Sub Family: Lonchodinae

Foodplant in captivity:  Bramble.  Also accept hazel.

Humidity requirements:  I raise this species in a tall glass cage that has plastic mesh on the lid, and I lightly sprayed the leaves each evening.

Comment:  Ian Bushell gave me this species at the July 2003 PSG meeting.  He told me the following re: the culture of this species: 
       "Mark Bushell went with Phil Bragg on a 6 week field trip to Sabah in Jul/Aug 2000, and whilst there collected many new specimens and some that had become lost within the PSG.  Some specimens of  L. rusticus were found by Mark on the Silau Silau Trail within the Kinabalu Park, Sabah and he managed to keep a female alive (eating bramble) and bring it back.  At the time he and Phil believed it was a new species.  We again managed to keep it going back in UK and it eventually laid about 50 eggs - most of which hatched and these luckily took to bramble and we got the culture going.   Until this time only the female had been described by Brunner, thus the male was undescribed.  From this culture which is now in about its 5th generation, all the L rusticus have derived, and the male is being described by Mark."

Quite a hardy species, though males do not travel very well.