Along with the isopods I acquired from Roachcrossing a couple months ago, I also got several other types of invertebrates, which I'll cover in this post.
First off, I got a small group of Arenivaga sp. "Sahuarita". These were more of an afterthought sent along with the Venezillo arizonicus from the same locality, and given the small group size and skewed sex ratio, I don't think I'll be able to establish a colony from this group. Though I'm sure I can get more off Kyle at a later date. Most of them were subadult males, which have matured now, and I gotta say, this strain looks quite different from any of the other Arenivaga spp. I'm currently keeping.
Here are some pictures of a couple males:
I honestly have no clue what species this could be, it most closely resembles A.genitalis IMO, but I don't think that's a perfect match. Hopefully I can get more from Kyle later this year and get a good colony going!
I also got a group of Byrsotria rothi, a classic hobby staple that I've never seen in person before. Byrsotria have sort of fallen by the wayside lately, which is unfortunate since they're rather robust and nice looking roaches, good for handling and generally recommended a great beginner's genus. This is the largest species in the genus as far as I know, and yet is one of the least commonly kept.
I've got mine in a 3 gallon tote, moderately ventilated with several inches of coconut fiber substrate. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and offering dog food and fruits as the staple diet.
Here are some pictures of one of the nymphs:
Can't wait until these start to mature!
Next up, I got a breeding group of Cynortoides quadrispinosa. This Harvestman is very similar to our native Libitioides spp., though is an adventive species from the West Indies. They are supposedly easier to breed long term and less cannibalistic than Libitioides though, so hopefully they will do well for me!
I've got them set up in a moderately ventilated enclosure with an inch deep substrate of coconut fiber and sand, topped with sphagnum moss, leaf litter, and bark hides. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75-80F°, and feeding springtails, Nocticola, dog food, prekilled inverts and fruit slices.
Here are some pictures of an adult:
A very pretty species, and they have already started producing offspring for me!
Keeping with the trend of oddball arachnids, I've started diving more into Pseudoscorpions this year. What better species to begin with than Dinocheirus arizonensis, one of the largest US natives! Kyle sent me two adult females and a male, and from that I've now got at least a couple dozen offspring of mixed sizes, all growing well!
I've got them set up in a moderately ventilated container with an inch of coco fiber substrate, topped with a bunch of bark chunks and pieces. I'm keeping two thirds of the setup humid, the rest dry, have them at around 75-80F°, and an feeding them springtails.
Here are some pictures of some adults:
Really glad these are doing well for me, hopefully the colony will become quite well established in no time!
Next up, I got a group of Euborellia arcanum "Auburn, AL ", the Giant Arcane Earwig. These beauties are roughly 3 times the size of your backyard Forficula sp., are glossy black with orange legs, and completely lack any tegmina when mature. Their size, ease of care and beautiful appearance makes these one of the best pet earwigs in my opinion.
I've got them housed in a moderately ventilated 5 gallon bin with a few inches of coco fiber substrate, topped with bark hides and leaf litter. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and feeding them dog food and prekilled invertebrates.
Here are some pictures:
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| Male |
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| Female |
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| Female with egg clutch |
Such a beautiful species, and large to boot, these are severely underrated in the hobby, though hopefully that will change with time.
After years of pining for this species, I was finally able to get a culture of Lepiseodina conspicua from Kyle. These "Showy Moth Flies" are prolific, and fast growing as well. They are also the prettiest moth fly in culture IMO.
I've got them housed in a 32 oz deli cup with a thin layer of sawdust and leaf litter at the bottom, flooded with water. I'm keeping them at around 70-75F°, and feed them dog kibble as the staple diet.
Here are some pictures of adults:
Getting these pictures was a huuuuge pain, but I think I did OK all things considered. 😅 Hopefully these catch on in the hobby, as they are just absolutely striking in coloration, and super easy to breed.
I also got a group of Nocticola sp. "University Park, FL". It's unknown whether these are the same as sp. "Malaysia", or sp. "Vienna Zoo"; in fact all three of those stocks look almost identical, are all parthenogenetic, and may very well be the same exact species. But for the meantime, without genetic analysis and taxonomist approval, it's best to label all three as different species and make sure not to mix them up.
I'm keeping these in a minimally ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coco fiber substrate, topped with bark, leaf litter and eggcartons. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and offering dog food as the staple diet.
Here are some pictures of the lil cuties:
Hopefully they'll do well for me, would be neat if they end up being a distinct species from the sp. "Malaysia" and "Vienna Zoo".
Kyle also sent a small starter culture of Miogryllus saussurei "Cape Coral, FL", a cute little true cricket species with ornately patterned nymphs. They seem to really enjoy burrowing, more so than Gryllus. I don't really know of anyone other than Kyle breeding this genus, so it'll be cool to get a culture established.
I've got mine housed in a moderately ventilated container with a couple inches of coco fiber substrate, topped with leaf litter. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75-80F°, and am offering dog kibble and fruits for food.
Here are some pictures of a nymph:
Hopefully they'll do well for me, I can't wait to see some adults!
Lastly, I also got back Balta notulata, Chorisoneura parishi, Hemithyrsocera palliata, Latiblattella rehni, Margattea cf. bisignata "Macao", Plectoptera poeyi, Dorylaea orini, Eleodes eschscholtzi, Gromphadorhini sp. "Black", as well as groups of a few other species I still have but needed boosters of.
Anyways, that does it for this post, big thanks to Kyle for this awesome package, thanks to everyone for reading, and I'll see you all next time! 😉
