Tuesday, May 29, 2018

A Few Final Pyrophorus Pictures

Here are a few last pictures I took recently of my Pyrophorus noctilucus, the last two larvae I ordered from Gil last year finally matured, and they came out much larger than my previous adults, a sign of good rearing conditions. 🙂

Here they are:







I'll also include this video I took of them as well, enjoy! 😉

13 comments:

  1. Good luck recovering from your bug overdose; I hope all is well =)

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  2. my Domino exterminator campaign has been doing quite well. I have found so many utterly fascinating research papers to help me

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  3. but this research paper will make you want to violently throw your White and Mardi Gras Oniscus out the window

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/211/21/3454.full.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwijmrrtp67bAhUKrlQKHZcBCSw4ChAWMAR6BAgCEAE&usg=AOvVaw3eym-wKqE2IpKmDtQQefvq

    If the pleiotropic effects of Drosophila colormorphs can be so terrifying, who knows what horrors lurk deep in the hearts of Dalmatian woodlice?

    Melanin is important for wound healing, cuticular hardening, and other non-pigment functions in insects.

    I will now add every single fancy isopod colormorph to my list of terrifying esoterica

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    1. Eh, the Mardi Gras have been going on for several generations, I've noticed no unusual health problems compared to the normal strain. In fact this colony has been way more prolific and has had less die offs than my normal colony, but that may be because I've given them a LOT more surface area and have them on the floor of my closet, where it is quite consistently cool.

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    2. I'm actually working on isolating a pure white O.asellus morph, as my MGD colony has been throwing out a few white individuals that seem to lack any dark spots, just the yellow flecks. 😁

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    3. but




      but







      did you read the whole paper?








      Several of the fruitfly color morphs - t-they had learning disorders and vision problems!






      brain abnormalities and other difficult-to detect pleiotropic effects may not kill any bugs but they may result in disaster








      I'm almost willing to bet $ that your white Oniscus have vision problems and maybe strange pleiotropic effects too (if Drosophila and other insects need pigments to see correctly, the same is likely true of isopods)

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    4. But in an enclosure full of food, moisture and shelter, AND protection from most predators and pathogens, they don't really need proper eyesight, (and I think isopods have rather poor vision compared to flies anyway, more like roaches). Learning disorders, while possibly important to survival in the wild, again won't have much of an affect on them in their cozy enclosure. As long as they are eating, pooping and breeding well, aren't showing any signs of distress or abnormally short lifespans, I'll consider them content with their lives, well as much as an invertebrate can be. :)

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  4. Thank you, I've been feeling much better as of late. :) I've just finished editing all previous videos and photos I had in my backlog, now all I have left to do is get rid of a few more species, and I'll be set.

    Nice, glad to hear it! :D Good luck dismantling (or at the very least, informing) those exterminator companies!

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    1. trust me, I feel better after kicking out the Coniontis too

      (it was pacing restlessly again)

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  5. I'm glad you kept the Pyrophorus! 2/8 of mine recently emerged, they're so mesmerizing.

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    1. I didn't keep them, these are just pictures I took of them before selling them off a couple weeks ago. Glad yours are doing well, congratulations! :D If all goes well, you should have tons of them in no time, my original three adults produced 100+ larvae!

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    2. In that case, congrats finding a new keeper for them, and on keeping them alive for so long. Plus your care sheets and info have been very useful, so thanks for that.

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    3. Thanks, hopefully the people I sold mine to will continue to breed them and get them well established in the US hobby! :)
      And no problem, glad to hear the care sheets have been useful! :D

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