Interactions

A pair of two-striped walking sticks interacting with a plant food source. Photo used courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. 
The three main colors of Anisomorpha buprestoides plays a part in the way the two-striped walking stick interacts (Conle et al. 2009; Dossey et al. 2008).  The environment that the brown two-striped walking stick is found is the more humid vegetative habitat and in addition to only being found in here they have a tendency to be nocturnal and social in nature (Conle et al. 2009; Gunning 1987).   The two-striped walking stick usually comes out from under its shelter roughly 20 to 25 minutes after sunset (Gunning 1987).   This nocturnal behavior is believed to be related to avoiding predators (Conle et al. 2009).  Typically the brown A. buprestoides can be found hiding out during the day in large groups under loose bark or in dark crevices in numbers ranging to 100 specimens (Conle et al. 2009).  As in almost complete contradiction the orange and white A. buprestoides are typically found solitarily or as solitary mating pairs (Conle et al. 2009).  Regardless of color, however, A. buprestoides has plenty of predators to worry about (Conle et al. 2009).

A male two-striped walking stick about to reclaim his female mate. Photo used courtesy of Alex Vail.
A. buprestoides
may have a defensive chemical that it sprays to deter predators, however, there is still no shortage of them (Conle et al. 2009).  Some of the more common predators to the adult form of A. buprestoides range from black bears, reptiles, birds and spiders (Conle et al. 2009), although mice have been recorded to eat them as well (Sondheimer 1970).  One documented event of a mouse eating the southern two-striped walking stick indicated that A. buprestoides accurately sprayed the mouse in its eyes and muzzle; unfortunately for the walking stick the mouse never released the insect and it was eaten soon after it ran out of its chemical mixture (Sondheimer 1970).  Thankfully the nymphs of A. buprestoides can spray a defensive spray directly after eclosion which helps defend against ants (Sondheimer 1970).  Even though the southern two-striped walking stick has many predators there have been very few studies done in regard to parasitization (Conle et al. 2009).  One incident of A. buprestoides being specifically related to parasitization regarded a red mite (Conle et al. 2009) which was found in the Ocala National Forest.  Unfortunately, the mite was not officially identified other than being Erythraeidae (Conle et al. 2009).  Little is known about the frequency, regional occurrence, and biological details of this parasitization.    

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