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a.tesselata


andy

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No, it just has a lot of extra pigment. Blaberus giganteus sometimes have large dark markings on the pronotum like that. It would be neat to try to breed an all black Archimandrita.

quite a few of them have a much darker appearance.

they are one of my faves,love the extra large nymphs

andy

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So is it normal to find these huge differences in coloring in one colony? :blink:

And Orin suggests to isolate a very dark male with a couple of females to check if it is inherited?

But when I bought my colony one year ago, they were all colored like the pictures starting this thread, but only in the last two month the dark ones have emerged after the last molt.

Would that suggest that one of the adult males carries a slightly different gene?

I will try to find a picture that show some differently colored adults together.

Are you using wet earth (like pet moss) or dry leaves as substrate with your Archimandrita?

If I use wet pet moss, the phorid flies breed in hundreds in the substrate. :angry:

BR/

Ole

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Is it the same in your cultures?

My culture mostly consists of nymphs still (my first nymph batch is approaching maturity next molt) but out of the half dozen adults I have had the lighter coloration; I really dig that craniifer look with the black wings and light pronotum though ;) Really, it could be a different allele(s) but could also just be some sort of environmental result. That’d be neat experiment to try and isolate a culture with that coloration though. I think it’s amazing what types of variability that occurs in ‘roach cultures even though most cultures originate from probably very few founders both in anybody’s personal culture but all the cultures that exist.

Oh, I also use peat moss/oak leave substrate but I let it completely dry for a week before I water it again… seems to work without and pest problems.

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Oh, I also use peat moss/oak leave substrate but I let it completely dry for a week before I water it again… seems to work without and pest problems.
I take it then that you only add water to an extent that it is evaporated in 1-2 days??

If we are talking live bearing species, but where the substrate is difficult to keep dry (like with my crowded culture of portentosas), could it be an idea to have a thermostat controlled heat mat under the terrarium (glass aquarium)?? Or would the roaches suffer from that?? Temperature level could be like 30°C (86°F) on the surface.

I tried it once with the tesselatas, but without a thermostat - after two hours, at least a lot of them had emerged on the surface, so I shut down the experiment and the substrate was somewhat hotter but not really any dryer after such short time. :(

Have any of you tested this solution?

Sorry to pursue this matter...

BR/

Ole

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I put enough water in that it will stay damp for four or so days. If you have a problem with persistently wet substrate, you might want to figure out how to increase ventilation. Of course ambient humidity in your house plays a role and I live in an area where it's around 5% on average from my guess. That defiantly helps when I need to dry out a tank but I also have to water often in other tanks (lost all my Gyna capucina from Double D’s two days after they got to me, I assume the humidity dropped too low?). I defiantly wouldn’t put a heater under a tank, especially with a burrowing species. The side of the tank is much better for heat but it probably won’t help you dry out.

I take it then that you only add water to an extent that it is evaporated in 1-2 days??

If we are talking live bearing species, but where the substrate is difficult to keep dry (like with my crowded culture of portentosas), could it be an idea to have a thermostat controlled heat mat under the terrarium (glass aquarium)?? Or would the roaches suffer from that?? Temperature level could be like 30°C (86°F) on the surface.

I tried it once with the tesselatas, but without a thermostat - after two hours, at least a lot of them had emerged on the surface, so I shut down the experiment and the substrate was somewhat hotter but not really any dryer after such short time. :(

Have any of you tested this solution?

Sorry to pursue this matter...

BR/

Ole

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I put enough water in that it will stay damp for four or so days. If you have a problem with persistently wet substrate, you might want to figure out how to increase ventilation. Of course ambient humidity in your house plays a role and I live in an area where it's around 5% on average from my guess.
Thanks for the advice.

Here in Denmark it is varying around 60% at the moment - and certainly - makes it quite harder to dry out. I have decided to try to change to full size dry leaves (beech) hoping that all the small nymphs will still get something to drink if limited watering is applied around the glass sides of the aquarium. But since they get fruits and vegetables every 2nd or 3rd day the nymphs should get enough? :unsure:

Will factors like humidity influence the abortion-ratio or is that mostly related to for instance overcrowdedness, stress and foodshortage??

I have not seen any aborted oothecas with the tesselatas.

BR/

Ole

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yeah that looks alot like my culture,it has always been that way.

in my enclosures i use coco peat about an inch deep,i water once a week(when i feed)

and it drys thoroughly before i feed again.

i use a heat mat underneath.

i didn't used to but have found they seem to reproduce much better with one.

i use a thermostat set at 85.

i think i will try out seperating the dark morphs and see if they have all dark babies.

would be interesting.

andy

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  • 4 weeks later...
I just use dry oak leaves as a base and let the peppereds load up the enclosure with their frass.
Could the leaves be from other hardwoods like beech? :huh:

I am asking because we are having woods of beech nearby, but only an occational oak tree. So I am collecting and drying the beech to use with beetles (in a mix, of course) - works fine.

The dried leaves, are you using them whole or du you chop or grind them in any way to make the substrate more dense and thus perhaps somewhat easier for the roaches to move around in?

What thickness of the layer are you maintaining?

...And you never spray to give the nymphs a little water?

BR/

Ole

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Could the leaves be from other hardwoods like beech? :huh:

I am asking because we are having woods of beech nearby, but only an occational oak tree. So I am collecting and drying the beech to use with beetles (in a mix, of course) - works fine.

The dried leaves, are you using them whole or du you chop or grind them in any way to make the substrate more dense and thus perhaps somewhat easier for the roaches to move around in?

What thickness of the layer are you maintaining?

...And you never spray to give the nymphs a little water?

BR/

Ole

I prefer oaks because they're a sturdier hardwood leaf. (They can be nibbled on and whatnot without breaking up much.)

I used chopped leaves in the beginning (About 10 months ago) and now I just throw whole leaves in.

As for the depth, I just let the frass build up on its own; it eventually decomposes into a moisture-holding soil-type mix.

I spray the enclosure a little 3 times a week and then do a heavy misting once a week.

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I prefer oaks because they're a sturdier hardwood leaf.
Thanks for the info.

You are not saying that beech could not be used, but if oak is better... You are sending me on a chase.... :unsure: , but let me see where that will lead... :rolleyes:

I have some connections into the city administration for all the 'green' work. They will know the area.

However, we are getting close to the defoliation, so it have to be now...!

BR/

Ole

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Thanks for the info.

You are not saying that beech could not be used, but if oak is better... You are sending me on a chase.... :unsure: , but let me see where that will lead... :rolleyes:

I have some connections into the city administration for all the 'green' work. They will know the area.

However, we are getting close to the defoliation, so it have to be now...!

BR/

Ole

If you can find a tree, I'm sure it won't be too hard to find leaves. :lol:

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If you can find a tree, I'm sure it won't be too hard to find leaves. :lol:
Yes, and you can't see the forest for all these trees ..... :blink:

- It is not the same after all the frigate-ships built in the 17th and 18th century...

Cost: One well-sized oak tree forest per ship... and then they planted beech as replacement only because it was faster growing.

The beech is now suffering the interest from the chinese. They lack white coloured wood as decorational wood together with their own, darker sorts. If the tree is well, I have heard prices of up to 10 k$ per tree.... :o

BR/

Ole

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I've used beech for hissers before and it works well (pretty much any hardwood can be used from my experiance). I just find dropped, half decomposed, leaves and crumple then up in my hand so they break down... no rocket science behind it at all. I also throw in some whole leaves on the surface for them to munch on and crawl under. I wouldn't use green leaves or ones that have been dropped this year though. Did I answer your question?

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I've used beech for hissers before and it works well (pretty much any hardwood can be used from my experiance). I just find dropped, half decomposed, leaves and crumple then up in my hand so they break down... no rocket science behind it at all. I also throw in some whole leaves on the surface for them to munch on and crawl under. I wouldn't use green leaves or ones that have been dropped this year though. Did I answer your question?
Yes, both yours and Zephyrs answers are fine, thanks. The difficult part is not to make it, merely to know what works!

This solution seems to have the right advantages.

I was not aware that the hisser-family would be so interested in digging around hiding. Or maybe it is the nymphs in particular. Since I am changing the whole decoration for my grandidieri culture, I have an opportunity to test it... so...

BR/

Ole

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