Preferência alimentar de Cladomorphus phyllinus Gray, 1835 (Phasmatodea, Phasmidae) em criação em laboratório

The insects of the order Phasmatodea, commonly known as stick insects, stand out for their camouflage ability. Despite their ecological relevance, studies on their biology and feeding behavior are scarce, especially for South American species. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate, under laboratory conditions, the dietary preferences of Cladomorphus phyllinus with and without a choice of different plant species. The experiment was conducted at the Forest Entomology Laboratory of the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia. The following treatments were used: T0: Guava tree (Psidium guajava) (control); T1: Guava tree + Araçá (Psidium cattleyanum); T2: Guava tree + Eucalyptus grandis; T3: Guava tree + Eucalyptus urophylla; T4: Guava tree + Mulberry (Morus alba); T5: Eucalyptus grandis + Eucalyptus urophylla; T6: Eucalyptus grandis; T7: Eucalyptus urophylla; T8: Mulberry; and T9: Araçá. The individual C. phyllinus were kept in arenas of 3,000 cm³ with fresh leaves from the aforementioned treatments, and their consumption habits were evaluated from September to December 2024. Consumption was measured by direct observation of the consumed leaf area. The results indicated a clear dietary preference for Eucalyptus grandis, especially in treatments T6 and T2, for which consumption was significantly higher. The second most consumed food was the guava tree, followed by Eucalyptus urophylla. Treatments containing araçá showed low consumption, indicating that this species is not preferred by the insects. No mulberry leaves were consumed, suggesting that the feeding behavior for eucalyptus and guava species may be associated with a preference for Myrtaceae family species. The study indicated that the behavior of C. phyllinus is selective, as they showed a greater preference for Eucalyptus grandis, followed by P. guajava and E. urophylla, while species such as P. cattleyanum and M. alba were not attractive.