stanislas

The cool thing is that there are day-active... Aren't they in the US?

And I just got used to 'Corydidarum' ... Where did you get that info?

I got them from Nicolas Rousseaux (also member here on the forum). He lives quiet close to where I live. I don't know where he got them from. I assume from someone from Germany. And they are indeed beautiful!

I just read on http://www.roachcrossing.com/major-life-updates-unanswered-e-mails-facebook-reboot-future/, that Kyle is getting things back in order. That's good news, especially for Kyle himself! I didn't know what had happened last year, but knowing know after reading his message, it has been quite a lot. Well, I wish Kyle all the best (and perhaps we should not swarm him with roach orders )! Kyle: if you happen to read this: Take you time, and I wish you all the best!

well, I can only talk about Archimandrita tesselata, as those are the ones I have from your list. Archimandrita tesselata is great roach. They cannot climb and flying is rather: fluttering while dropping down. So no escape from a bin without a lid. The nymphs stay burrowed most of the time, but the adults stay on top of the substrate. In the evening, there is often quite some activity as the males court the females and try to subdue the other males. The male which manages to hold the highest ground in the bin is 'king of the hill'. But then again, each species has it's own merits. I can hardly decide which roach is my favorite.... Perhaps you'll end up with three more species

I use led light strips that I can dim, as well as change the color. During the day I provide them with white light, but not very bright. In the evening and night I switch to red light. The latter is interesting, as roaches hardly perceive red light, and a such act like it's dark, while I can still see and observe them. Downside with led lights: they don't provide any useful heat, so I have to use heating pad (preferably at the back if the enclosure).

It's an all metal lid. I think I haven't looked very well when I put them in de cage. Probably in my excitement I overlooked one.... Well, it's back were it should be (and stay) Ah, so I can make a funky 70's glitter costume after a while

Today I found a Corydidarum roach walking on my son! I must admit that I was a bit flabbergasted... I still do not understand how it came to walk there. How did it escape? I can only reason that it must have escaped before I put them in their enclosure. I checked for holes larger than 1 mm, but found none. And the silicon grease barrier it intact. So far I haven't any seen walking over that grease layer. None the less I dismantled their habitat so check and count them all. I could find 9 out of 10, but it could very well be that one escaped my sight and remained hidden (I did not toss up the substrate). Next I thought I saw a deceased one... My heart missed a beat, but it turned out to be a shed skin. Breathing calmly again! Even their skins are beautiful, so I wanted to share a picture:

I've made a time lapse of their activity. It's rather low quality, but one can see how they move around (albeit at 125x their actual speed).

Artificial pollen? I looked it how to make it yourself. I might give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion! I believe the moisture should be ok. There are dry and moist parts in the terrarium they're in. They mostly reside in the somewhat drier parts. Their wandering around isn't in a restless way. Rather they take their time. Nibble here and there, wait, walk and get back into hiding.

That explains why they 'wander' around so much. I'm quite happy with this behavior, as it at least allows me to admire them It would have been pretty boring if they behaved as a Polyphaga roach

If possible provide a dry corner in the enclosure in which you provide dry food. Preferably near a ventilation hole/spot. Roaches can walk longer distances than those mites. The latter will have a harder time traveling between moist and dry spots. And I dislike feeding oats for the mites that will inevitable will come along....

So far it looks like Corydidarum magnifica is mostly active during the day, and much less at night (diurnality). They often wander over objects, making them quite visible. I wonder if their shiny colors and looks are a kind of mimicry for some kind of foul tasting beetle in their natural habitat?

Some more...

I managed to make some photographs of my new roaches: Corydidarum magnifica. The nymphs are still quite small (8mm / 0.31inch) and I took the photographs through the glass of their tank, so the quality isn't optimal.

Half of the top of the enclosure is screened, so I suppose that will provide enough fresh air. There is no condensation and if i wet things, they dry slowly, but steadily. Unfortunately no pictures yet (although their shiny looks 'begs' for taking pictures) How fast do they grow and reproduce?

Interesting info! I bought myself 10 Corydidarum magnifica nymphs yesterday. I keep them in an enclosure with moist coco peat and sterilized forest soil. I have provided pieces of bark. For food I've put in some pieces of apple, some fish food and a mixture of fish food + oak leaves + grass hoppers (all powdered, whetted to a paste and smeared on a piece of bark). They prefer eating the latter stuff (paste on bark) and the apple pieces. Temperature is 72 to 77F (22-25C). Air is humid, but with adequate circulation. First observations: they mostly reside on the bark and are not inclined to walk over the soil. The first activity data that I have (motion detection) suggest that they are also active during the day? Any suggestions are welcome! And I'll share my experiences if anyone is interested!

I use a UV marker pen to mark individual roaches. With a cheap uv light led lamp (also used to check money) I can see who is who. That way one does not see the marks unless you use uv light. I also used that to count woodlice in the garden....

The guys here start messing around. Seems to be some conflicts in their tank. I presume it's about the ladies.... Hopefully that means that in some not too far future, some offspring will appear

You do not happen to live near a nuclear facility? In any case, this one looks indeed weird. Do you have many of these kind of patterns in your population?

Speaking about Kyle, any news on that front?

At least my Schizopilia fissicollis roaches do react when I shine a red light on them. If the light is static, they don't seem to mind. I have most of my roaches under red light at night (so I can watch them). Perhaps roaches to see red light dimly, and if it moves, they react to it.

Lovely! Thanks for sharing these photographs! What temperature do you keep them? And how to you heat the enclosure? Any idea how long gestation time took? I'm hoping to see this happen here this year with my Schizopilia roaches

Same adult roach with cross polarization filters (removes all reflection):

Adult roach: