Seattle Micro-pods, Katydid Growth & More!

Last month I vistited Seattle for the first time! It was a fantastic trip, and while we spent most of the time in the city, we did have time to visit one natural area; Schmitz Preserve Park. The difference in biome compared to where I live in Idaho could not be more astronomical, so lush and green and rainy, ferns and moss everywhere, and an array of interesting fauna! Didn't find much worth bringing back unfortunately, though I did aquire one interesting species (that I'll get to in a bit). 

Here are some pictures of the park first, and some of my finds there as well:

cf. Arion sp.

My FIRST ever Salamander find: Plethodon vehiculum

Omus dejeanii

Now I also found and collected a group of these small, surface active isopods, (though they may have been surface active because it was actively raining at the time). Nathan Jones has identified them tentatively as something in the Trichoniscus pusillus species complex.

I've got mine in a minimally ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coconut fiber, flake soil, sand and sphagnum moss mix at the bottom, topped with leaf litter and some chunks of rotten wood from where I collected them. Keeping them moist (pretty much wet), at room temperature and am offering dog food on occasion. It seems they're doing OK and breeding, though it's hard to tell exactly how well they're doing on account of their small size and secretive nature.

Here are some pictures of the little cuties:

Hopefully these establish well for me, fingers crossed! Whether they do or not though, I had a wonderful time in Seattle, and hope to visit again. 😊 

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Next up, I've completely forgotten to update y'all on my Copiphora sp. "Tarapoto, Peru". Of the 20+ eggs I received, only 7 hatched, and two of those hatchlings were rather sickly and did not last long. The remainder have done very well though, and looks like I've got a 2.3 group. 😁 Most are subadults or presubs now, and I'm expecting one of my females to mature any day now! 

They've been feeding well on prekilled superworms and apple slices. I've been rearing them in 16 and 32 oz deli cups, with mesh lids. Keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and am feeding them once a week.

Here are some pictures of my largest subadult female:

Beautiful and seemingly easy to rear species, hopefully breeding will be just as easy! 🤞 

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My Dysdera crocata group seems to be doing OK, and I see at least one male and female pair that seems to be mature now, so fingers crossed I get babies soon! 

Here are some pictures of a suspected female after feeding on an Armadillidium maculatum:

She's looking super chunky, so I'm hoping she's already gravid. 😄

Well, that does it for this little post, thanks everyone for reading, and I'll see you all next time! 😉 

Eustegasta Adults & Other Invert Updates!

Finally, I've started getting adult Eustegasta buprestoides! 😍 It would appear all 15 individuals I received are still alive, though growing at rather staggered rates. Some of the nymphs are barely larger than when I received them, whereas half of them are subadults (or adults) at this point. It reminds me of the growth rates of Gyna spp., and personally, while I'm not taxonomist, I wouldn't be surprised if Eustegasta becomes nestled within the Gyninae in the future.

Anyways, I've got two adult males and an adult female so far, and have at least one other female subadult that should mature soon, so things are looking great, staggered growth rates aside. 😁

Here are the beautiful adults in all their metallic green glory, you may notice there is some sexual dimorphism in the coloration, namely males are aa noticeably darker green than the more vibrantly colored females. Both are stunning though:

Males

Female

I did my best, but pictures still don't do them justice IMO, this species is just absolutely stunning. 💚 One thing that's hard to photograph is that their abdomens also have blue iridescence to them, as well as white markings along their margins.

Hopefully they will breed well for me, I'll definitely be keeping y'all posted!

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A few months back I went and collected some Woodlouse Spiders, Dysdera crocata, from behind a Motel 6 in Meridian, ID. These spiders are neat in that they feed primarily on isopods, but will also feed on small roaches, crickets, and other inverts if need be. They can also be kept and bred communally, if set up correctly and fed amply. 

I've got my small group set up in a moderately ventilated container with a thin layer of coconut fiber substrate, topped with bark and leaf litter. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and offering various isopod spp. as the staple diet.

Here are some pictures of one of the larger individuals:

This one molted somewhat recently, and so does not yet have a particularly plump abdomen, but I'm pretty sure it's male. Hopefully I have a pair in my group, and can breed these pretty little spiders!

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Not only have I had true Hemiblabera tenebricosa adults for a while, but they've actually just started producing offspring for me as well. 😃 This is definitely the prettiest of the Hemiblabera spp. in culture IMO, and hopefully they will take off in the hobby!

Here are some pictures of an adult pair:

Female

Male

Pair

Pictures don't do the subtle red striping on the females' abdomens justice at all, but at least the more vibrantly colored males are decently photogenic by comparison. 😄 

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Again, a bit late with this update, but not only did all my Platymeris biguttatus "Ghost" mature months ago, but they've also produced tons of eggs and now nymphs of their own. 😆 

Here are some pics of an adult:

Lovely coloration on these, I'm happy to have successfully bred them. 😊 If anyone's interested, I do have a decent amount of spare nymphs available, so feel free to check out my For Sale page. 😉

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Late last year, I caught a single pair of Dermestes ater in my new residence. I've not seen any more since then, but thankfully said pair produced plenty of offspring when set up in an enclosure, so I've now got a colony of these very flighty dermestids going! 😄 

I have them in a moderately ventilated container with some Styrofoam pieces at the bottom (for larvae to bore into and pupate within), topped with crumpled paper towels, dog food and dead invertebrates (which make up their staple diet). Keeping them dry, at around 75F°.

Here are some pictures of some adults:

Had a little bit of an oopsie with them several weeks ago, at that time they had NO ventilation, conditions got a bit dank, and they had a big mold and mite explosion. However, since then I've added ventilation and dried the setup out, and they are back to breeding and the culture is seemingly recovering well.

Well, that does it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time! 😉