ventation, and femoral colour, along with other characteristics not all of which are unique to the genus. Cohn also describes the cerci (median tooth and strongly bent ventrad and long apical tooth). Cohn notes that while the two species are not very closely related, they appear to be in direct sequential relationship to each other and share characteristics unique to the two species. (Cohn states that he considers N. vannifera to be the most primitive member of the Neobarrettia genus.)


Occurring in dry, bushy habitats, Neobarrettia spinosa are differentiated by their distinctive red eyes and other characteristics of the femora, tibiae, abdomen, and cerci, with interesting variations of the characteristics in the westernmost and easternmost populations of N. spinosa (Cohn, 1965).

Guinevere, adult female Neobarrettia spinosa on her favourite perch:




Part One:

There's a plethora of information online about these insects (some of it, correct) and keeping them, so I will instead tell you how not to rear them while you google all the how-to's.

Calliope eating spermatophylax:



SEVEN STEPS for REARING NEOBARRETTIA SPINOSA:


Step One: Don't.
Instead, choose mantids or scorpions or black widows or kissing bugs or Pepsis wasps or box jellyfish, and you'll likely be in for less heartbreak than with these creatures.

Step Two:
Do not collect a few young nymphs and misidentify them and put them in a cage with your precious F1 generation of a rare katydid that took two years to hatch along with a few other beloved species. You will learn later that they eat everything in sight as well as each other.

"Awww, look what cute innocent nymphs! Let's bring a few home!"


Step Three:
Do not on the following day (still before identifying them) continue to collect 18 little nymphs and put them in the cage, along with plenty of vegetation and an abundance of food. My 18 became 6 nearly overnight before I discovered what these guys were.

I regret to say that my initial impression of these katydids after understanding much too late who they were was that they were by far the nastiest, vilest, most repulsive insects I had ever met, and I have met some pretty impolite insects.

Step Four:
After learning that these guys are predaceous, do not keep your final six together in a large cage with an excessive supply of live grasshoppers, crickets, and other foods. Their favourite menu item is each other: they gleefully ignore the prey and eat their own brethren. My final six then became three overnight.

And even if you are finally fortunate enough to get them to the stage of mated pairs, their ultimate fate might very well be to be ingloriously eaten by their spouse. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get them to mate and lay eggs before they eat each other.

Step Five:
Do not rely on your initial collection of nymphs to mature safely to adulthood.
Having failed in every possible way and surrendering to the recognition that resistance is futile, separate your final three into their own cages. In my case (still hopeless at this point), a young male nymph died, so I had to go out and collect another male, with the hopes at the time of ending up with one female and two males. Then my younger back-up male decided to moult and show the first signs of an ovipositor, so I put the two female nymphs in an extra large cage stuffed with live prey and kept two male nymphs in individual cages, also with plenty of live food. Ultimately, I wanted to see if I could get an adult pair together for long enough to start new monsters before they ate each other. As you might guess yet again, the two females together in the large cage quickly became one. There were so many grasshoppers and crickets to eat, but NooOOoo, they had to eat each other.

Step Six:
Do not even think about placing any two N. spinosa together in one cage unless it's a mated pair (and even then, it's a risk). I had to make several trips out to the field to collect enough older nymphs just to get a few mated pairs and by then I had finally learned to keep each one alone in a separate cage with an abundance of food that did not include each other.

Step Seven:
Do not after all your trouble and despair and soul-crushing regret fall hopelessly in love with the species while you are also rearing at least twenty different "normal" species of Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. These guys will take up an oversized chunk of your heart.

Penelope grooming ovipositor:





Part Two


So after accidentally falling in love with my spiny green monsters, I committed myself to getting a few pairs to survive long enough to mate and lay eggs before eating each other, a task much more easily imagined than accomplished. I can take you to that point only: beyond that, I have no experience as I have never raised an F1 generation of N. spinosa.

With exceptional difficulty, I ended up with four pairs whom I named for ease of observation and discussion. (Warning: naming your insects causes you to fall more deeply in love with them.)

In this very incomplete discussion of caring for Neobarrettia spinosa nymphs and adults, I will retrace my experiences with the following:

1) Caring for Nymphs,
2) Nymph Munching,
3) Moulting for Nymphs,
4) Moulting to Adult,
5) Caring for Adults,
6) Adult munching,
7) My Adults,
8) Coupling,
9) Display,
10) Song,
11) Mating,
12) Spermatophylax,
13) Flirting,
14) Laying Eggs,
15) Tiffs,
16) Movement,
17) Loss,
18) And About Those Eggs.

Note: If this article is overly detailed, it is because I greatly desired to find such details when I began caring for this species completely blind. I was unable to find the information that I sought and there is still much too much that I do not know. What little I do know, I am sharing with you here.

Adonis, freshly moulted to adult:



BUT FIRST … A Quick Note on Neobarrettia spinosa in their Natural Habitat


From what I surmise, the populations of Neobarrettia spinosa are hyperlocalised and static because the shoddy design engineering and craftsmanship by the Neobarrettia Manufacturing Team appears to have rendered these katydids largely immobile and unable to travel over distances. The iNaturalist records seem to crowd numerous observations around the San Antonio area of Texas. (I also think that this is very likely a threatened species of Orthoptera.)

When I have spotted these katydids, I have found them on vegetation that helps them camouflage and also provides them with suitable prey. Examples of such vegetation are shown here:

young female Neobarrettia on Opuntia and Opuntia blossoms (likely nectaring):


Neobarrettia camouflaged in Prosopis glandulosa (Mesquite):


older female nymph (penultimate instar) Neobarrettia on Sideroxylon lanuginosum:


adult male Neobarrettia on Celtis:


adult male Neobarrettia on tall grasses:




Caring for Nymphs





This photo series shows the development of one individual (female) from young nymph to adult. I adopted her on 04.15.2024. She moulted to penultimate instar on 05.19.2024, final instar on 05.27.2024, and full adult on 06.07.2024:
Neobarrettia spinosa Development Series from April 15 to June 7:



With this species, I recommend that you use butterfly habitats because they provide mesh sides and a mesh top which will be essential for moulting, catching prey, eating, and moving about. For my individual nymphs (up until final instar who need larger cages), I used butterfly cages measuring 30"x18"x18". This allows sufficient space for the katydid to be comfortable with the prey also inhabiting the cage. You must include potted plants in each cage along with thick sticks for your katydids to climb on. They need to be able to hide in the vegetation as well as catch prey in the vegetation.

Neobarrettia spinosa nymphs:




For lighting, I use full-spectrum lights over my cages for eight hours a day, but I also have large windows to provide natural lighting. The photoperiod inside is the same as that of outside with my animals getting natural daylight and then full darkness at night. I recommend using the most natural lighting and most natural temperatures that you can provide (unless you need to add warmth with seedling mats or a heater).

Rearing room:


Another nymph:


female Neobarrettia spinosa in last three instars:


It is essential that you avoid the biggest mistake that I made in putting more than one nymph in a cage. Place each individual nymph in his/her own cage and offer appropriately sized prey. (Important: No matter how cute and sweet your nymphs are, resist the temptation to ever have more than one individual in a single cage. If you have too many nymphs, please release them back into their native habitat rather than letting them eat each other since this species is quite uncommon.)

nymph cage (suitable for a single nymph):


Grasshoppers are the best prey for Neobarrettia spinosa, followed by crickets, mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larvae), and other insects. Some people use Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia). Acheta domesticus and Tenebrio molitor are exceedingly easy and quick to raise: you only need to buy them once. However, if you are going to be rearing Neobarrettia spinosa, you really should start your own grasshopper colony with a few different native species from your area. You will need to plan in advance, as grasshoppers take much longer to rear than A. domesticus and T. molitor. Keep a separate large-sized butterfly cage for your grasshopper rearing. (See Tips for Rearing Grasshoppers.)



In addition to live prey, provide water in a small dish soaked in a cellulose sponge (so that no one drowns) and the following:
organic apple slices,
organic carrot slices,
organic romaine lettuce,
almonds,
walnuts,
rolled oats,
Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet,
tropical fish flakes,
(original) Cheerios,
and other Orthoptera foods.

In this way, you will feed the grasshoppers and crickets as well as your katydid. Your N. spinosa are carnivorous but also eat fruit and nuts. (I absolutely saw mine on multiple occasions eating apple slices, walnuts, carrot slices, lettuce, and Cheerios.) The fruit and vegetables will provide additional moisture, as well.

Images of Neobarrettia spinosa eating non-prey food items:

Penelope munching on organic romaine lettuce and carrot:


Dionysius as a senior citizen munching on apple slice:


VIDEO of Guinevere munching on a walnut



Nymph Munching


Neobarrettia spinosa at all stages are obligate carnivores. Nymphs learn to catch prey quickly and will readily grab appropriately sized prey. Like adults, they will generally hang upside down to eat.

Nymphs munching:






This young nymph is eating an Acheta domesticus larger than he is!




Moulting for Nymphs


Nymphs moulting from one instar to the next instar will generally do fine as long as their cage is set up correctly: only one N. spinosa per cage, enough but not too many prey grasshoppers and crickets, mesh sides and mesh top (for climbing, hanging), potted plants and sticks, and an undisturbed environment.

This species shows distinctive premoulting behaviour. They will claw around the top of the cage for a day or two before moulting. I sometimes thought they were getting their claws caught in the netting, but then I discovered that this was a common premoulting behaviour so I learned to be extra careful not to disturb anyone exhibiting this behaviour.

Moulting Series:
Perseus moulting to final instar (times are listed on individual photos; this series is from 4:14pm to 4:52pm):





Moulting Series:
Guinevere moulting to final instar (photos taken from 1:40pm to 2:18pm):





More moulting images (nymphs):


female nymph freshly moulted:


Dionysius freshly moulted


Sophocles freshly moulted to final instar:


female moulted to final instar:



Moulting VIDEOS:

VIDEO of Perseus moulting to final instar

VIDEO (continued) of Perseus moulting to final instar


VIDEO of Guinevere moulting to final instar

VIDEO (continued) of Guinevere moulting to final instar


Neobarrettia spinosa usually eat the exuvia after moulting, but sometimes they abandon it or it falls:




Moulting to Adult

Adonis, freshly moulted to adult:


Freshly moulted female (2024) shown with exuvia:



The most precarious and life-threatening time for your Neobarrettia spinosa kept safely in captivity is the final moult to adult. That's when the most fatalities occurred. Before that and after that, there were very few premature deaths apart from their eating each other when I had (stupidly) placed two or more together in a cage.

female successfully moulting to adult:


The Pediodectes haldemanii that I raise, also quite bulky katydids, have a similar issue with final moult, but their problem is not as severe as that of N. spinosa where I had multiple fatalities from failed final moults.

These are large and heavy katydids and I believe that the moulting problem likely occurs as frequently (if not more frequently) in the wild. Walker on the SINA site describes this bulky species' length as "34-45 mm males; 44-52 mm females." No matter how much space they have and how calm the conditions (mine were always alone in their own cage when they moulted and completely undisturbed), they still have difficulty in the final moult. My older nymphs always had adult-sized cages with strong potted plants, thick sticks, and mesh netting in order to provide a variety of choices for a moulting spot. I noticed that the failed moultings occurred in roughly equal numbers whether the final-instar nymph chose vegetation/sticks or the top of the net to moult.

What usually happens in a failed moult is that they fall. Some die immediately, some after a week or two, and some survive but have problems. If the wings are imperfect after the final moult, the adult will not be able to sing and attract a mate. Usually there are other problems, as well, if the moult is imperfect.

failed final moult (from falling):


This male (2024) had a bad final moult, but was able to live out a natural life even without the use of his wings, which were damaged during moulting, shown with exuvia here:


On the day after his bad moult, he attempts to display with his bent wings:


The adult male is unable to hunt, so I feed him cooked chicken bits, along with apple, nuts and grains, and a nectaring sponge:




I got so nervous during final moults that I could hardly watch. Whenever someone moulted successfully to adult, I felt tremendous relief.



Caring for Adults


Final-instar nymphs should be placed in an adult cage where they can moult properly and live comfortably. Adult cages must be large. A minimum size butterfly cage for adults is 36"x24"x24. To this size cage, add a few one-gallon potted plants that are large enough for adult N. spinosa to climb on. Add some large, thick sticks, as well. I added vertical sticks to the soil of potted plants which is where several of my katydids spent the most time. In addition, they will use the potted plants for hiding and for catching prey.

Provide natural lighting to simulate the natural photoperiod outside.

Provide plenty of prey with a preference toward healthy grasshoppers of different sizes. Larger is better. Also provide other prey and the same foods listed above for nymphs. Adults will definitely eat apple slices and walnuts along with the live prey.


Substrate Dishes

Before pairing your adults, add substrate dishes for your females to lay eggs:
In a separate large bowl or pot, mix sand, coconut fibre, and organic potting soil (more sand and coconut fibre, a bit less soil). Add the well-mixed substrate to long containers that are around 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Place the containers in the bottom of the cage near the potted plants. Mist the containers every day and add very light water (a few drops) every other day.

Continue to keep your katydids in individual cages until you are ready to pair them. Wait at least five days after the katydid has moulted to adult before pairing with a mate.

This cage is suitable for a single adult female before pairing. More vegetation must be added before the male mate will be added to her cage.


As with nymphs, provide the proper foods: plenty of live grasshoppers along with the other foods listed above and fresh water. Keep the plants watered and substrate misted. Each morning when you clean out the cage and change out food and water, check to make sure your adults are okay. Each evening shortly after dusk, look for interesting behaviours. These katydids are most active in the few hours at and after dusk.

Sir Galahad:




Adult Munching


Adults will rarely chase prey. Instead, they generally wait for the grasshopper to move close to them and then ambush it. Another common method is catching a hopping grasshopper in midair. Like the most adept outfielders, they reach up and grab a hopper in mid-hop, all in a split second. It's quite an amazing feat to witness.

You will often find adults walking around with their prey in their mouth. They will look for the right ambience in which to dine. Once in a suitable place, they generally hang upside down by both hind legs or sometimes by one hind leg and heartily enjoy their meal.

Guinevere hanging by one leg to dine:


Here is Calliope hanging by both hind legs:


Guinevere munching grasshopper:


Perseus munching grasshopper:


Sir Galahad munching grasshopper:


Calliope munching grasshopper


Sir Galahad munching grasshopper:


Adult female (2024) munching grasshopper:


Adonis munching on cricket:




VIDEOS of Adults Munching (caution: some of these are rather graphic)


VIDEO series: Guinevere munching on grasshopper (graphic):

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on grasshopper #1

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on grasshopper #2

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on grasshopper #3

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on grasshopper #4



VIDEO series: Perseus munching on grasshopper

VIDEO of Perseus munching on grasshopper #1

VIDEO of Perseus munching on grasshopper #2

VIDEO of Perseus munching on grasshopper #3

VIDEO of Perseus munching on grasshopper #4


Guinevere carrying and then munching on grasshopper (graphic):
VIDEO of Guinevere munching grasshopper

Guinevere Grabs Melanoplus:
VIDEO of capture

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on her freshly caught grasshopper

VIDEO (continued) of Guinevere munching on her freshly caught grasshopper

VIDEO (close-up) of Guinevere munching on her freshly caught grasshopper



VIDEO of Penelope munching Mermiria grasshopper

VIDEO of Guinevere munching on grasshopper

VIDEO of Guinevere halfway through a grasshopper

VIDEO of Ariella munching grasshopper

VIDEO of Perseus munching grasshopper



Personal Note:
Another aspect of heartbreak for me, integral to rearing this species, is providing grasshoppers for them to eat. I love grasshoppers, and I had never before collected any creature from the wild unless I intended to care for it through providing the best conditions and food and love that I could offer. I had to detach myself from my own ethics for a period of time during which I collected grasshoppers to be used as prey. The grasshoppers in the cage would often mate and on at least three occasions, I saw the partner remain close by while his or her mate was being eaten by a Neobarrettia.





My adults


Of those who survived to the adult stage, succeeding at least somewhat in the final moult, I ended up with the following:

* one very short-lived female after a bad final moult: Odette (full adult 06.04.2023; died 06.18.2023)
* two relatively short-lived males after bad final moults: Augustus (full adult 06.07.2023; died 08.24.2023) and Sophocles (full adult 06.03.2023; died 08.24.2023)
* one back-up male: Dionysius (full adult 06.06.2023; died 09.02.2023)
* four good, healthy males: Sir Galahad, Perseus, Adonis, and Odysseus
* four good, healthy females: Guinevere, Calliope, Ariella, and Penelope
(The relevant dates for these last eight are listed below in the Coupling section.)

Odette high-five! (Actually a warning display, raising one or both forelegs)


Augustus:


Sophocles:


Dionysius




Coupling

My first healthy adult, Sir Galahad, moulted to full adult on 05.31.2023. Perseus moulted to full adult on 06.02.2023.
My first healthy adult female, Guinevere, moulted to full adult on 06.08.2023, while Calliope moulted to full adult on 06.09.2023.
With these four adults, two males and two females, I waited until I thought everyone was mature enough to be joined without eating each other.
So on 06.14.2023, I initially put Sir Galahad and Guinevere together in one large cage with Calliope and Perseus in the adjacent large cage. Sir Galahad was a stronger singer than Perseus. Guinevere showed no interest in either male, but Calliope showed a strong interest in Sir Galahad, who was in the next cage. Therefore, later that same day, I traded the two males so that Calliope could be with Sir Galahad, whom she showed a preference for, and Guinevere and Perseus would be together.

My third pair was Ariella and Adonis. Adonis moulted to full adult on 06.06.2023 but had to wait for a lady. Ariella moulted to full adult on 06.16.2023. I joined Ariella and Adonis on 06.20.2023.

My final pair was Penelope and Odysseus. I had collected Odysseus as a full adult male on 06.05.2023, but he had to wait for a lady. Penelope, my final Neobarrettia collected on 06.10.2023, moulted to full adult on 06.21.2023. I joined Penelope and Odysseus on 06.26.2023

With this I had four pairs:
Cage 1: Guinevere and Perseus
Cage 2: Calliope and Sir Galahad
Cage 3: Ariella and Adonis
Cage 4: Penelope and Odysseus


Guinevere:


Perseus:


Calliope:


Sir Galahad:


Ariella:


Adonis:


Penelope:


Odysseus:




Display


Neobarrettia spinosa are known for their dramatic and beautiful display when they feel threatened. The katydid will spread its wings and open its jaws in a spectacular threat posture meant to startle the predator. Because of the way I rear all of my animals, I rarely observe threat displays, but when I had to move my N. spinosa adults from one cage to another for pairing, I saw partial displays. All four wings are displayed and the magnificent hindwings are visible. Both sexes display, but I saw the behaviour much more frequently in males.


Perseus made his first display two days after moulting to adult:


The only other time I saw Perseus display was when I was moving him for the purpose of pairing him with his new bride:


Adult female (2024) displaying:


Augustus partial display:


Dionysius partial display:


Odysseus partial display:


Adult male (2024) partial display:





Song


Walker on the SINA site describes the song of N. spinosa as a "loud resonant phrase repeated continuously." Wild N. spinosa sing at night, but those in captivity will often sing during the day.

When a new adult first begins singing, the song is soft with only two or three chirps in a row. A healthy mature male, however, can chirp loudly and for a long period.

In addition to making mating calls, males also make single warning chirps if they feel threatened. Sometimes when I would open the cage to change out food and water the plants, the male would make a single warning chirp to alert his mate, though neither would actually move as long as I was gentle and quiet.

This young adult is just learning to sing: (two videos)
VIDEO of Perseus early song

VIDEO of Perseus early song


Song VIDEOS:

VIDEO of Sir Galahad singing

VIDEO of Perseus singing

VIDEO of Adonis singing and grooming antenna

VIDEO of Sir Galahad singing

VIDEO of Adonis singing for Ariella

VIDEO of Odysseus singing, grooming, moving

VIDEO of Adonis singing and ignoring potential dinner

VIDEO of Dionysius singing

VIDEO of Adonis singing

VIDEO of Perseus singing and grooming antenna

VIDEO of Odysseus singing

VIDEO of Adonis singing

VIDEO of Perseus singing


As mentioned earlier, if a male has an imperfect moult to adult and the wings are deformed, he will not be able to sing properly. Augustus was only able to make the tiniest of sounds, not sufficient for attracting a mate:

VIDEO of Augustus attempting to sing

VIDEO of Augustus attempting to sing



Mating


An unusual thing that I noticed about this species if compared to other katydids is that pairs mate multiple times. I believe that for insects in general, females mate when they need to based on how long they are able to store viable sperm. However, my guess with this species is that since they are obligate carnivores and meals can be challenging to obtain, I believe that females might mate more frequently for the added nutrition. Males produce an oversized spermatophylax for the female's consumption and mating is always initiated by the female.

From what I observed, mating is somewhat brief (averaging around ten minutes). The female approaches the male from behind and presses her abdomen against the male. The male remains in position while the female curls her ovipositor underneath the male. The male grasps the ovipositor while positioning himself. The male then begins working on delivering an impressively large spermatophylax. This appears to be an arduous task for the male and takes around ten minutes. Once the spermatophylax is finally attached, the male detaches and moves away. With insects that tend toward cannibalism, this is likely the safest practice. He remains somewhat nearby, however, while the female consumes the spermatophylax.

Mating images - Series:
Please see notes on the individual photos for time and description. Here, the female Guinevere initiates mating with Perseus at 5:08pm. After Perseus successfully attaches the spermatophylax, he separates from Guinevere and moves away at 5:21pm (13 minutes in copula).





VIDEO from series above of Guinevere and Perseus mating at 5:09pm

VIDEO from series above of Perseus working on attaching the spermatophylax at 5:19pm


Here is a different VIDEO of Guinevere initiating mating. She approaches Perseus and gets into position:
VIDEO of Guinevere initiating mating with Perseus

This is a long VIDEO of Penelope and Odysseus mating. You can see more detail of Odysseus working to attach the spermatophylax:
VIDEO of Penelope and Odysseus mating

VIDEO (continued) of Penelope and Odysseus mating


More Images:

Ariella and Adonis mating on different occasions (note the visible spermatophylax in the first image):



The cerci appear to be non-grasping (not capable of grasping or holding the female), a trait associated with relatively brief copulation.

Adonis and Sir Galahad, ventral views of cerci:



I saw no obvious evidence of the presence of alluring glands in this species.



Spermatophylax


The size of the spermatophylax produced by male Neobarrettia spinosa is the greatest of any I have observed in all of the katydid species I have reared.

Guinevere and Ariella with spermatophylax:


Almost immediately after mating, the female makes her way to a spot where she can get into position to eat the spermatophylax. She assumes a common eating position, often hanging by her hind legs, and curls her abdomen to reach the spermatophylax.

VIDEO of Penelope moving into position and then eating spermatophylax.

Penelope hanging to eat spermatophylax:


Calliope chowing down on spermatophylax:


My observations lead me to believe that the spermatophylax is of a viscous consistency that is a bit challenging to consume. The female works on the spermatophylax for a few hours and often takes breaks.



VIDEOS

VIDEO of Penelope eating spermatophylax

VIDEO (continued) of Penelope eating spermatophylax

VIDEO (continued) of Penelope eating spermatophylax

VIDEO of Ariella eating spermatophylax


Interestingly, the male usually remains nearby while the female consumes the spermatophylax. He may groom a bit and then he simply remains in proximity.





Flirting

Adonis curls his abdomen to flirt:


I saw "flirting" and curling in mature males, even when no mate is present.

Adonis is meeting Ariella on their first day together. He flirts while she watches him curiously. His mission is to become her mate and not her dinner.
VIDEO of Adonis flirting with Ariella on the first day they met (no sound)


Flirting males often pursue their beloveds while dragging their curled abdomens toward the lady. I've seen abdomen curling in other species of katydids during courtship, generally combined with singing. (It is especially prevalent in Obolopteryx catinata.)

VIDEO of Perseus flirting with Guinevere - abdominal curl

VIDEO of Adonis flirting with his cute abdominal curl

VIDEO of Perseus flirting with Guinevere - abdominal curl


In this fascinating interaction, Adonis flirts with Ariella, whose abdominal cues indicate that she is not interested (at the moment).
VIDEO of Adonis flirting with his wife, Ariella (no sound)


Flirting can be dangerous. You must learn to impress your lady without getting eaten.

VIDEO of Perseus flirting with his wife, Guinevere (no sound)

VIDEO (continued) of Perseus flirting with his wife, Guinevere (no sound)

VIDEO (continued) of Perseus flirting with his wife, Guinevere (no sound)


Among my four married couples, the ones who were most deeply in love were Ariella and Adonis. They almost always perched right beside each other, quite often even holding tarsi.

Ariella and Adonis holding tarsi:


Here, Ariella remains by her beloved's side even while he munches on a cricket:




Laying Eggs


I began seeing females laying eggs eight days after they first mated. In captivity, they lay their eggs in slightly moist sandy substrate. (See instructions for substrate dishes under the Caring for Adults section above.)

Guinevere laying egg in sand substrate:


Only Penelope would sometimes lay eggs in the soil of one of her potted plants. She used the sand substrate I provided and the potted plant in about equal numbers. My other females exclusively used sand substrate.

Penelope laying egg in potted plant:


Female Neobarrettia spinosa take about four minutes to lay an egg (times varied from about 2.5 to 6 minutes, but averaged just under four minutes) and they usually lay several eggs in a row, sometimes over a period of nearly two hours.

The most I saw one female oviposit on one night was 16 eggs over a period of one hour and forty-five minutes.

The female inserts her ovipositor deep into the substrate, inserting and pulling out her ovipositor several times until she is in position. She is then fairly still for 2 to 3 minutes while pushing out the egg. You can see her abdomen pushing. Finally, she resumes inserting and pulling out her ovipositor several times before pulling all the way out and then using her ovipositor to "kick" the sand in order to cover the hole she has made. After laying an egg, she moves away and often either begins laying another egg immediately or moves around for a minute or two before laying the next egg. (This will be made clearer in the videos below.)

This is a long video (three and a half minutes) showing the full process of Guinevere laying an egg in the substrate dish I provided:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg (full process, 3.5 min.)

This video shows Guinevere finishing with laying one egg and starting another:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg

Here is a very typical end process of laying an egg. Guinevere uses her ovipositor to cover the hole:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg


In this fascinating interaction, you will see Guinevere laying an egg while her husband, Perseus, interferes. Note Guinevere's right hand is raised which in Neobarrettese means "Don't mess with me!" Perseus unwisely interferes and Guinevere succeeds in pushing him away.
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg with Perseus interfering

Here, Guinevere raises her paws because Perseus is on the branch above her getting a wee bit too close:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg with Perseus interfering

Here's another finish-and-start video. Guinevere finishes with one egg and starts another one:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg, finish and start

And in these four videos (on different dates), Guinevere finishes laying an egg and covers the hole:
VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg, finishing

VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg, finishing


VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg, finishing

VIDEO of Guinevere laying egg, finishing.



Tiffs


As with all married couples, these pairs of Neobarrettia spinosa sometimes have little tiffs. The tiffs are generally over a perching spot or simply a female expressing to her eager husband, "Not tonight, Dear."

Guinevere and Perseus were the couple most likely to argue, usually over a walking path:
VIDEO of Guinevere and Perseus having a tiff

Here Ariella and Adonis argue about a perch immediately after mating. (Ariella is wearing the spermatophylax that she will soon consume.)
VIDEO of Ariella and Adonis having a tiff

Fortunately, all such lovers' spats were minor and quickly resolved.



Movement


I love watching these katydids move about inside the cage. They can be as agile as an acrobat or as clumsy as a cow on roller skates. They can hop and move quickly when they need to, but they generally prefer to move about at a comfortable pace. Make sure your cage has plenty of vegetation for these katydids to climb, perch, and move around on.

Interestingly, individuals often choose a favourite spot to perch. Most of mine had predictable favourite spots and positions for resting.

Penelope almost always perched vertically on her favourite branch of one of her plants:



Movement VIDEOS:

VIDEO of Guinevere moving around while her husband, Perseus, flirts

More VIDEO of Guinevere and her husband, Perseus


VIDEO of Calliope moving all around in the cage

VIDEO of Guinevere sloth-walking (or tightroping upside down?)

VIDEO of Guinevere moving all about while her husband, Perseus, flirts

VIDEO of Guinevere moving about and being especially cute

VIDEO of Perseus moving about and then landing on his favourite perch

VIDEO of Perseus being adorable, near his wife, Guinevere

VIDEO of Ariella moving near her husband, Adonis

VIDEO of Guinevere moving around very slowly on her favourite perch

VIDEO of Dionysius moving. Notice the difference in his sound. He did not have as successful of a final moult as those of my paired males. He was to be my first "back-up" male, but he predeceased the married gentlemen.

VIDEO of Guinevere being mostly still and very adorable (no sound; day time)




Loss


For me, any discussion on Neobarrettia spinosa is going to start and end with heartbreak. Every loss was exceptionally painful even when I did my very best to care for these beautiful insects whom I grew to greatly respect and deeply love.

Guinevere and Perseus

I had guessed that the final fate of mated pairs might be that one would sooner or later eat the other. It happened sooner for Guinevere and Perseus. On the morning of 09.04.2023, exactly three months after having been joined with her husband on 06.04.2023, I found Guinevere (too late) eating poor Perseus. He had just been singing to her the night before and was still healthy and courting his beloved. Perseus, adopted 04.24.2023, was the one I had had the longest and was always a favourite of mine. I was heartbroken, but Guinevere was full. A Perseus-shaped hole remains in my heart.
The following day, Guinevere scurried around, as if looking for her husband. Then the very next day, Guinevere, who had been quite healthy, simply lay down and died.

Penelope

Penelope died naturally in the early afternoon of 09.10.2023, three months to the day from when I first collected her. I had just photographed her laying eggs the night before. Penelope had been my last N. spinosa collected (on 06.10.2023) and had moulted to full adult on 06.21.2023. At the time of this writing, she is survived by her husband, Odysseus.

Detailed images of Penelope (adult female Neobarrettia spinosa) shortly after dying naturally on 09.10.2023:








Calliope

One week later, Calliope died naturally in her cage on 09.17.2023. (She had moulted to full adult on 06.09.2023.) She was survived by her husband, Sir Galahad, at the time of this update.

Sir Galahad

Sir Galahad died naturally in his cage on 09.27.2023, exactly ten days after his wife, Calliope. I had adopted him on 05.21.2023 and he was my first Neobarrettia spinosa to moult to full adult, on 05.31.2023. Sir Galahad made his first sounds on 06.04.2023 and he and Adonis were the strongest of my male singers. Sir Galahad was exceptionally regal and elegant and birghtened the soundscape with his song.

Detailed images of Sir Galahad (adult male Neobarrettia spinosa) shortly after dying naturally on 09.27.2023:





Odysseus

Odysseus, the husband of Penelope, was the only Neobarrettia spinosa that I collected as a full adult. I adopted him on 06.05.2023. He died naturally in his cage on 10.03.2023, three weeks after his wife had passed. Odysseus sang very little after his wife died, with his last song around 09.17.2023. Both Odysseus and Penelope had favourite perching spots at the highest point of their potted plants, where I had last seen Odysseus alive the night before he passed away.

Ariella

Ariella, the wife of Adonis, died very early morning 10.09.2023, four months and four days after I had first adopted her as a final-instar nymph on 06.05.2023. She moulted to full adult on 06.16.2023 and she was joined with her beloved Adonis on 06.20.2023. Ariella and Adonis were inseparable, almost always perched right next to each other on their favourite tall stick. At the time of this update, Ariella is survived by her husband, Adonis.

Adonis

Losing Adonis, my very final Neobarrettia spinosa, was the hardest of all and I cried for most of the day. Adonis, living up to his name, was my most handsome katydid. And along with Sir Galahad, Adonis was the strongest singer. I adopted Adonis on 06.05.2023 as a final-instar nymph, and he moulted to full adult on 06.06.2023. His first really strong song was 06.15.2023. He was joined with his wife, Ariella, on 06.20.2023. The two remained in love throughout their lives, almost always perching side by side. Ariella died on 10.09.2023, leaving Adonis alone. His final song was on 10.13.2023 with only a single chirp the following day. Adonis died on 10.18.2023. I found him in the morning after he had fallen from his branch. I moved him to a safe a place in a separate container with good cushioning so he could be comfortable. I was able to spend those last hours with him and to thank him for being my katydid. He died shortly after 1pm, leaving my heart shattered. He was buried near his beloved Ariella and now dances with her in the graceful and glorious meadows of Heaven.

Adonis being gorgeous:



ASSISTED LIVING for Neobarrettia spinosa

As with rearing most insects, it is quite possible to set up Assisted Living and Hospice Cages for older and weaker animals to ensure their nutrition, comfort, and protection. With predatory insects, in addition to the common foods I always offer, I provide meat products, such as cooked chicken and cooked turkey bits. Some carnivorous insects will eat wet cat food, as well. Since most of the insects that I rear, including obligate carnivores, will also nectar, the nectar sponges and apple slices are a hit. (See General Rearing Tips for more details on hospice and assisted living set-ups.)

These ageing Neobarrettia spinosa are doing well in individual Assisted Living Cages:





And About Those Eggs ...


Eggs laid in sand substrate are left undisturbed and misted daily to ensure sufficient moisture.

Eggs are ecru coloured (greyish beige) to light tan and punctate. They measure an average of 8 mm in length. Eggs are oblong and very slightly flattened with the longitudinal edges asymmetrical in shape.

These eggs I removed from Guinevere the day after she died and added to appropriate substrate (then covered with more substrate):


Note the texture of the egg and the extra large size:


Specifically, when Guinevere died on 09.06.2023 and then Penelope died on 09.10.2023, I waited a day and then removed the remaining eggs. I carefully cut a slit in the abdomen and removed most of the eggs. In both cases, I then buried the (mostly intact) female to respect the life that I had had the privilege of caring for. I gently rinsed the eggs in a tea strainer and added them to appropriate substrate. I have no idea if eggs in a recently deceased female insect could be viable. If you know, please inform me. I assume that a female who dies while still actively laying eggs will have remaining fertilised, viable eggs inside her, especially since both females were still laying eggs shortly before their deaths. But, of course, I have no idea.

I removed these 58 eggs from Penelope on the morning after she died:


(Note: the lighter colour is the natural colour; the darker coloured eggs are ones that are still wet from being rinsed.)

Note the beauty and texture of these eggs:


Eggs added to substrate (and then covered with more substrate):


And, finally, when Calliope died naturally on 09.17.2023, she still had one egg in her ovipositor. I removed the final egg and added it to the sand substrate that Calliope had used. I did not dissect Calliope since she had not been laying eggs in those last two weeks. Instead, I buried her alongside the others in my garden.

Calliope died with final egg still inside ovipositor:



Regarding the eggs that my females laid naturally, almost all of the eggs were laid in sand substrate dishes (sand, coconut fibre, organic soil) with just a few laid in the soil of a potted plant. I keep the substrate lightly moist.

Sand substrate dishes to be overwintered:



The exceedingly difficult part (and apparently impossible part for many rearers) in raising Neobarrettia spinosa is getting the eggs to hatch. Orin McMonigle (2011) states that the eggs he maintained on at least two separate occasions took a full two years to hatch. And then, after you keep your eggs moist and in conditions reflecting natural outdoor temperature and photoperiod for two years, you must be present on the day that the eggs hatch because the hatchlings need to eat almost immediately. On Day 1, McMonigle recommends giving the newly hatched nymph banana to eat. On Day 2, they must be given tiny crickets one-quarter to one-half the mass of the N. spinosa nymphs.

Furthermore, it is my experience that every single nymph must be kept in its own cage. I believe that if I were working with nymphs on Day 1 of hatching, I would try baby food, perhaps a baby food containing some kind of meat along with one containing banana. I would immediately separate my nymphs into small, safe containers with mesh walls and a mesh top for climbing and moulting. I would rely on handraised Acheta domesticus because it is essential to have very tiny crickets around, usually smaller than a store would sell. In addition, I would maintain my own grasshopper colony.

I naturally check all of my cages every day since I do so much rearing, but anyone rearing this species must be committed to a two-year wait while keeping the eggs moist and checking the cages daily.

I have not yet succeeded in finding someone who has successfully reared this species. If you have gotten your N. spinosa eggs to hatch, please consider adding comments to this page or adding your own article so that folks interested in preservation of this uncommon species may gain knowledge.


Guinevere grooming ovipositor:





Some Final Thoughts


Unfortunately, these unusual insects are being bought and sold as commodities and many online discussions treat them as toys rather than as precious sentient wildlife to be respected and preserved. I recommend that we instead practice ethical treatment of this species and that we also learn how to successfully rear them from egg to adult (Since I have not accomplished this, I am unable to offer instructions, unfortunately). These are exquisitely beautiful insects with a fascinating ethology.

This species, along with Megaphasma denticrus, Amblycorypha parvipennis, Obolopteryx catinata, and a few others I have worked with will likely become endangered (if not already), and I greatly hope that we will find ways to conserve our threatened and endangered species.

And, once again, if you have successfully reared this species from eggs, please consider adding an article here to instruct the next generation of rearers.

Together we can work to preserve all of these unique species of insects and allow them to thrive in protected natural habitats.

I wish you every success in your rearing experience.


Dionysius pretending to be a spider:




Acknowledgements


This article is dedicated with all my love to my dearest friend, Paige, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly while I was out collecting my final Neobarrettia spinosa. I believe it was her angel that led me to Penelope, my very last and much-needed female. Penelope was named for Paige, and her mate, Odysseus, for the last cat that Paige and I shared. Paige, you were such an angel here on Earth that you hardly had to change when you progressed to a Heavenly angel. You are always in my heart.


And I want to express my deepest gratitude to Brandon Woo for helping me in so many ways. He has a heart of gold and generously offers his assistance to so many, whether rank amateur like myself or esteemed scholars such as Hojun. It is this generosity of spirit that inspires and propels the next generation of entomologists, and I am grateful to know this exceptionally talented scientist. May Brandon meet with every success in all of his future endeavours.


Finally, I want to thank those who have offered kind words and assistance on this site along with all of those practicing or interested in practicing compassionate rearing, who cherish preservation of wildlife and habitat and who treasure the magnificent animals with whom we share this planet. You are why we write.




References


Cohn, T.J. (1965). The arid-land katydids of the North American genus Neobarrettia (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae): their systematics and a reconstruction of their history. University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology, no. 126.

McMonigle, O. (2011). Invertebrates for Exhibition. Coachwhip Publications.

SINA. 2023. Singing Insects of North America. https://orthsoc.org/sina/331a.htm


Further Reading


Cohn, T.J. (1957). The relationships of the North American genera Rehnia Caudell and Neobarrettia Rehn (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 588: 1-16.

Fialho, V. S., Chamorro-Rengifo, J., Lopes-Andrade, C., & Yotoko, K. S. (2014). Systematics of spiny predatory katydids (Tettigoniidae: Listroscelidinae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest based on morphology and molecular data. PloS one, 9(8), e103758. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103758





.

This guy could help
https://www.instagram.com/the.redeyeddevil/

Josh successfully raises and breeds this species. He might provide valuable info.

Dissected eggs won't hatch, at least according to this
https://askentomologists.com/2017/09/19/can-you-hatch-eggs-taken-out-of-a-female-katydid/

There are at least two asexual Ephemeroptera that can reproduce by rupturing abdomens, though, so the situation's probably different for many parthenogens.

 
Some orthoptera, such as Saga
Some orthoptera, such as Saga pedo, are parthenogenic, and there's a chance eggs taken out of a female of a parthenogenic katydid species could hatch if they were somehow activated(Insect eggs require several triggers to develop, in addition to fertilization, many need some kind of activation trigger such as exposure to air, passing out of the female, etc).

 
That's what I was more or less implying

 
Thank you, C.
Hi, C,

Yes, at least a part of me assumed that the eggs were not viable, but I also wanted to get decent photographs of the eggs because I will not be disturbing the substrate dishes where eggs were laid naturally.

I now think the problem with the eggs would be that they were not able to travel through the oviduct and become fertilised. So even if "activation" conditions are met, the eggs would be infertile. Is that what you are saying?

I'm not sure I fully understand the article that you point to and the author doesn't offer in-text citations, which might help. Since I'm a mere mortal and not a real entomologist, I am unable to access some of the articles referenced beyond the abstracts.
From what I understand, fertilisation and "activation" both need to occur for eggs to be viable.
Interestingly, the Sander article (1985) in the abstract includes this sentence: "Both fertilization and activation can be achieved in vitro."
The Horner & Wolfer 2008 article says that at least "in many [sexually reproductive] animals," it is fertilisation that triggers activation." This contradicts the other articles, such as the Sarashina et al. 2003 article.
The abstract of the Sander & Feddersen 1985 article says "embryogenesis fails soon unless some other conditions [beyond exposure to distilled water] are met." I would like to know what those other conditions are (I cannot access the full article).

1. I guess that a mature female (let's say a sexually reproductive Orthopteran) produces eggs whether or not she has mated.
2. I believe the female stores the sperm and in some cases (I read once) can select which sperm will be used to fertilise eggs, such as in cases of rejection of sperm from a mate too closely related (avoiding inbreeding).
3. The egg, I believe, must travel through the oviduct to be fertilised.
4. At some point, the egg is (separately?) activated, but when and how? (exposure to moisture? other things?)

As you can see, I am completely ignorant on this topic, so please educate me.

 
Look, I don't understand egg physiology well either
but what I was saying is indeed "the eggs (presumably) have not been fertilized, and whether activation occurred or not is irrelevant", and that if I were you I'd just get rid of the dissected eggs after photographing and posting them to Bugguide.

Also, Horner and Wolfner were saying "many" but not "all". I'm too lazy to read the papers properly/thoroughly, but as far as I can tell there is no contradiction because they did not say "all".

 
Okay, C.
Thank you for your comments. This topic is something I have been wanting to understand since I started rearing.

The molting issue might be be
The molting issue might be because the top of the containers predominantly consisted of mesh. It's not uncommon for larger and heavier insects to be less adept at gripping the tiny holes in mesh when molting, and fall as a result. Fabric mesh is also rather pliable, and may not hold consistently under the weight of a large insect molting. It might be better to attach a number of branches, bark pieces, and other coarse vegetation to the top to give them a wide variety of easily-grippable molting platforms like they would have in the wild. In my katydids, mantises, dragonflies, cicadas, and more, I notice that they will hook onto a molting perch and then sway or rock to hook their tarsi in, and that works especially well on leaves or branches where their tarsal hooks can physically embed into the substrate and prevent them from falling. The Tenodera I reared this year, which are also a large and heavy species, spent several minutes before the final molt just swaying and tugging each leg to lock fully into the bark of the plant they were molting on, and refused to proceed with the molt until all tarsi were secured, so I suspect it's quite important for them.

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