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! 😉 

New Pods and LOTS of Dubia!

Well, something interesting happened a few weeks ago. One of my local acquaintances did a joint rescue with Idaho Fish & Game, and rescued/confiscated a decent collection of herps and inverts. He offered some of the inverts to me if I wanted them, and you know me, I can't turn down free bugs. 🤣 

First off, and probably most excitedly, I was given 8-10 Cylisticus convexus "Ukraine - Pied". I have a real fondness for this species, their ease of care and unique morphology are both appealing to me, so having a Pied/Dalmatian morph of this species is even better! 😃 

Got mine set up in a moderately ventilated enclosure with an inch or so of what looks like coco fiber mixed with moss (it's what they came on), topped with leaf litter and bark. Keeping them quite humid and at 70-75F°. Feeding dog food in addition to the leaf litter.

Here are some pictures of them:

I expect I'll start seeing babies any day now, considering some of the females are gravid. 😄 

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Also nabbed a starter culture of Porcellio dilatatus, which have gone through the wringer and were initially set up far too moist. Letting the colony dry out a bit, and already they seem to be recovering nicely, I did find a few mancae the other day, so I expect within a few months I'll have tons of them, based on my previous experience with this species.

And lastly I was given a fairly large and well established culture of Blaptica dubia, which I merged with my smaller breeding colony. Interestingly there are both Alphitobius diaperinus and Tenebrio molitor present in the colony in small numbers, which I will likely isolate and establish separate colonies of for the heck of it. 😁 

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

New Job Inverts & A Trade!

Well, as I've mentioned before, I got a new job at Walmart, which is why I've been more infrequent with my posts lately. However, rest assured that I've been staying on top of my invertebrate maintenance, and what's more, I caught a group of Clogmia albipunctata in the bathroom at work! 😆 

I set them up in the typical Psychodidae enclosure, a 32 oz deli cup with a fabric mesh lid, with an inch of flooded leaf litter at the bottom, with a piece of dog food thrown in for extra nutrition. In 10 days, I had larvae already, and maybe a weel later, I started getting adults. 😁 

Here are some pictures of some large larvae, and some adults (some of which are denuded):

Larvae

Adults

Been wanting to breed this species for a year or so now, they're surprisingly hard to source... Glad I finally got some and got them breeding! This species breeds and grows so much faster than Setomima, and is probably a much better feeder option as a result. They are significantly larger than Setomima though.

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I also got some Tenebrio molitor from Walmart as well, most of which have matured now. It's been a few years since I kept this species, nice fo finally have them again. Sadly it seems I won't be breeding them, as all the females came out sickly as hell and seemingly died before laying any eggs.

Anyways, for the first time ever on my blog, here are some pictures of this species:

Can't believe I never took pictures of these before, even though they were one of the first Tenebs I bred (the first being Eleodes hispilabris). I'll have to get some healthy stock from a more reputable source later on.

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Thanks to a trade with Maxwell Wolfgang, I once again have Psytalla horrida, the Horrid King Assassin Bug! I was hoping to breed these in large numbers again like I did back in 2017. That being said, I had QUITE the trouble getting these ones to eat, despite offering the same food items I used to last time I bred them. IDK if it was shipping stress, the shock of being introduced to a new setup, or what, but as a result, all but three died, and the three that survived seem to be a unisex group... 😑  I had to throw them into my Princisia vanwaerebeki "Big/Black" colony to get them to eat, they seem to like the smaller hisser nymphs that are abundant in there. Hopefully I can get some large nymphs/adults of the opposite sex to breed these, or just start all over with eggs or L1s this time.

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Anyways, inlcuded with the Psytalla were some Blaptica dubia nymphs, which were meant to serve as food. However, the Psytalla didn't eat them during shipping, so I decided to save them, because I don't yet have normal dubias. 😆 

I have the 7 or so nymphs set up in a well ventilated enclosure with eggcrates for hides, and no substrate. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits, and am keeping them dry and warm (75-80F°). 

I didn't bother getting pictures of them, but I probably will when I start getting adults! 

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