Sub Family: Heteropteryginae

Foodplant in captivity: Accepts many food plants, though I tend to feed them only bramble and oak.

Humidity requirements: As with most Heteropteryginae, Areteon asperrimus prefers humid conditions.  

Comment: These are small and popular, and easy-to-keep.  A sexually dimorphic species, adult females are approximately 8cm long, with a cylindrical brown body that has several prominent thoracic spines, and a rather large, scary-looking (though harmless) ovipositor.  Adult males are a little smaller (6cm long), and less chunky.  They are a little more spiny than the females, have yellow stripes running longitudinally down the length of the body, and have a noticeable bulge on the underside of the end of the abdomen (the subgenital plate).

As with other Heteropteryginae, the adult female needs to lay her ova in damp substrate (which can be compost, vermiculite, perlite or sand); this justifies the large ovipositor.  Areteon asperrimus is a prolific reproducer.  However, unlike with other prolific reproducers (Carausius morosus and Baculum 144, for example) I find that it is unnecessary to destroy any of the ova - due to their size and popularity, surplus livestock can always be accommodated.

Defence tactics: Mainly camouflage.