Sunday, January 24, 2021

Uncommon Hisser Updates

First off, let's start with my Gromphadorhina sp. "Unidentified". All my nymphs are doing well and have put on some good size, and one of my largest nymphs has started developing coloration similar to that of adults of this species, with the characteristic pale markings along the abdominal margins! 😁 Most of the other nymphs are just black or black with red undertones on the abdomen, so it's nice to see one with coloration more similar to the adults of this strain, (which I love so much). 

Here are some pictures of the nymph in question:












Such a neat, subtle patterning, I really can't wait to see some adults in person! 😁
Now, for my Elliptorhina davidi... Unfortunately, I'm sad to say that one of my two female nymphs passed away, out of the blue. 😔 Seems like one of the random deaths people often experience with this species, because my remaining pair seem to be doing just fine, and the setup should be to their liking, so there is probably not much that could have been done to prevent this...
Here's the poor thing, just so you can see how far along she was in development, note that weird dark spot on her ventral abdomen, I wonder if she got some weird sort of gut infection?




Sad, but not completely unexpected, I knew this species was a finicky one. 

However, it's not all bad news, as my other davidi female molted recently, and honestly I think she and my male might be adults now! 😃 She has changed significantly in coloration, and almost looks teneral, except she's been this way for like a week now. Additionally, she seems broader than she used to be, and that's not just her being flat because she molted recently. Lastly, she's also noticeably larger than my male, which I've realized must be an adult, because his last ventral segment changed in his latest molt, and has that little notch on one side that's characteristic of adult male Blaberids, (I don't know the exact term for it, but I think it's got something to do with mating). It's normal for females to be larger than males in this species, so I do think they're both mature now, so yay, hopefully they get to breeding soon! 😁🤞

Here are some pictures of my (hopefully) adult pair:

Adult(?) female











Adult (and very well fed) male








If I'm right and my female is mature, then it should only be a matter of time until she gives birth, fingers crossed she and the male continue to do well for me, and won't die off prematurely like that one female nymph did... I feel a lot better for some reason knowing mine are adults, as I feel like the random die offs with this species affect nymphs more than adults. 😅 Hopefully I'm right about that as well.
Anyways, that's gonna do it for this post, thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time! 😉

6 comments:

  1. Hey! How are your Elliptorhina davidi? Did you manage to get offspring?

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    1. Unfortunately no, I have not had any offspring from my davidi female yet, but she is SUPER plump and gravid looking. Don't know why she's taking so long to give birth though, definitely not normal...

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  2. If the pregnant woman is already good. I hope she will successfully give birth to your kids!

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  3. Hey Tristan!

    Have you managed to breed Elliptorhina davidi?

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    1. Sadly I failed, I don't think I gave my female enough ventilation, so she died some what prematurely and never gave birth... I'll have to try again at some point, my buddy Brandon still has a thriving culture.

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