BugzUK Parc - new invertebrate zoo in Norfolk

Another new species has arrived at the Bug Parc - the magnus stick insect, Phobaeticus magnus. They are the third longest species of insect on the planet. They seem to have arrived as eggs and are currently off-show while the newly-hatched young grow through their more vulnerable younger phase, with them planned to go on display once they are at a more robust size.

Information comes from the Parc's Instagram page:
Added by @thebugparc Instagram post NEWLY HATCHED STICK INSECTS ! We've got many exciting species of invertebrates that have hatched at The Bug Parc recently that we'll share over the following days, beginning with the Phobaeticus magnus ! This species of stick insect belongs to a genus containing many of the largest stick insects IN THE WORLD As you can see from the photos they may start out tiny, hatching from a small egg, but this species will reach immense sizes in length. The body length alone can be upwards of 25+cm, but with their legs extended outwards, they can reach lengths of over 40cm ! THAT'S ONE BIG STICK ! For now they're behind the scenes as we give them close care to ensure they get through their first couple of molts, as this is the most vulnerable stages of their life cycle. But once they're a bigger size and much more hardy, these incredible stick insects will go on display ! So keep an eye out for them You can check out these amazing creatures and over 200 plus other exotic invertebrates at The Bug Parc ! Book yourself into one of our awesome handling sessions if you think you're brave enough ! Visit www.thebugparc.com for more information and to book tickets #InsectLover #BugParc #InvertebrateWorld #InsectLovers #NaturePhotography #BugPhotography #FamilyFun #ExploreNorwich #InsectEncounters #NorwichAttractions #FamilyAdventures #NatureExploration #InsectPhotography #norwichdaysout #thebugparc #animals #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #invertebrates #stickinsect #phasmids - Picuki.com

Some other successes recently include a population boom of the Peruvian fern insect, Oreophoetes peruana, plus in December the Parc got its first ever eggs from the giant armoured ground crickets, Cosmoderus femoralis, which have been described as difficult to breed in captivity.
 
Another pretty exciting breeding from the Bug Parc announced today - red-eyed katydids Neobarrettia spinosa have successfully hatched from their eggs after a fifteen month incubation. It is possible that this is the first time these insects have been bred in the UK or even in Europe. These are a very large species of predatory katydid from Texas and Northern Mexico, which mainly feed on invertebrates but have been known to eat small birds.

Information, including pictures of the new young, comes from the Bug Parc's Facebook page.
 
Another unusual species of stick insect has recently arrived and bred at the Bug Parc. At the moment the young Kang's stick insects, Orthomeria kangi, endemic to a relatively small area of the Philippines, are off-show as they grow. Currently they are white with brown stripes, but once adult they turn black and red in colour.

Information, including photographs of the new young insects, come from the Bug Parc's Facebook page.
 
The Bug Parc has recently announced the hatching of a large number of giant devil's flower mantis Idolomantis diabolica nymphs.

Some new species have also been announced as arriving in the past month or so. These include:
  • Pink dragon millipede, Desmoxytes planata
  • Cameroon tree snail, Pseudoachatina connectens rollei
  • Ant-mimic katydid, Eurycorypha sp.
  • Garden locust, Acanthacris ruficornis
All these arrivals are mentioned on both the park's Facebook and Instagram pages.
 
I'd be interested to know how sustainable a lot of these species are regarding collection methods and captive breeding...
 
Today I made my first visit to the BugParc and I must say it was brilliant! Just the sheer amount of invertebrates on display was terrific. The place was also chock a block with facts and information plus the occasional invert pun. I was also happy to see so many people appreciating inverts, and though some people I overheard were not fond of specific groups (spiders, cockroaches etc) it did not deter them from looking in the terrariums. The area was very family orientated with lots of play areas and activities for small children. I'm already looking forward to re-visit the collection in the future as they have plans to open a tropical butterfly walkthrough and more excitingly a netted native butterfly walkthrough. I think this collection will only go from strength to strength.
 
I went for my second visit to The Bug Parc today, and again had a brilliant time. This time, I didn't note down all of the species on-display, as that would have taken far too long. Instead, what I will note are some of the exciting additions to the collection since my last visit:

Hinton House
  • There are both greater Neobarrettia spinosa and lesser arid-land katydids N. victoriae on display in the orthropteran section; some of the other very interesting species added here since my last visit include the Haldeman's shieldback Pediodectes haldemanii and ant-mimicking conehead Macroxiphus sumatranus
  • The cockroach, bug and leech section has a mixed tank home to golden apple and zebra nerite snails alongside a very impressive African snail predator Limnogeton sp.
  • The horse leeches have now been replaced by Mediterranean medicinal leeches Hirudo verbana
Comstock House
  • The world's largest scientifically named stick insect species, Phryganistria heusii yentuensis, is on display (there is one larger species, but it is yet to be classified)
  • The park has signage about their breeding programme for the Critically Endangered golden-eyed stick insect Peruphasma schultei - as well as the fifty-strong group kept on-show, there are two more off-show breeding colonies
  • A new display has been added next to the entrance of the beetle room, comprising two dirt-filled tanks for young grubs of stag and flower beetles
 
The Bug Parc have announced that they have now erected the first and largest of their butterfly polytunnels, with two smaller ones to be built soon. Once they have been raised, they will begin to furnish the insides of the polytunnels in preparation for the arrival of the butterflies. The largest of the polytunnels will have two ponds, one of which will be home to koi carp.

Added by @thebugparc Instagram post So the butterfly polytunnel is up and ready to have the insides built…. Quite a daunting thought, but we have great plans for this space with 2 ponds, one featuring koi carp. Next week they start to build the other 2 smaller polytunnels. And then the real work starts !! #butterfly #butterflypark #butterflies #norfolk #whattodoinnorfolk #norfolkdaysout #norfolkmums - Picuki.com
 
DesertRhino150 said:
I went for my second visit to The Bug Parc today, and again had a brilliant time. This time, I didn't note down all of the species on-display, as that would have taken far too long. Instead, what I will note are some of the exciting additions to the collection since my last visit:

Hinton House
  • The park has signage about their breeding programme for the Critically Endangered golden-eyed stick insect Peruphasma schultei - as well as the fifty-strong group kept on-show, there are two more off-show breeding colonies
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  • The park has signage about their breeding programme for the Critically Endangered golden-eyed stick insect Peruphasma schultei - as well as the fifty-strong group kept on-show, there are two more off-show breeding colonies

are these really that rare he has them for sale on the other website bugz.uk where i buy most of my inverts and i have some myself a very easy species to breed that feeds on privit that be found everywhere

can also be found on ebay as eggs babys and sub adults so theres a lot of people breeding them

edit to add i see they are in the wild but really common in private hands
 
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adamntitch said:
are these really that rare he has them for sale on the other website bugz.uk where i buy most of my inverts and i have some myself a very easy species to breed that feeds on privit that be found everywhere
Click to expand...

I've kept them myself in the past back closer to the time they originally came into culture - they are indeed an easy species to breed - but as you say, not common in the wild it seems.
 
A couple of bits of information about the Bug Parc that have been released in the first couple of days - firstly, all three of the butterfly polytunnels have been raised and from this week (the 4th November) work will start on creating paths and furnishing the inside areas. There is also more information about what the three polytunnels will be - while the largest will be the tropical butterfly display, one of the smaller ones will provide an undercover seating area for visitors and the other will be a greenhouse for growing plants for the butterflies.

Added by @thebugparc Instagram post What a difference a day makes !!!! Covers now on all three polytunnels and they are finishing today next week we start on building the new paths and building the insides of the new tropical butterfly house. There are three tunnels 1.. tropical butterflies 2…a clear polythene covered growing area for growing plants for the butterflies. 3…. A white covered tunnel which will be a covered area with picnic benches for visitors to enjoy picnics whilst shielding from the rain or sun. We are constantly striving to improve both the facilities at the Parc as well as adding new fun things to do. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING OUR NEW TROPICAL BUTTERFLY HOUSE ?? Let me know what you think ⬇️⬇️⬇️#norfolklife #norwichmums #norfolkmums #whattodoinnorfolk #thebugparc - Picuki.com

Also, the park has released a video of the Madagascan ornamental wandering spiders, Viridasius fasciatus, successfully mating. Perhaps more interesting is the news that, between the on-show houses and off-show breeding rooms, the park now records over 300 species in its collection. For context, when I first visited in 2023 there were 201 species on-display.

Added by @thebugparc Instagram post At The Bug Parc it is important that we breed all of the invertebrates in our care. Here you can see our latest breeding success with the Madagascan ornamental wandering spider, Viridasius fasciatus. With over 300 species in our care, both on show at the zoo and in our breeding rooms it’s a never ending job keeping up with their care for our full time team of keepers and volunteers. #Viridasiusfasciatus #ornamentalwanderingspider #insectsofinstagram #spidersofinstagram #thebugparc #insects #arachnids #zoo #bugzoo - Picuki.com
 
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The Bug Parc has announced fairly recently that they are currently caring for around 2,000 nymphs from around thirty species of praying mantis bred in the collection.

A future breeding project will be attempting to rear a giant North American wolf spider (I think Hogna carolinensis), as they now have both adult males and females at the park.

Additionally, the park is now sourcing fish for the ponds in their butterfly house - they have already said that some ghost koi will be arriving in February, but are also looking for koi or goldfish that need rehoming.
 
The Bug Parc has created a page on their website about their tropical butterfly house, opening today.
One thing that is new information is that, as well as being home to around 400+ butterflies of 30 different species, koi carp and goldfish, there will also be a large netted cage at the far end of the walkthrough home to the largest stick insects in the collection - a species that can reach a leg length of 56cm.
The greenhouse will include the plants to allow some of the butterflies to be bred in the collection. Those chrysalises brought in from outside sources will be visible in a hatchery in the pinned butterfly gallery in the Kirby House.
 
adamntitch said:
  • The park has signage about their breeding programme for the Critically Endangered golden-eyed stick insect Peruphasma schultei - as well as the fifty-strong group kept on-show, there are two more off-show breeding colonies
are these really that rare he has them for sale on the other website bugz.uk where i buy most of my inverts and i have some myself a very easy species to breed that feeds on privit that be found everywhere

can also be found on ebay as eggs babys and sub adults so theres a lot of people breeding them

edit to add i see they are in the wild but really common in private hands
Click to expand...

There is no ex situ breeding programme for this species, it's pointless bearing in mind the captive population is seriously inbred and showing mutations that aren't found in the wild. There's no contribution to conservation at all from keeping it.

It is a lovely species though, I kept it for years.
 
I went for a third visit to the Bug Parc today. I will post about some of the more interesting species that have gone on-show since my last visit:

Kirby House
  • In this house, both the nocturnal and diurnal sections are still mostly home to scorpions, but one interesting new arrival in the diurnal section, albeit with a blacklight to highlight its fluorescence, is a group of glow millipedes, Benoitolus siamensis.
  • It was also interesting to see that the giant desert hairy scorpion in the diurnal section was mixed with a group of blue death-feigning beetles.
Hinton House
  • This is where many of the particularly interesting new arrivals were visible. The orthoptera room included the Asian leaf katydids, Phyllomimus sp. Thailand that I mentioned earlier in the thread, pitbull katydid, Liometopum coronatum, armoured crickets, Cosmoderus femoralis in two enclosures, Pemba katydid, Pemba sp. (not from Pemba Island, rather from French Guiana) Nigerian bullets, Macroscirtus sp. Nigeria and Colombian cave crickets, Caribacusta caraibes.
  • The mantid room included two enclosures for European mantis, Mantis religiosa, a species I have never actually seen before and certainly not one on-display on either of my previous visits. The ootheca hatchery was absolutely full of oothecas from nearly all the species on-display in this room.
  • The cockroach, bug, centipede and leech room had some choice new species on-show, including the millipede assassin bug, Ectrichodia distinctus, feather-tailed centipede, Alipes grandidieri and Madagascar giant centipede, Scolopendra madagascariensis (as well as being kept here, two tanks in the nocturnal room in Kirby House also house this species). The African snail-predator was no longer on-show, instead being replaced by a huge and very visible Vietnamese centipede.
Comstock House
  • Perhaps my favourite new arrival in the millipede and isopod room was the gold-leg flat millipede, Coromus diaphorus.
  • No new species that I could recognise in the stick insect room, with the Peruvian firestick display currently empty. The previous colony had a population explosion and was split up, with their old enclosure left so that the eggs still have a chance to hatch out.
  • The leaf-cutting ant display continues to be the best one I have seen in a UK zoo - it is absolutely huge, and full of ants.
  • The beetle room was surprisingly disappointing, with lots of no shows. Some new species I did notice include the Formosa flower beetle, Protaetia formosana and twin-spot predator beetle, Anthia omoplata. A new species that was signed that I did not see was the spotted sun beetle, Pachnoda cordata.
Butterfly House
  • This is definitely one of the best butterfly walkthroughs I have been in. Nowhere near as hot as the one in Jimmy's Farm, more akin to the one in ZSL London. Not only was there a good diversity of butterflies including some I have never seen before - highlight being a very friendly common archduke, Lexias pardalis that would not stop landing on and drinking from the back of my hand - there was also a huge number of individuals of some species, glasswings especially (I estimate there were well over 100 of these, in some places gathered in huge groups). Quite a lot of the butterflies there, including the glasswings, are being bred inside the house, which is not something I have seen especially often. Also, the house had some interesting features not often available for butterflies in other tropical houses - the far end of the house had an area designed to allow the butterflies to mud-puddle in safety.
  • The single mesh enclosure within the Butterfly House was home to a large Malaysian leaf katydid, Ancylecha fenestrata.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
I went for a third visit to the Bug Parc today. I will post about some of the more interesting species that have gone on-show since my last visit:

Kirby House
  • In this house, both the nocturnal and diurnal sections are still mostly home to scorpions, but one interesting new arrival in the diurnal section, albeit with a blacklight to highlight its fluorescence, is a group of glow millipedes, Benoitolus siamensis.
  • It was also interesting to see that the giant desert hairy scorpion in the diurnal section was mixed with a group of blue death-feigning beetles.
Hinton House
  • This is where many of the particularly interesting new arrivals were visible. The orthoptera room included the Asian leaf katydids, Phyllomimus sp. Thailand that I mentioned earlier in the thread, pitbull katydid, Liometopum coronatum, armoured crickets, Cosmoderus femoralis in two enclosures, Pemba katydid, Pemba sp. (not from Pemba Island, rather from French Guiana) Nigerian bullets, Macroscirtus sp. Nigeria and Colombian cave crickets, Caribacusta caraibes.
  • The mantid room included two enclosures for European mantis, Mantis religiosa, a species I have never actually seen before and certainly not one on-display on either of my previous visits. The ootheca hatchery was absolutely full of oothecas from nearly all the species on-display in this room.
  • The cockroach, bug, centipede and leech room had some choice new species on-show, including the millipede assassin bug, Ectrichodia distinctus, feather-tailed centipede, Alipes grandidieri and Madagascar giant centipede, Scolopendra madagascariensis (as well as being kept here, two tanks in the nocturnal room in Kirby House also house this species). The African snail-predator was no longer on-show, instead being replaced by a huge and very visible Vietnamese centipede.
Comstock House
  • Perhaps my favourite new arrival in the millipede and isopod room was the gold-leg flat millipede, Coromus diaphorus.
  • No new species that I could recognise in the stick insect room, with the Peruvian firestick display currently empty. The previous colony had a population explosion and was split up, with their old enclosure left so that the eggs still have a chance to hatch out.
  • The leaf-cutting ant display continues to be the best one I have seen in a UK zoo - it is absolutely huge, and full of ants.
  • The beetle room was surprisingly disappointing, with lots of no shows. Some new species I did notice include the Formosa flower beetle, Protaetia formosana and twin-spot predator beetle, Anthia omoplata. A new species that was signed that I did not see was the spotted sun beetle, Pachnoda cordata.
Butterfly House
  • This is definitely one of the best butterfly walkthroughs I have been in. Nowhere near as hot as the one in Jimmy's Farm, more akin to the one in ZSL London. Not only was there a good diversity of butterflies including some I have never seen before - highlight being a very friendly common archduke, Lexias pardalis that would not stop landing on and drinking from the back of my hand - there was also a huge number of individuals of some species, glasswings especially (I estimate there were well over 100 of these, in some places gathered in huge groups). Quite a lot of the butterflies there, including the glasswings, are being bred inside the house, which is not something I have seen especially often. Also, the house had some interesting features not often available for butterflies in other tropical houses - the far end of the house had an area designed to allow the butterflies to mud-puddle in safety.
  • The single mesh enclosure within the Butterfly House was home to a large Malaysian leaf katydid, Ancylecha fenestrata.
Click to expand...
Awesome, cool to hear about the European Mantis. The Desert Hairy/Blue Death Feigning cohabitation has been tried and tested in the pet trade
 
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