Reproduction and incubation[edit]
The females lay eggs in months.
Incubation takes place from 5–7 months at 25 °C (77 °F). Eggs are beige-brown and about 6–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in).
[15]
However, many times the eggs laid are not fertilized due to
parthenogenesis. This is a form of
asexual reproduction found in females, where growth and development of
embryos occurs without
fertilization by a male. Eggs are oval or barrel-shaped, like seeds. Different types of
oviposition occur in leaf insects. The eggs of this species are catapulted by a backward movement of the abdomen.
[16] In a study the ratio of the distance the egg was thrown and the body length of the insect was compared with some other species, which was 24-36.
[17] If the eggs are fertilized, then it takes 3–4 months for incubation, otherwise it takes 6 months for unfertilized eggs. Unfertilized eggs hatch out with females only, while fertilized ones may be either male or female. The female lays about 100 eggs at intervals of a few days. The larvae are red at hatching but green within three to seven days. These hatch from eggs laid at a rate of three per day per female.
[10]