A Few Cool Trades!

I'm really behind on covering some trades I've done over the Spring/Summer, so let's dive into some of them right now. 😄

First off, I've traded several times with Tennyson Kingsley and his father Billy Yadeskie. Got some neat UT natives as well as some other odds and ends from them (all in great counts and condition), so let's dive in!

First off I got a group of Tenebrio molitor "Weissman Giant". This is a line bred strain of mealworm, the larvae of which reach incredible size (comparable to the "giant" mealworms sold at petstores that have been given juvenile growth hormone, though those are sterile as a result of the hormones). Oddly the adults aren't all that large compared to normal lines of this species, which is super weird considering just how large the larvae are. It's almost like mass is lost when they eclose... 🤔 In any case, this is a very neat line of this common feeder species, which breeds just as well as the normal lines do!

Here are some pictures of these big ol' mealworms:

Neat strain for sure, and if anyone's interested in picking some up, I do have them for sale currently. 😊 

Next up, I got a group of cf. Chelifier cancroides "Tooele, UT". This is a gangly, dryness tolerant Pseudoscorpion species that I've found here in Idaho in the past, though I failed with them previously due to a lack of experience keeping Pseudoscorps.

This time I've got them set up in a moderately ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coconut fiber at the bottom, topped in a few inches of bark chips and coco coir chunks. I'm keeping a quarter of the substrate humid, the rest dry. Feeding them springtails and oribatid mites, and have them at around 80-85F°.

Here are some pics of them:

They've already started breeding for me, so I hope to have a thriving colony soon!

I also got several Dermestes spp., which I've had varying degrees of success breeding. It would appear not all Dermestes accept roaches and dog food as their primary protein source, at least when it comes to triggering oviposition. I got Dermestes fasciatus, D.frischii, D.marmoratus, and D.undulatus, all collected from "Middle Canyon, Tooele, UT". Of those, I have tried and failed to get offspring from the D.fasciatus and frischii, successfully bred D.undulatus, and only got a single adult of D.marmoratus due to watering issues (so the jury is still out on those). It would appear that dog food and dead Blaberid roaches (the staple diet I provide my Dermestes with) are not enough to induce oviposition in some species, more intact vertebrate products such as jerky or dried fish seem to be required for breeding said species.

Now, here are some pictures of these Dermestes spp..

Dermestes fasciatus:

Dermestes frischii (dead adults, sadly I did not get photos of live ones before they expired):

Dermestes marmoratus:

Dermestes undulatus:

At the very least, at least undulatus are doing well for me (and breeding quite prolifically in my Princisia vanwaerebeki "Big/Black" enclosure). I will definitely try the fasciatus and frischii again, this time with other protein sources known to work for inducing oviposition in those species.

Lastly, I got a group of Pseudomops septentrionalis "Cleveland, OK". As far as I can tell this strain looks much the same as the TX line I already keep, but I figured I may as well get another locality of this popular species, just for the heck of it. 😄 Here's hoping they do well for me!

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Next up, I traded James C Parks for a group of Paratemnoides nidificator. This is a decent sized, communal Pseudoscorpion species, usually found under bark in little "colonies".

I unfortunately immediately messed up their husbandry, both by keeping them too humid, and only offering springtails as food. While young instars may eat springtails, adults and larger immatures seem to only feed on larger prey items. They're doing well now on a diet of Compsodes schwarzi roaches, however I lost the majority of my colony trying to figure out their husbandry.

I have my remaining 5-6 individuals (which hopefully will still contain a sexed pair or two) in a well ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coconut fiber substrate, topped in layers of flat bark pieces. I'm keeping a third of the substrate humid, the rest dry, and have them at around 75-80F°. I'm offering Compsodes, Coecobrya and Oribatid mites as food sources.

Here are some pictures of large immatures:

The neat thing about this species is they'll occasionally eat larger prey items communally, which is neat. Unlike a lot of other Pseudoscorps, they prefer to huddle together in groups as well. I really hope I can breed them with what little remains of my original group, wish me luck! 🤞 

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Next up, I traded a couple times with Peter Rushton, whose packaging and counts were great, and I'll cover both species I got from him here.

First off we have Sinodillo sp. "Vietnam - Disufiroa". This is the "White-Out" morph in Sinodillo sp. "Vietnam", originally isolated by Liam Odell. Normally I'm not a huge fan of isopod morph names, especially alternate names for established morph types, BUT this one gets a pass since it's named after a dragon from Monster Hunter, my favorite video game franchise. 😂 

Care is the same as for the wild types. I have mine in a well ventilated setup kept quite humid, with a thick layer of leaf litter on top of a coco fiber substrate. I have some egg flats as hides, and have been offering dog/fish food as supplemental nutrition. Keeping them at around 75F. So far they are doing great and have already started breeding.

Here are some pictures of them:

A beautiful morph of an underrated species, I hope they take off in culture!

I also got a group of Filippinodillo sp. "Cordova". This species is quite rare and new to the hobby, and I'm very excited and grateful to be working with this species! They get quite large for the genus too, and as is normal for this genus they are quite variable in their pattering. 

I have them in a moderately ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coco fiber substrate, topped with bits of coco coir chunks, sphagnum moss, bark and leaf litter. I'm offering dog food and calcium carbonate chunks as supplemental nutrition. Keeping them humid and at around 75-80F.

Here are some pics of these earth toned beauties:

Such a lovely species, they seem to be doing quite well so far, fingers crossed for babies soon!

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Lastly I got a lovely gift box from Bjjrr on the Roachforum. He was quite generous and sent me some booster cultures of species I already had and wanted more of, namely Pseudoglomeris magnifica "Cuc Phuong" (which, side note, have actually bred for me now!), and Hormetica strumosa. But he also sent cultures of two species I've never kept before, which I'll cover here!

First off we have Henschoutedenia flexivitta, AKA the "Giant Lobster Roach", so called for it's similarity to Nauphoeta cinerea, just much bigger. This species has been a hobby staple for decades, it's relatively easy to culture (though can be prone to crashes from neglect), and if kept properly can be used as a feeder.

I've got mine in a well ventilated enclosure with a thin layer of coco fiber substrate, topped with cardboard rolls and eggcrates. I'm keeping one third of the setup humid, the rest dry, and have them at around 80-85F. I'm feeding them dog food and fresh fruits as the staple diet.

Here are some photos:

They are actually a very pretty, nice sized roach, and have just started producing offspring for me, so I think I've got them set up correctly. Looking forward to establishing a large colony of them!

Lastly, I got a group of Blaberus sp. "Honduras", the newest addition to culture from this genus that I am aware of. A decent sized, pretty and prolific species, probably something in the craniifer species complex IMO, if only someone would do some damn genetic work on this genus... it's badly in need of revision. 😅

I have them in a moderately ventilated container with a couple inches of coco fiber substrate topped with eggcrates. They're being kept on a 50/50 humidity gradient, at around 75-80F. I'm feeding them dog food and fruits as the staple diet. 

Here are some pictures of an adult male:

A pretty species for sure, can't wait to see some females mature!

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