Introducing the Pacific Cockroach!

Roachcrossing Winter '23 Package Series Pt. 5/5

««« Previous post in series

The Pacific Cockroach, Euthyrrhapha pacifica, has been a little bit of a "holy grail" species for US roach breeders for years, due to the attractive coloration of the adults, and the fact that they're found in Hawaii, close enough to the mainland to make people think they'd definitely enter culture sooner or later. Well, people were right, and thankfully their care seems to be very similar to that of a tropical Eucorydia, so pretty easy overall. 😁 Kyle's been able to breed this species and establish them in culture pretty easily.

One unique aspect of this roach species is that their oothecae have absolutely no hatching seam, instead nymphs have to actually chew their way out of the oothecae! 😳 It's unknown why exactly they evolved to have ooths like this, perhaps the lack of a hatching seam prevents ooths from dessicating better? Who knows lol, at the very least, it adds to the uniqueness and charm of this little roach species. 😊

I've got my 10 or so small nymphs set up in a very well ventilated container with an inch or so of coconut fiber as the substrate, topped with leaf litter. I'm keeping a third of the substrate humid, the rest bone dry, and have them at around 75-85F°. In addition to the leaf litter, I'm feeding the nymphs dog food, and will provide fruits and possibly pollen/artificial pollen to adults.

Here are some pics:

So stoked to finally be working with this cute little Corydiid, hopefully I'll get a nice colony established in no time! 😁 

Well, that does it for today's post, and for this series of new acquisitions from Roachcrossing! Thanks for reading, hope everyone enjoyed, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time! 😉

My New Melanozosteria & Latiblattella!

Roachcrossing Winter '23 Package Series Pt. 4/5

««« Previous post in series • Next post in series »»»

Now this is an exciting new Blattid for Blatticulture, only a few people are keeping them ATM, but hopefully that'll change in the future. Introducing Melanozosteria soror, AKA the "White-margined Cockroach". 😁 A cute species that's seemingly native to Asia, but became introduced to Hawaii (which is where this stock was collected from). They have a nice dark brown/black base coloration, and adults have cream colored margins along their thoracic segments, with only tiny vestigial tegmina.

I've got my 10 or so nymphs housed in a well ventilated container with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, with bark and cardboard rolls for hides. I'm keeping one half of the enclosure humid, the otehr half dry, and have them at around 75-85F°. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits.

Here are some pictures of one of the nymphs:

Still got a decent amount of growth to put on, as well as coloration. Looking forward to seeing adults of this species in person, and hopefully breeding them! 😊

---

I also asked Kyle for some Latiblattella rehni, Rhen's Palm Roach, because apparently I hate myself. 🙃😂 He obliged and sent me several adults (mostly females), some ooths and some nymphs. Didn't bother counting them out before dumping them into their new container quickly, these things are super skittish and LOVE to climb and fly, probably the most annoying roaches I've ever dealt with personally. 😅 But I definitely have breedable numbers, and should hopefully get a colony of this neat US native established soon.

I've got them set up in a well ventilated deli cup, with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, with crumpled paper towels for hides. I'm keeping them humid, and at around 75-80F°. I'll be offering them dog food and fruits as their staple diet.

Here are some pictures of an adult female:

These are the best pics I've ever taken of an adult of this species, and may be the last. 😂 They just absolutely hate standing still for photos.

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

Two New Euthlastoblatta Species!!!

Roachcrossing Winter '23 Package Series Pt. 3/5

««« Previous post in series • Next post in series »»»

Got a couple more Euthlastoblatta species to add to the collection, since my E.diaphana are doing so well for me, hopefully these new ones will as well! 😄

First off, Kyle sent me 6 small nymphs of Euthlastoblatta abortiva, AKA the "Fragile Cockroach". These have been a coveted species among US hobbyists, they can be found in very far southern Texas, however considering their small size, remote and small range within the US, and the lack of hobbyists going to said area looking for really tiny roaches, they've not entered culture until just late last year. Thankfully, Kyle got some, and they've proven rather easy to breed without any particularly special care requirements. 😁

I've got my nymphs in a well ventilated deli cup with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, one half kept humid, the other half dry. On top of this I've given them crumpled paper towels for hides (my latest go-to for Pseudophyllodromids), and I'm keeping them at aroud 75-80F°. I'll be feeding them dog food and fruits.

Here are some pictures of one of the larger (but still very small) nymphs:

So colorful even at this young age, I can't wait to see what color changes they go through as they get older! 😍

---

Kyle also sent me a much more robust starter culture of Euthlastoblatta sp. "Everglades, FL", the old female he sent me months ago failed to produce viable ooths and died shortly after arrival. Whereas in this box, he sent me three younger adult females, an adult male and a subadult nymph. 😁 There were ooths in their shipping cup, and one of the females was actively laying an ooth on arrival, so yeah I should be set now.

Interestingly, when I first got this species from Kyle, I kinda thought they might just be E.diaphana that were introduced to the Everglades... But after seeing a large nymph in person, it's obvious these are an entirely different species (perhaps even an undescribed, FL endemic). So, really hoping to get a large colony of these established, definitely a very nice find from Florida!

I've got them set up in a well ventilated deli cup with a thin layer of coconut fiber as the substrate, and I'm keeping them humid, but not super moist or anything. I've given them crumpled paper towels for hides, and I'm keeping them at aroud 75-80F°. I'll be feeding them dog food and fruits.

Here are some pictures of the adults and the nymph:

Adult female

Adult male

Subadult nymph

A very nice species, one I'm confident I'll be able to breed with this new group. 😊

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

Goliathus Growth & New Fuzzy Darklings!

My Goliathus goliatus have all been growing very well, these things can really grow fast if you keep them on the warmer side and feed them consistently every few days. 😁 I went from having all L1 larvae in December, to having mostly L2s and now some L3s a month later! 😳 Granted, those L1s were all close to molting to L2 already when I got them, and L3 is the larval stage that takes the longest, but still, pretty speedy growth!

Here are some pics of an L2 and then an L3 larva:

L2 larva

L3 larva

The size gain they get with each molt is crazy, and L3s are HUGE! 😲 The L3 in these pics just recently molted to that instar, and so still had a ton of mass to put on as it starts feeding. 😁 Seeing a near pupation, fully fed L3 larva sure will be something!

---

Thanks to KiwiAustros on Discord, my buddy Junkai Wang, and finally Kyle Kandilian of Roachcrossing, a group of 9 adult Eleodes (Blapylis) littoralis has finally completed their journey going through several hands before making their way to their permanent home in my collection. 😂😁 These are one of the smallest Eleodes species out there, and are another super fuzzy, Californian endemic species, much like E.osculans (though the two are in different subgenera from each other). Happy to have some of these little littoralis in my collection, hopefully they'll breed well for me! 

I've got them set up in a well ventilated container with an inch or so of sand and coco fiber substrate, one third kept humid, the rest dry. I'm feeding them dog food, and will be keeping them at room temperature. With any luck, I should get offspring from them soon!

Here are some pictures of the adults:

Such a cute little species, really looking forward to breeding them and hopefully helping to establish this species in the hobby. 😃

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