Brock, Paul D. (1958- )

Paul Brock with a giant stick insect in Queensland, Australia.

Amateur entomologist studying phasmids (stick and leaf insects), but with a general interest in entomology.

Paul Brock is a keen enthusiast who has travelled much of the world collecting and studying phasmids. In 2004 he described Bactrododema krugeri, which is South Africa's longest stick insect, reaching up to 226 mm. A Scientific Associate of The Natural History Museum, London, he is an active member of several Groups, including Treasurer / Membership Secretary of the Phasmid Study Group and President of the Amateur Entomologists' Society (1999-2001). He finds it useful to breed insects wherever possible, to obtain data on behaviour and variation. Most of the major museum and private collections have been examined.

Publications include several books on phasmids; six published in the 1990s to 2000. These include popular books on breeding and collecting phasmids, to a type catalogue of the Vienna collection and a monograph of the Malaysian phasmids. Numerous papers cover a wide range of subjects, such as descriptions of new taxa, rearing and behavioural studies.

Brock visited the Cape Town area for 10 nights in September 1998, staying at Constantia Nek. He was fortunate enough to select accommodation bordering woodland crawling with phasmids! These included the first record on the Indian Stick Insect Carausius morosus in South Africa - this species is widely reared in Europe and elsewhere and has become an established "alien" in several countries. A review of the genus Phalces resulted in name changes. A new species Phalces tuberculatus was described from Leipoldtville, Eland's Bay - type material deposited in the Iziko South African Museum, Cape Town.

Selected publications

Brock, P.D. 2000. Studies of the genus Phalces Stål. Phasmid Studies 8: 1-8.
Brock, P.D. 2000. Stick-insects (Phasmida) from the Cape Town area, South Africa. Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists’ Society 59: 2-13, pl. 00A-D.
Brock, P.D. 2000. A Complete Guide to Breeding Stick and Leaf Insects. TFH Kingdom Books, Havant (ISBN 185279124-1).
Brock, P.D. 2004. Taxonomic notes on giant southern African stick insects (Phasmida), including the description of a new Bactrododema species. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 41: 61-77.
Brock, P.D. 2005. A new genus and four new species of South African stick insects. Phasmid Studies 12: 25-37.

Information supplied by Paul Brock