Seattle Micro-pods, Katydid Growth & More!

Last month I vistited Seattle for the first time! It was a fantastic trip, and while we spent most of the time in the city, we did have time to visit one natural area; Schmitz Preserve Park. The difference in biome compared to where I live in Idaho could not be more astronomical, so lush and green and rainy, ferns and moss everywhere, and an array of interesting fauna! Didn't find much worth bringing back unfortunately, though I did aquire one interesting species (that I'll get to in a bit). 

Here are some pictures of the park first, and some of my finds there as well:

cf. Arion sp.

My FIRST ever Salamander find: Plethodon vehiculum

Omus dejeanii

Now I also found and collected a group of these small, surface active isopods, (though they may have been surface active because it was actively raining at the time). Nathan Jones has identified them tentatively as something in the Trichoniscus pusillus species complex.

I've got mine in a minimally ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coconut fiber, flake soil, sand and sphagnum moss mix at the bottom, topped with leaf litter and some chunks of rotten wood from where I collected them. Keeping them moist (pretty much wet), at room temperature and am offering dog food on occasion. It seems they're doing OK and breeding, though it's hard to tell exactly how well they're doing on account of their small size and secretive nature.

Here are some pictures of the little cuties:

Hopefully these establish well for me, fingers crossed! Whether they do or not though, I had a wonderful time in Seattle, and hope to visit again. 😊 

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Next up, I've completely forgotten to update y'all on my Copiphora sp. "Tarapoto, Peru". Of the 20+ eggs I received, only 7 hatched, and two of those hatchlings were rather sickly and did not last long. The remainder have done very well though, and looks like I've got a 2.3 group. 😁 Most are subadults or presubs now, and I'm expecting one of my females to mature any day now! 

They've been feeding well on prekilled superworms and apple slices. I've been rearing them in 16 and 32 oz deli cups, with mesh lids. Keeping them humid, at around 75F°, and am feeding them once a week.

Here are some pictures of my largest subadult female:

Beautiful and seemingly easy to rear species, hopefully breeding will be just as easy! 🤞 

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My Dysdera crocata group seems to be doing OK, and I see at least one male and female pair that seems to be mature now, so fingers crossed I get babies soon! 

Here are some pictures of a suspected female after feeding on an Armadillidium maculatum:

She's looking super chunky, so I'm hoping she's already gravid. 😄

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