Updates, Updates and More Updates!

Well, I told y'all I'd share pictures of my female Blaberus cf. chacoensis female pics eventually, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do now. 😄 I also got pictures of the last few abdominal segments of both her and the male, just so you can see how easy it is to tell the difference in adult Blaberus.

Behold:

Female

Female's ventral abdominal segments

Male's ventral abdominal segments

She's a beaut, isn't she? Looking pretty gravid too, so hopefully only a matter of time before I have offspring.

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My Polyphaga plancyi female has laid an ooth finally! 😁 So the breeding has officially started! And what's more, my second male has matured, and the presub female is now a subadult. Not really any pics to show off here, just a positive update!

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Well, one of my Goliathus goliatus has made a pupal cell! 😃 I'm quite excited, and I hope the rest of mine follow suite soon, really looking forward to seeing adults of these beasts! Again, no pics to share for this update, just wanted it to be known though.

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Now for a couple of Euthlastoblatta spp. updates to wrap this post up.

Firstly, I've started getting hatchlings in my Euthlastoblatta sp. "Everglades" culture, woohoo!!! 😊  The hatchlings look exactly like those of E.diaphana, though they differ in coloration as they get older for sure. I'll be rehousing them to a larger enclosure soon, and look forward to having a big colony soon!

Now, in arguably more exciting news, I have several adults of both sexes of Euthlastoblatta abortiva now! Not only that, but they're already laying ooths! 😆 These may be my new favorite Pseudophyllodromid, the adults are GORGEOUS, and they aren't as tiny as a lot of the other Pseudophyllodromids in culture.

Here are some pictures, mostly of a female because she was the easiest to get photos of, male wouldn't sit still. 🙄

Female

Male

Isn't this species so pretty? The sexual dimorphism is pretty noticeable as well, which is always nice. Hopefully they continue to breed and lay ooths, looking forward to making these available in the nearish future!

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

Two New Euthlastoblatta Species!!!

Roachcrossing Winter '23 Package Series Pt. 3/5

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Got a couple more Euthlastoblatta species to add to the collection, since my E.diaphana are doing so well for me, hopefully these new ones will as well! 😄

First off, Kyle sent me 6 small nymphs of Euthlastoblatta abortiva, AKA the "Fragile Cockroach". These have been a coveted species among US hobbyists, they can be found in very far southern Texas, however considering their small size, remote and small range within the US, and the lack of hobbyists going to said area looking for really tiny roaches, they've not entered culture until just late last year. Thankfully, Kyle got some, and they've proven rather easy to breed without any particularly special care requirements. 😁

I've got my nymphs in a well ventilated deli cup with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, one half kept humid, the other half dry. On top of this I've given them crumpled paper towels for hides (my latest go-to for Pseudophyllodromids), and I'm keeping them at aroud 75-80F°. I'll be feeding them dog food and fruits.

Here are some pictures of one of the larger (but still very small) nymphs:

So colorful even at this young age, I can't wait to see what color changes they go through as they get older! 😍

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Kyle also sent me a much more robust starter culture of Euthlastoblatta sp. "Everglades, FL", the old female he sent me months ago failed to produce viable ooths and died shortly after arrival. Whereas in this box, he sent me three younger adult females, an adult male and a subadult nymph. 😁 There were ooths in their shipping cup, and one of the females was actively laying an ooth on arrival, so yeah I should be set now.

Interestingly, when I first got this species from Kyle, I kinda thought they might just be E.diaphana that were introduced to the Everglades... But after seeing a large nymph in person, it's obvious these are an entirely different species (perhaps even an undescribed, FL endemic). So, really hoping to get a large colony of these established, definitely a very nice find from Florida!

I've got them set up in a well ventilated deli cup with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, and I'm keeping them humid, but not super moist or anything. I've given them crumpled paper towels for hides, and I'm keeping them at aroud 75-80F°. I'll be feeding them dog food and fruits.

Here are some pictures of the adults and the nymph:

Adult female

Adult male

Subadult nymph

A very nice species, one I'm confident I'll be able to breed with this new group. 😊

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

Awesome New Orthopterans & Roaches!

Kyle's Crazy September Package Series Pt. 2/4

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Onto the non-beetle inverts I got from Kyle in this box, starting with some new camel crickets, Ceuthophilus chiricahuae! 😁 It's been a while since I got the chance to work with a new camel cricket species, this particular one hails from AZ and is apparently limited to the Chiricahua Mountains. 

They're a very leggy species, clearly mainly cave/rocky outcropping dwellers, not quite as robust and ground dwelling as C.agassizii for example. They've proven easy to breed for Kyle thus far thankfully, and should make for a nice new addition to the hobby!

I've got my group of nymphs housed in a moderately ventilated 1 gallon jar with lots of curved, vertically slanted bark, and and some toilet paper rolls as hides. I'm keeping them humid and at around 74F°. I'll be feeding them primarily dog food, along with the occasional fruits and veggies.

Here are a few pictures of the nymphs:

Looking forward to seeing adults of this species, and seeing just how large they are compared to my other two Ceuthophilus.

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Next up, Kyle sent me two ooths and an adult female of Euthlastoblatta sp. "Everglades"! Now, these may just be a previously unrecorded population of E.diaphana, but we'll see how the nymphs look compared to that species, when I eventually get nymphs hatching out that is. 😄

I've got her housed in a well ventilated deli cup with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, kept humid. There's leaf litter, bits of eggcrate and bark for hides, and I'm feeding her dog food and fruits. Keeping the enclosure at around 75-80F°.

Here are some pictures of the adult female:

If these end up NOT being E.diaphana, that'd be exciting, not only would it be a new species for culture, but they could potentially prove to be a new species, period. 😁 Or at the very least, a Euthlastoblatta adventive to FL that's not yet been formally recorded there. Hopefully this female will produce lots of offspring for me, fingers crossed! 🤞

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And last but not least, Kyle sent me a couple nymph pairs of Tafalisca eleuthera, AKA "Silent Bush Crickets" (or as Kyle likes to call them, "Florida False Wetas"). These things are SO cool, perhaps some of my favorite Orthopterans in US culture to date. It's a large, arboreal species that can climb smooth surfaces, they're easy to breed, females will oviposit in damp coco fiber substrate with no issues. All life stages feed well on a staple diet of dog/cat/fish food, which you can supplement with the occasional bit of fruit/veggie matter (they'll also take down weak/soft bodied invertebrates). They're communal, don't make noise, and are also relatively calm when handled. Overall, an amazing US native Orthopteran, one I'm really glad has made it into culture! 😁

I've got mine housed in a moderately ventilated container with an inch or so of coconut fiber substrate, which I'm keeping humid. They've got vertical bark hides slanted against each other, and I'm feeding them dog food, fruits, and the occasional prekilled invertebrate.

Here are some pics of a large female nymph, while she's eating an incapacitated, but alive adult male Balta:

Such a neat species in terms of morphology, I can't wait to see adults in person! 😁 Hopefully they'll grow well for me, they're certainly eating a lot!

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