Insecta

This North American walkingstick, known for its outstretched legs, can appear either green or brown. It is the only walkingstick species found in Québec.

The northern walkingstick, previously known as the common stick insect, was renamed following a naming contest organized by the Insectarium Nomenclature Committee.

Wingless, the Northern walkingstick feeds on a variety of plants, though it shows a marked preference for oak leaves.

Physical characteristics

The female is larger than the male.

In this species, both sexes have spines on their legs. They also possess cerci, the pair of appendages at the tip of the abdomen that males use during mating.

Reproduction

Once mating has occurred, the female drops her eggs to the ground. Hidden among the leaf litter, they spend the winter sheltered from the cold. In spring, the young walkingsticks feed on the leaves of shrubs.

In regions where the population is abundant, so many females lay eggs at the same time that the falling eggs create a sound reminiscent of raindrops.

Juvenile Northern walkingstick at the Insectarium:

This species—also known as the Madagascar hissing cockroach—has black and orange-yellow stripes along its body, a colouring that earned it a nickname associated with Halloween. It is mainly active at night in subtropical dry forests, where it lives in logs and caves.

Its smooth, glossy exoskeleton (external skeleton) is clearly visible, as this insect has no wings.

These cockroaches are among the least demanding residents of the Insectarium—they’ll eat just about anything they’re given!

Differences between females and males

Males and females can easily be distinguished by several physical traits.

Females measure between 3.5 and 5 cm in length, while males range from 4 to 5 cm. Males can be recognized by two horn-like protrusions on the pronotum—the dorsal plate of their exoskeleton.

Females have antennae densely covered with fine yellow hairs along the first third of their length, while males lack these bristles, known as setae.

Reproduction

Before mating, a courtship takes place in which the male’s sounds and secretions play an important role.

Gentle touches with the antennae and labial palps (appendages located near the mouth) are frequently observed. To mate, the male deposits a spermatophore—a capsule containing sperm—at the entrance of the female’s reproductive tract.

After 9 to 13 days, the female forms an ootheca (a protective case containing the eggs), which she keeps inside her body for 2 to 3 months until the eggs hatch.

Defense

The name “hissing cockroach” comes from the sounds this insect produces by compressing its abdomen to force air through a pair of modified spiracles (or stigmas).

These hissing sounds serve as a defense mechanism, mimicking the warning hiss of a snake. They are also used to establish territory.

Come observe the emerald cockroach in the Tête-à-tête room at the Insectarium.

The emerald cockroach lives in the tropical forests of southwest China and northern Vietnam. The nymphs and adult females of this cockroach are coppery, greenish or bluish in color. These iridescent colors glow when exposed to light. Adult males are rather dark.

Unlike most cockroaches, active during the night, this one is more diurnal.

Reproduction

After mating, the female produces eggs in an ootheca that she carries in her abdomen for 6 months. She then expels between 12 and 18 offspring.

During the early larval stages, the nymphs cluster together under the mother’s body, which affords them good protection.

Differences between females and males

Females are wide and wingless, a characteristic of juveniles that they retain into adulthood.

Males, meanwhile, are slimmer and equipped with fully developed dark wings.

Egg incubation: 6 months

Lifespan: male: up to 3 months
female: up to 2 years

Pinacate beetles, from the Eleodes genus, live in the semi-desert regions of western North America. They have a thick, waxy exoskeleton that allows them to withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius without losing too much moisture.

Their long legs help keep their bodies elevated above the sun-heated ground.

These legs are also useful for running and digging. Pinacate beetles can burrow into the soil to take refuge where the temperature is less intense.

Beetles from the Eleodes genus are known for their defensive behaviour. When threatened, they lower their heads and raise their abdomens in the air. In this position, they can release a foul-smelling liquid as a defense mechanism.

Clever hydration

At dawn, tiny droplets of water form on the waterproof cuticle of these beetles. The droplets gradually build up until they flow—by gravity—from the beetle’s abdomen down to its mouth.

These beetles tilt forward to collect the morning dew that has settled on their bodies.