Got some new species over the Summer from a couple buddies, which I'll share here today!
First off, in a trade I did with Joshua Campos, of All About Bugs, I received some Periplaneta americana "Venom". These have been on my want list for a while, so I was pretty happy to finally get some. This is a cross between the "White Eye" and "Black" morphs of this species, resulting in an awesome looking morph who's namesake is a reference to the popular Marvel Villian with the same color scheme.
I've got them set up in a gallon jar with moderate ventilation, a thin layer of coconut fiber substrate topped with cardboard rolls and eggcrates for hides. I'm keeping them quite humid, and at around 75-80F°. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits as the staple diet.
Here are some pictures of an adult:
Such a beautiful morph of this species, and one that's been breeding quite well for me! If anyone's interested, I do have some available on my For Sale list, and in fact several of the other species listed in this post are also up for grabs now. 😄
I also received a culture of the lovely hobby staple, Deropeltis paulinoi. These "Ornate Velvet Roaches" are quite beautiful, and probably the most hardy member of their genus.
I've got them set up in a well ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coconut fiber, topped with eggcrates for hides. I'm keeping them quite humid, and at around 80-85F° I'm offering dog food and fruits as the staple diet.
Here are some pictures of a pair:
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| Male |
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| Female |
These have been quite hardy and prolific for me this far, and I'm glad to have established a colony of these pet hobby classics. 😁
I also received some standard hobby stock Eupolyphaga sinensis, and Joshua's remaining Ceuthophilus g. gracilipes, both of which are doing well and breeding for me now. Overall I'm very happy with the trade, and highly recommend Joshua to anyone looking for some neat roaches and other inverts!
I also received a box (or two, can't remember at this point) from Ty Randall of Ty Dye Exotics over the Summer, which I'm long overdue on posting about.
First off, I got a culture of the very uncommon Hyporhicnoda litomorpha "Panama". These have entered the pet hobby on and off, but it seems like we've finally gotten the hang of culturing this genus here in the US. Personally, I've found the key to be keeping them very moist, consistently, and on a deep substrate.
I have my culture in a minimally ventilated enclosure with several inches of coconut fiber substrate. I'm keeping them quite moist, and at around 75F°. I'm offering dog food and fruits as the staple diet.
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| Male |
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| Pair |
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| Female |
Some have stated a highly organically rich substrate is needed to breed these, but that does not seem to be the case at all. Substrate composition seems less important than the depth and moisture levels. Keeping them excessively warn may also cause issues.
I also got a group of Porcellio sp. "Valencia". These are a decently sized, neat Spanish Porcellio, some have suggested they may be P.silvestrii, but I very much doubt this (unless the hobby stock that's labeled P.silvestrii isn't actually that species). They differ in size and coloration, as well as behavior IMO.
I've got mine housed in a well ventilated gallon shoebox with a thin layer of coco fiber substrate covered with leaf litter and bark hides. I'm keeping a third of the setup moist, the rest dry. I have them at around 75F°, and am feeding them dog food as the supplemental diet.
Here are some pictures of them:
A nice, underrated species IMO, I hope they'll breed well for me!
Next up is another hobby classic I've never kept before, Eurycotis decipiens, AKA the "Zebra Cockroach". These attractively patterned beauties are humidity loving, and are one of the easier members of the genus to culture.
I've got mine in a moderately ventilated enclosure with an inch or so of coconut fiber, topped with bark and eggcrate hides. I'm keeping them humid, and at around 75-80F°. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits.
Here are some pictures of an adult:
They've been breeding quite prolifically for me already, and it seems I've established a healthy culture. 😄
He also sent me a culture of Cubaris sp. "Black-Lip Ducky". These cuties are rather dark in coloration, with yellow-orange faces and terminal segments, and black "bills" on their faces (hence the name "Black Lip"). To me, they seem very closely allied with sp. "Blonde Ducky", but that's just my unprofessional opinion.
I have them set up in a well ventilated enclosure with an inch or so of coco fiber and coco coir chunks as the substrate, topped with leaf litter and bark hides. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and am offering dog food as the supplemental diet.
Here are some pictures of them:
They seem to be a slow growing/breeding species, which also reminds me of sp. "Blonde Ducky". Hopefully they'll do well for me.
Lastly, but not leastly, we have Periplaneta japonica "NYC, NY", AKA the "Japanese Cockroach". There are two strains from New York in US culture now, with this being the older of the two lines.
This species was only introduced to New York relatively recently, and seems to have established itself well there, perhaps due to it's tolerance for cold winters. They are not house pests, but rather breed in sewers and moist habitats in general around human habitation, similar to other members of the genus.
I've got mine housed in a minimally ventilated gallon jar, with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, topped with cardboard rolls and eggcrates hides. I'm keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and am feeding them dog food and fruits.
Here are some pictures of a pair:
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| Male |
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| Female |
They've been prolific and pretty hardy thus far, though I hear excessively filthy conditions, overcrowding and/or pest issues can lead to sudden colony crashes. So something to keep in mind with this species for sure.
I'm quite fond of the very dark coloration and sexual dimorphism in this species, and hope they will become more common in culture in the years to come. 🙂
Well, that does it for this post! Big thanks to Joshua and Ty for the trades, and thanks to everyone reading, I hope everyone enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time! 😉
