Misc Beetle Updates

Well, my Alaus lusciosus larvae have grown a TON in the past few months, it seems they can actually go from hatchling to adult well within a year, IF fed large amounts of food, consistently. The nice thing too, is that even if you're lax in feeding, it doesn't actually seem to make them mature at a smaller size, they just take FOREVER to grow. 😅 But yeah my largest larvae were maybe just under an inch a couple of months ago, then I ramped up feeding, and my largest are over 3 inches. 😳

One larva has pupated already, with another seemingly following suite. There are some slightly staggered growth rates between them but I'm pretty sure I'll get the majority of adults fairly synced up for sure.

Here are some pictures of my largest larva:

So big! 😲 And bit the tweezers I picked it up with something fierce, I have no doubt a bite from one of these would hurt a LOT (and almost certainly bleed...). 😅

---

My Chalcolepidius webbii larvae are growing super well, they seem to be just the same as Alaus, as long as you're consistent with feedings and make sure to feed them large quantities of food (which they absolutely gorge themselves on), they'll grow rapidly compared to other Elaterids. Some of mine are nearing an inch already. 😁

Here are a couple "meh" quality phone pics of a larva, because I'm too lazy to get actual good ones apparently:

Looking forward to watching these grow big like the Alaus! 😊

---

My Eleodes spinipes macrura culture is doing well, and I've reared up some more adults recently, including a very nice, big adult male (which seem to be awfully few and far between compared to females). 😁

Here are some phone pics (again) of the teneral adult male, plus a couple photos of a recently matured (but darkened) adult female:

Teneral male

Female

These are such a joy to work with, unlike the majority of larger Eleodes (which have proven a pain to breed in comparison). 😊 Definitely one of the best new additions to the darkling hobby in a long time IMO.

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

Harvestmen, Mantids & Beetles Oh My!

Well, I lucked out big time lol, that single pair of Vonones ornata Alan Jeon sent me back in December actually ended up being a sexed pair! And back in late January/early February, I found hatchlings in their enclosure! 😁 

I only got five babies total from the first wave of offspring, which are doing great and have molted several times (I think they're all L4 now). However I just found a bunch of new eggs that the female laid on the substrate and on objects on the ground, so more babies are incoming!

In fear of the adults eating these offspring in their somewhat small enclosure, and fear of these larger babies eating the incoming hatchlings, I've moved my five L4s to my Armadillidium gestroi setup for now, which should have ideal humidity for them and plenty of hides (and I don't think the Vonones will bother them much).

Here are some pictures I took of what I think is an L3:

So cute, and oddly not Vonones-like in appearance! I'm sure that will change soon as they continue to molt. 😄

---

Finally, after months of waiting, my Pseudacanthops lobipes male has matured! And boy is he a stunner! 😍 The males of this species have such incredibly long wings, it makes them look so much larger than the females! (even though in reality, the females are much larger in terms of mass).

Here are some photos of the handsome fella:

He's already eaten for me, and I will likely attempt to pair him in a matter of days... Fingers super crossed the female doesn't eat him!!! 🤞😅

---

Lastly, just a little update on my Eleodes spinipes macrura. Got lots of adults emerging now, most of which are females... Which means I'm going to be overrun with larvae soon! 😂

Finally got some pictures of fully darkened adults, so here they are:

Adult male

Adult female

These have been a breeze to rear compared to a lot of other large desert darklings I've bred, and are a very valuable addition to the hobby! Hopefully they'll catch on in captive culture soon! 😁

Anyways, that's gonna do it for this post, thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see y'all next time! 😉 Got some really exciting new additions to show off, so be sure to stay tuned!

Eleodes spinipes macrura Adults!

At last, several of my Eleodes spinipes macrura are finally reaching maturity, with more pupae developing and more larvae nearing pupation as I write this! 😁

So far I've had four females emerge; two perfect ones, one with a slight dent in one of the elytra, and one that had one of it's elytra completely messed up and also it's abdomen punctured somehow, so it died shortly after maturing. The other three females are doing great though, and I can't wait to see a male soon! 😁

Here are some pics of one of the teneral females, they all have yet to fully darken:

Teneral adult female, flashlight shining through elytra

Teneral adult female, dorsal view

Definitely a very impressive species, though as you can see their elytra are filled mostly with air, E.obscura definitely have them beat in terms of sheer mass. Still, these are one of the largest Tenebs in the US, and it's amazing to have reared some to maturity with relative ease! 😄 They definitely appear to be a more forgiving subspecies than E.s.ventricosa, would like to try my hand at breeding those too though, just to compare.

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