dilatata dead and black.

[BasementJungle]

Dilatata kicked the bucket. I was looking foreward to mounting it when it died, but when I found it dead all of the meatier parts were already dark green and black, is a rapid dessication on a live specimen required to get the bright colors I've seen on mounted ones? Oh well even discolored it'll still be a gem to hang on the wall.

 

[Mat]

Things like H dilitata and other large 'meaty' sticks such as Extatosoma are usually 'stuffed' for display purposes. Because of their large size they do not dry sufficiently quickly do prevent bacterial decay and discoloration setting in and, as you have found, they go black.

Best thing to do is to open the abdomen underneath as soon as possible after death and remove the contents. Replace this with some cotton wool of the appropriate size, perhaps with a few napthalene crystals added, and sew the abdomen up with fine thread. A bit of judicious squeezing will get the abdomen back in to the appropriate size.

Green colours in sticks are usualy chemical in origin and can fade rapidly after death to pale yellows or similar. If you look at many of the commercialy available H dilitata display specimens you can see they have been brightened up with an application of watercolor paint of the appropriate shade.

Stuffing does work, I still have the specimen of my first ever Extatosoma in my storeboxes, this died and was stuffed sometime around 1976 !

Matt

 

[BigToach]

Stick bug TAXODERMY? hahahaha that is cool

 

[Peter_Parker]

that stinks...

It sux that she died, how long did you have her? Oh well, at least she's going to good use

 

[BasementJungle]

Great info thanks, She lived for just over 2 months, nearly full grown when I got her, no molts.