Bug FAQPrickly Haaniella
Haaniella echinata · Order: Phasmida · Family: Heteropterygidae
Females are 9 to 13.5 cm long while males are 7 to 9.5 cm long. They live in low-land tropical rainforests and up to 800 m altitude around places like Mount Kinabalu. Their diet includes leaves of bramble, raspberry, hawthorn, oak, ivy, hazel, rhododendron and other plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Bright turquoise-blue membranes between the leg coxae and the first abdominal sternites are visible even in newly hatched nymphs. Adult males may show turquoise-green instead of blue.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females reach 9 to 13.5 cm (3.5 to 5.3 in) in body length. Males are smaller, measuring 7 to 9.5 cm (2.8 to 3.7 in).
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
To keep them you need a medium to large terrarium with plenty of hiding places and a slightly moist substrate for egg laying. Maintain relatively high humidity and temperatures of 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F) for successful keeping.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They inhabit tropical lowland rainforests and can be found up to about 800 m altitude, such as around Mount Kinabalu.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on a wide range of plants, including Rosaceae leaves (bramble, raspberry, hawthorn) as well as oak, ivy, hazel, rhododendron and others.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay 250 to 300 mg eggs in the soil with an ovipositor; eggs are dark brown and bristly with a flat lid, or lighter with a slightly conical lid.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species is nocturnal, like other Bornean Haaniella.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to the northern part of Borneo. Its range includes Brunei and most of the Malaysian side of Borneo.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How big do Prickly Haaniella get?
Females grow to 9 to 13.5 cm and males to 7 to 9.5 cm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What are the distinctive markings of this species?
They have bright turquoise-blue membranes on the leg coxae and first abdominal sternites, visible even in hatchlings; males may appear turquoise-green.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Prickly Haaniella naturally found?
They are native to northern Borneo, including Brunei and most of Malaysian Borneo, and live in lowland rainforests up to 800 m altitude.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
Their diet includes leaves of bramble, raspberry, hawthorn, oak, ivy, hazel, rhododendron and other plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How should I keep them in captivity?
Provide a medium to large terrarium with plenty of hiding spots, a slightly moist substrate for egg laying, high humidity, and temperatures of 20 to 25 °C.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Heteropterygidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haaniella_echinata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.