That's right, I was FINALLY able to get my hands on a member of the tribe Daihiniini, AKA "Sand Treader" camel crickets, from Gardendale, TX. As the name would suggest, this tribe specializes in dune and sandy clay type habitats, and spend much of their time underground, either in their own burrows or in rodent burrows, coming out at night to feed. Fellow hobbyist Ashely Ford found some, and from her I was able to procure an adult female (who was in the presence of males, so is almost certainly mated).
Now, I'm not sure what this species is, the only formally recorded Daihiniini species in this area would be Ammobaenetes phrixocnemoides, but IMO this doesn't look like Ammobaenetes. There's a solid chance it's an undescribed species/genus, or one that's not yet been recorded from TX. I've been writing specialists, but they seem to be stumped to far.
Anyways, I've got her set up in a moderately ventilated container with several inches of sand and clay as the substrate, which I'm keeping fairly humid. The enclosure is sitting at around 74F°, and I'm feeding her dog food and fruits. She's been burrowing a lot, and I've actually witnessed her ovipositing already, in a chamber she made in the substrate!
Here are some pictures of her, plus a video of her ovipositing:
Such a neat species, with such short stubby legs! 😊 She can still jump surprisingly well though. Hopefully the eggs she's laying will hatch well, and hopefully they're not super cannibalistic (I kinda feel like they might be though). Wish me luck with this unique new addition to culture!
Well, that does it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time! 😉
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