Obrimus bicolanus

Obrimus bicolanus is a stick insect species from the family of the Heteropterygidae native to the southeast of the Philippine island of Luzon, more precisely in the Bicol Region.

[1][2] In Obrimus bicolanus the slits in the metasternum that are typical for the genus are very narrow and barely visible.

In size and shape, the female is similar to that of Obrimus uichancoi, from which it can be distinguished by the strongly pronounced medial spines on the mesonotum (median mesonotals), as well as the distinct medials and second paired posterior spines of the abdominal terga I to IV.

A male specimen was collected by Thierry Heitzmann and Albert Kang in October 2009 on Mount Osiao.

The capsule is grey, slightly domed and resembles that of the genus Sungaya except for the transverse indentation at the lower pole that is only typical for Obrimus, which makes the eggs there appear double-humped.

The micropylar plate is 3.8 millimetres (0.15 in) long and the three armes forms an inverted T. Its outer edge is dark grey.

The lid (operculum) is round, flat and sits on the capsule with an opercular angle of about 25° sloping towards the ventral side.

Bresseel, who identified the species, Hennemann and Bruno Kneubühler were also able to breed them in 2011 from the eggs Heitzmann sent to Europe.

Obrimus bicolanus feeds on the leaves of bramble and raspberries, hazel, oaks, Salal or hawthorns.

To enable egg laying, the floor of the terrarium should be covered with a slightly moist substrate of soil a few centimeters high.

Metasternal slits of Obrimus bicolanus , left , right
Eggs in different views