STRUCTURAL AND TAXONOMIC COMPONENTS OF HABITAT SELECTION IN THE NEOTROPICAL FOLIVORE LAMPONIUS-PORTORICENSIS (PHASMATODEA, PHASMATIDAE)

Lamponius portoricensis Rhen is a folivorous neotropical walkingstick that is a common light-gap inhabitant of the tabonuco forest in Puerto Rico. Little is known concerning the spatial distribution of this pha smatid or the manner in which it selects habitats. Based on multiple r egression analysis of a suite of taxonomic and structural characterist ics of understory flora, we determined that the density of walkingstic ks was associated with patches that exhibit high apparency values for Piper treleaseanum Britton & Wilson and Symplocos martinicensis Jacq., and low apparency values for Dryopteris deltoidea (Sw.) Kuntze. The t otal development of the understory regardless of taxonomic composition at 76 cm (2.5 ft) and 107 cm (3.5 ft) also contributes to high walkin gstick density, based on correlative analyses. Moreover, nonparametric analysis suggests that L. portoricensis disproportionately occurs on P. treleaseanum (approximately twice as often as expected based on pla nt apparency). Despite these associations, only a third of the variati on in walkingstick density is accounted for by this suite of floral ch aracteristics. The low vagility of L. portoricensis may result in its having incomplete information about the abundance and distribution of forage plants, whereas patch-dynamic processes involving changes in qu ality of forage can confound the significance of apparency alone in pr edicting density. The production of aromatic attractants by Piper may act as the proximate cue affecting patch selection.