My New Panesthia angustipennis cognata!!!

That's right, thanks to collaborating with Ty Randall of Ty Dye Exotics, I finally got a species that was actually on my wish list for a long time in the past, I am now working with Panesthia angustipennis cognata "Cambodia"! 😁 This is one of the smallest of the angustipennis subspecies, but my favorite, as the nymphs have the prettiest coloration of any Panesthia species in culture IMO. This is probably the first time they've been in the US for a year or so. 

Panesthia belong to the subfamily Panesthiinae, and pretty much all members in the Panesthiinae live inside of rotten logs in nature. They feed mainly on rotten wood, though will sometimes accept fruits and other foods in captivity, (though these should be offered sparingly). Adults of many species (including this one) are winged, and in the wild when they mature, they fly to a new log to colonize, and shed their wings like termite or ant alates do. However, unlike ants and termites, which pop off their wings rather cleanly, Panesthiinae have to rub and tear their wings against their tunnels, until they eventually rip off, leaving little torn wing stubs. Thankfully they don't need to fly or anything in captivity, and after maturing will just stay buried and rip their wings off in the same enclosure. 

Panesthia have been cultured a few times in the US, this very subspecies even, however they never last long. I suspect people in the US keep theirs too well ventilated, and then forget to water them, (as they need very little maintenance period), which leads to cultures drying out and dying... At least, that's likely the main cause of culture crashes here, but others may have lost theirs due to a multitude of other reasons. All I know is they seem to be pretty well established in Europe, and I hope I can help keep this species established here in the US. 

I am keeping my 10 mixed nymphs in a minimally ventilated gallon bin for now, though I may move them to a bigger one when they all mature. I've given them a substrate of rotten cottonwood with a little crushed leaf litter mixed in, several inches deep. I'll keep them moist, and occasionally offer apple slices and maybe chick feed, to see if they'll eat it. I'm keeping them at room temp, in the low 70s F°, which seems to be best for breeding this species. 

Here are some pictures of the nymphs:

So pretty, love the giant orange spots on the back! 😁 Looking forward to breeding this species, hopefully they'll do well for me! 

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