Invertebrate Dude: Dark Harvestmen, New Roaches, & Peanut Beetles!

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Dark Harvestmen, New Roaches, & Peanut Beetles!

Just a little PSA, but Stygnomma spiniferum was just synonymized with Neoscotolemon spinifer, so that is the updated, currently valid name for that taxon.

Now personally, I think the Floridian populations of N.spinifer may represent two separate species... Because not only are there the typical, orange N.spinifer in Flamingo, Everglades FL, but there is a separate, darker colored population established there as well. These two color forms seem to breed true to their coloration, and differ slightly in morphology IMO, with the darker ones having slightly smaller palps, and shorter, more rounded tubercles on their backs.

The dark population is also far more partial to springtails in their diet and don't seem to breed well without them, whereas the orange N.spinifer (both the Flamingo population and the BPK population) breed fine just being fed micro-roaches (though the survival of their offspring is improved when springtails are thrown into the mix).

So, I'm not entirely convinced they are the same species, and will go on to label these dark ones Neoscotolemon cf. spinifer "Flamingo, Everglades, FL - Dark". Carlos Michaelsen of Tropical Isopods was kind enough to trade me a group of these beauties, and after realizing they seem much more partial to springtails in their diet, they've finally started to breed well for me. This is a beautiful line, and I really love the contrast between their dark colored bodies and paler appendages.

I've got them set up in a minimally ventilated container with a thin layer of coco fiber substrate topped with bits of sphagnum moss, coco coir chunks, leaf litter, and lots of bark pieces for hides. I'm feeding them springtails, fish food pellets, and have some Nocticola in there for good measure. I'm keeping them pretty moist, at around 75-80F°.

Definitely a beautiful looking strain, I hope someone does some work on these different Floridian populations soon and perhaps confirm my suspicions.

Last year I got a package from Bhjjr, and he included some freebie Periplaneta lateralis that he found in his house (seems his area of CA is infested with them) as a joke. Little did he know I'd been wanting some locality data red runners. 😆 So I got them all set up and they're starting to breed now.

Hobby stock red runners are pretty variable but I feel like the ones I have don't look quite as pretty as this "Sanger, CA" stock.

Last year I received, again as a freebie in a trade with somebody, a ziplock baggie containing a few Pseudoglomeris magnifica, no locality given other than "Vietnam". They were in rough shape from shipping and of the two adult females and several nymphs that survived, one adult female died later without ever giving birth, and ALL those nymphs ended up being males. 😆

Thankfully one of the females survived and I guess must have been a virgin, because only after the males have matured has she started gaining weight... so I assume she is now gravid and I might just get a colony established of this strain LOL. It's a pretty small line, and the females and nymphs are very green. Kinda reminds me of the "Northern Vietnam" line in size and exoskeleton punctation, but more green without a golden sheen to them (not much of a bluish sheen either).

Anyways they're set up in a bougie 5 gallon gasket bin with full lid ventilation, a substrate of coco fiber topped in lots of horizontal hardwood and cork bark hides. I aim to keep the air humidity high but surface moisture low and mist them lightly semi-daily. They're sitting at about 80-85F°, and I'm feeding them dog food, fish food, artificial pollen, and fresh fruits.

Here's hoping that female gives birth and produces some decent sized clutches, so I can get a proper colony established in like, a couple years. 😂

Last but not least, sometime last year I got some Ulomoides dermestoides, AKA "Peanut Beetles" from Satchell Watts-Kerr. These are darkling beetles commonly associated with stored goods, most prominently peanuts. However they don't seem to require peanuts in their diet to thrive, and none of my current colony have so much as seen a peanut in their lives. 😆

I keep them on a dry food substrate of dog food and oatmeal. They don't seem to thrive on just dog food (but they do eat a lot of it), not sure if it's because it's less fine of a substrate and the larvae dry out from over exposure or what. But making sure they always have oats available in the mix seems to fix that issue. They're in a minimally ventilated half gallon screwtop container, and I keep them at around 72-75F°.