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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Heteropteryx dilatata
Phasmatodea / Heteropterygidae
Heteropteryx dilatata is a robust Southeast Asian stick insect with sharply spined body surfaces. The broad female is green or yellow; the brown male resembles a curled dry leaf. Pink hindwings add a contrasting colour in both sexes.
Read the species account
Females are bright green or yellow and have spines on the upper abdominal segments. Their hindwings are translucent pink. Males have a shortened middle thorax and dull pink hindwings; their brown body resembles a curled dead leaf. [1][3]
The elevated, conical head extends backward over the front margin of the pronotum. This feature helps distinguish Heteropteryx from the related genus Haaniella. [1]
Females deposit eggs in the ground. Cincinnati Zoo reports hatching after about a year in its species account. [3]
Cincinnati Zoo maintains this leaf-eating insect on guava foliage in captivity. [3]
When threatened, the insect can close its spiny hind legs around the disturbance, clamping the source of contact between the spines. [3]
Parkinson described the species as Phasma dilatatum in 1798. The female holotype is held in the Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney. [2]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Hennemann, Conle, Brock and Seow-Choen; Zootaxa 4159(1), 1–219 (2016) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Phasmida Species File · Accessed 2026-10-11
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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