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Blurry pics and observations of what may be a very poorly known insect, Diaperis rufipes. I'm not sure if this is really a darkling (it smells like one though), so I avoided the Darkling photothread.

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo As a herpetologist and animal keeper, I’ve long been interested in the emerging amphibian disease commonly known as Chytrid or BD (Batrachochytrium dendrobatitis); please see my other articles, linked below. Believed to be responsible for the recent extinctions of over 200 frog species, this fungus remains a serious threat. In 2013, a related fungus, B. salamandrivorans, or BS, was identified. Since then, studies have revealed it to be as lethal as BD, and responsible for wiping-out the Netherlands wild Fire Salamanders. Once limited to Asian salamanders, some of which carry the fungus without becoming ill, BS seems to have found its way to Europe via the importation of Chinese Fire-Bellied Newts and other pet trade species. In order to stem the tide, the USA and the European Union are now considering import and sale regulations. Read the rest of this article here http://bit.ly/1y6aoW9 Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp Best Regards, Frank

I have a handful of G. portentosa adults. In the past few weeks I've noticed a weird white "dust" on one of my males. Not a single other roach has this... just the one male. I've gently given him baths and have entirely cleaned and sterilized their enclosure several times, but the "dust" comes back within a few days. Whatever this dust is, it's TINY. There was one occasion where I thought I could vaguely make out a little white mite walking around, but this dust stuff is sooooo tiny I'm not sure that's actually what I saw. Additionally, I observed my affected male doing some weird behavior the other day: breathing heavily, holding is butt straight up in the air, and flexing his body... I found it very strange and it's hard to describe exactly what he was doing. My impression is whatever this white dust is was bothering him (he had quite a bit on him and I had to bathe him again). Any suggestions on what this is? Grain mites? Fungus? Overgrowth of symbiotic mites? What's the likelihood of this infecting my other roaches of the same colony or moving into my other roach colonies? Thanks!