Thursday, September 22, 2022

Even MORE Darklings from Kyle!

Kyle's Crazy September Package Series Pt. 3/4
««« Previous post in series • Next post in series »»»

Back to the darklings! 😂 Kyle sent me single individuals of three different Stenomorpha spp., this is not a genus I have much interest in breeding, due to adults only laying in clay based substrates, larvae being quite cannibalistic, and the adults themselves naturally only living for a couple months on average... Essentially, a lot of work and effort, for not much reward IMO. However, considering they've been thrust into my collection by chance, I suppose I'll give them an honest go... 😅

I've got each of them housed in their own well ventilated deli cups, with a fine clay substrate. I'm keeping a corner of each setup humid, the rest bone dry. I'm keeping them at around 75F°, and feeding them dog food.

Here are some pictures of each species:

Stenomorpha marginata "Portal, AZ"


Stenomorpha cf. convexa "Animas, NM"


Stenomorpha cf. convexicollis "Rodeo, NM"


It would be cool to breed this genus, just to say I did it... But I should note, I have NO IDEA if any of these three are even females... 🤣 So, we'll see if anything comes of this project, I remain skeptical.

Next up, Kyle also sent me a single Bothrotes male from Colorado City, AZ... This is a genus I've been wanting to breed for a long time, their care and rearing is apparently very similar to that of other easy Pimeliinae like Coniontis and Nyctoporis. However, with one male, I'll just have to be content with a little eye candy in one of my mixed species darkling setups. 😅

Here are some pictures of the male in question:





Pretty right? Hopefully one day I'll get to work with a breeding group of this beautiful genus.

Moving on, this is perhaps one of the most exciting finds IMO, Embaphion glabrum, from Colorado City, AZ. FINALLY, a third Embaphion species for my collection, Kyle sent lots of adults, and they've already been busy laying eggs in their new setup! 😁 They're very smooth and shiny looking, with a build similar to E.contusum, but with more exaggerated pronotum structure.

I've got them set up in a well ventilated container with an inch or so of coconut fiber as the substrate, one third kept humid, the rest dry. They've got a couple curved bark pieces for hides, and are being kept at around 75F°. I'm feeding them dog food as the staple diet.

Here are some pictures of a couple adults:









SO looking forward to making these available in the hobby, gimme a few weeks... 😉

Lastly, Kyle also sent a pair (I think 1.1 based purely on size disparity) of Cryptoglossa variolosa, from Green Valley, AZ. A pretty neat species of black death feigning beetle, commonly collected and kept in the hobby, they ALWAYS seem to have a bunch of clay caked onto their exoskeletons, which I think gives them great camouflage in their native environment.

I've got mine in a well ventilated container with a layer of fine clay substrate. I'm keeping one corner humid, the rest dry. They've got a toilet paper roll for a hide, and are being kept at around 75F°. I'll be feeding them primarily dog food.

Here are some pictures of the larger of the two adults presumably the female:







Moment of truth here... This female actually escaped like, the day after I got her. 😂 Did not secure the lid to their setup, and she just crawled right on out. However I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that she'd show up in my room sooner or later, these beetles are exceptionally tough and handle handle the dryness of a humid home for quite a while, and can also go a while without food. Sure enough, a few days later my mom spotted her crawling around on the floor, and I quickly put her back in her (now secure) setup. 😆 She's doing perfectly fine, and will hopefully lay some eggs for me soon. 🤞😅

Anyways, that's gonna do it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time! 😉

No comments:

Post a Comment