More Neat Isopods from Nathan!

Got some more neat isopods from Nathan Jones, which is always great! 😃 

First off, I got a group of Miktoniscus spinosus "Wattsville, VA". This dwarf species is very similar to M.medcofi, however the tips of the last few body segments are very curved at the end, making them almost look spiny (which I assume is the reason behind the name spinosus).

I've got them housed in a moderately ventilated container with several inches of coconut fiber and aged sawdust mixed with leaf litter, keeping them humid and at around 75F°. I'm also offering dog food as a supplemental food.

Here are some pictures of them:

A very nice little species, really looking forward to establishing a colony of them!

Also on the topic of micropods, Nathan sent me more Haplophthalmus danicus, because I overwatered and killed my previous group... this time I've set them up in a much larger setup with a deeper substrate, to avoid overwatering or drying out the colony.

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Nathan also sent me more Ligidium elrodii, and after sharing some pictures of his own setup, I've realized what I did wrong with my last two groups; I kept them far too dry. That's not to say I didn't keep them humid, but they actually need soaking wet conditions, with pools of water accumulating on the substrate. 

Now with this new information in mind, I set them up in a minimally ventilated container with half an inch of coconut fiber and aged sawdust substrate, flooded and topped with leaf litter and bark. I'm offering dog food as the supplemental diet, and keeping them at around 75F°. So far they are doing pretty well, and are actively growing.

Here are some pictures of them:

I really love the unique morphology of this species, as well as the very dark coloration. I'm hopeful they'll breed well for me!

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

Winter Bugs from Alan!

Once again I've received a package from my good friend and enabler Alan Jeon. 😆 Got some truly amazing species in this box, so let's dive right in!

First, and probably most excitedly, Alan sent me two Stenochrus portoricensis "Archbold, FL"! A member of the Schizomida, AKA "Minigaroons", these obscure and minute Arachnids look essentially like tiny little vinegaroons, with a much shorter stub of a "whip". These diminutive Arachnids are very rarely collected and even more rarely cultured. This particular locality of this species reproduces through parthenogenesis, which means both the individuals I received are female and capable of producing offspring without the need to mate. Unfortunately this also means we don't get to see the males and their unique terminal structures, but oh well.

I am keeping them in a moderately ventilated enclosure with a couple inches of coconut fiber mixed with sand, topped with lots of little bark pieces and litter for them to hide under. For food I am offering lots of springtails, I also tossed in a couple Nocticola but I'm not sure they'll be able to eat anything other than their small nymphs. Care must be taken not to let them run out of food, or else they can cannibalize on their young, especially on their young offspring. I am keeping them quite humid, at around 75-85F°.

Here are some pictures of one of them:

At around 6 mms long this a truly tiny arachnid, with some really awesome morphology! Hopefully I can breed these in decent numbers and not only get a sustainable colony established, but then be able to spread them around in the hobby more as well!

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Next up, Alan sent me an adult female and several nymphs of Arenivaga floridensis "Ocala, FL"! The darkest form and last of the major phenotypes I needed to complete my collection of this species. 😁 

Much like the other strains, I have these set up on a couple inches of straight sand, with a third kept humid, the rest bone dry. Moderate ventilation, lots of leaf litter on top of the substrate, and an ambient temperature of 75-85F°. I'm offering dog food and artificial pollen as the staple diet.

Here are some pictures of the adult female:

Oddly I saw her calling for a mate (she was on top of the substrate, with her abodmen raised high in the air), however Alan swears she's a WC female that was exposed to males. So not sure if she's actually mated or not, time will tell and we'll see if the ooths she lays hatch or not.

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He also sent me a group of Elumoides sp. "Miami, FL". Nearly identical morphology as the sp. "Homestead", but these are more of a white color than yellow. Very cute species, I'm really fond of this genus! 😊

I've got them in a small, moderately ventilated enclosure with an inch or so of coconut fiber mixed with leaf litter and a bit of spent Panesthiinae substrate. Keeping them humid and at around 75F°. Offering dog food occasionally as a supplemental food.

Here are some pictures of the cuties:

Hopefully they'll breed well for me!

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Alan also sent me some Libitioides sayi forma albolineata, so I can try my hand with that species again, knowing now that this locality probably needs a mild diapause to induce oviposition.

Lastly, he sent me some more Chalcolepidius smaragdinus and webbi larvae, A.patricus larvae and a couple I.havaniensis larvae. Which is great because I could really use more of those first three to help ensure some successful breeding.

Well, that does it for this post, thanks again to Alan for these awesome bugs! Thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time! 😉

Up & Up Updates!

Got a bunch of random updates and photos to dump, so let's get started!

First of all, my Periplaneta brunnea "EU Hobby Stock" culture has exploded, they're doing very well and I only just realized I never got photos of adults!

So without further adieu, here are a few pictures of an adult female:

Absolutely love the coloration on this species, such beautiful rich reddish brown hues and subtle pronotum markings. 😍 Underrated AF in my opinion.

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Next up, a few months ago I caught an adult Hadrurus spadix in Melba, ID, which I have been trying to offload. It's been doing well for me with minimal care, and I finally got around to getting some pictures of it!

Quite an impressive specimen, would be nice to see more of these here in the future. 🙂 

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My Armadillidium maculatum culture has absolutely exploded, there are hundreds of the things in the small takeout container I currently have them in, they're definitely due for a rehousing soon. 😆

Here are a few pictures of more than a few individuals:

A very pretty species, I remember when these were brand new in the hobby, they were quite an expensive and coveted species, until we started getting Spanish Porcellio that is...

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Recently I collected some Armadillidium nasatum in Kuna, ID. This is the first time I've seen them in this state, and was able to collect more than enough to start a colony. 

Interestingly they are throwing out a wide variety of coloration and potential morphs, for now I'll be leaving them be as a nice little sample of the genetic diversity that's present in this one locality. I may isolate some of the weirder looking individuals in the future for some breeding projects, but for now am content to leave the various color forms together.

Here are some pics of them:

Definitely a nice strain of this species, I'm quite happy I was able to finally find some in the wild!

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In a somewhat controversial move, after hearing Kyle talk about keeping centipedes communally on one of his recent livestreams, I decided to throw my remaining two Scolopendra sp. "Boise" into the same enclosure, namely a moderately ventilated gallon container with several inches of clay/sand substrate, topped with Styrofoam pieces for hides.

Lo and behold, there doing quite well communally, often sharing the same hide! Admittedly I lost most of the ones I collected last year due to neglect, if I'd have known I could keep them communally I would have paid much closer attention to them, as I'd actually want to give them a solid breeding attempt. 

I will attempt to collect more of these as the weather warms up, and hope to get a breeding communal culture going. 

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Well, wasn't even that long of a wait, I now have Porcellio hoffmannseggi "White-Out" babies! 😁 Excited these are doing so well for me, most of the females appear gravid so no doubt I will have even more offspring on the way soon.

Here are some pics I got of the adults recently:

Loving this strain, so nice to have a morph like this in such a large and impressive isopod species!

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Lastly, the Blaptica dubia colony I inherited recently has been exploding, no surprise there. 😆 I happened to snap a couple of pictures of some nymphs feeding the other day, which I'll include below.

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