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Lucihormetica grossei (Mega Glowspot Roach)


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13 hours ago, Diablo said:

Im having a similar issue with my supposed colony of b. Fusca- had them before and they bred like crazy, but this round they just aren't. First go I bought 200, this round I got 20 and I'm down to just 5 adults and 2 large nymphs with no new batches. Blowing my mind compared to the first round.... but back to the topic at hand 🤣 

Hmm, perhaps you got mostly males? Or sickly stock? There's a lot of hybrid "fusca" out there, so it's possible either the first stock you had was a virile hybrid stock and you're now working with pure stock that's a little more finicky, OR you had pure stock originally but now have crappy weak bred hybrids... 

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1 hour ago, Hisserdude said:

Nah, I've started many a colony with single pairs, that should not have been an issue whatsoever... If the pair was healthy and undamaged from the trip to me, and the enclosure was set up properly, (and I believe it was), they should have bred. 

The subcincta are pretty well known within the roach hobby, but the roach hobby in general is kind of an obscure one compared to some of the other invert hobbies, so sometimes even the more popular roaches stay obscure for most animal breeders. 😅

Egg flats are good for species like Blaberus and Archimandrita and some other burrowing roaches where the adults enjoy spending time on vertical surfaces, but Lucihormetica will rarely use such surfaces as they spend most of their time underground even as adults, with males wandering the surface guarding burrows and sometimes fighting each other for territory. 

Huh, I've seen mine use them but they are more at an angle, and the substrates just about an inch so maybe I should make it more deep? Though they definitely spend most of their time on the ground, I remember that they like it crowded but I figured a little more surface area wouldn't hurt. 

 

Though I am on year 5 or 6 of breeding roaches- they are almost entirely for food or local sales. I got into the roach hobby initially just to ensure I have food on hand for the reptiles I'm far more adept with, but tending to the bugs has become as big and enjoyable part of my day as the reptiles. 

For the fusca I think your onto something there, my past ones were more white in the wings and almost solid black in the body along with coming from a reliable breeder, my current ones resemble my giant caves identically minus the size. I remember the person I first got them from was out so I had to go to ebay and found found only one batch being sold. I was debating starting hybrids strictly as feeders since I have black winged deaths heads too- I've been on the fence after hearing they're pretty well frowned upon in the hobby, only upside to me was the speed of breeding and growing compared to similar sized roaches but if hybrids are like this pure ones are the way to go for sure. Brex like crazy for me and I kept them identical to my hissers and dubia.

 

All that I've been able to learn over the years, man I'm still so far behind but it's fun. Always something new and interesting to discover, I freakin love it! 

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9 hours ago, Diablo said:

Huh, I've seen mine use them but they are more at an angle, and the substrates just about an inch so maybe I should make it more deep? Though they definitely spend most of their time on the ground, I remember that they like it crowded but I figured a little more surface area wouldn't hurt. 

They might need more substrate, I'd personally recommend substrate at least 2-3 inches deep. I've not heard that subcincta like it crowded either, (but I've also not heard of them being especially sensitive to overcrowding).

9 hours ago, Diablo said:

For the fusca I think your onto something there, my past ones were more white in the wings and almost solid black in the body along with coming from a reliable breeder, my current ones resemble my giant caves identically minus the size. I remember the person I first got them from was out so I had to go to ebay and found found only one batch being sold. I was debating starting hybrids strictly as feeders since I have black winged deaths heads too- I've been on the fence after hearing they're pretty well frowned upon in the hobby, only upside to me was the speed of breeding and growing compared to similar sized roaches but if hybrids are like this pure ones are the way to go for sure. Brex like crazy for me and I kept them identical to my hissers and dubia.

This is what pure fusca should look like, most fusca hybrids have the "jack-o-lantern" faces on their pronotums I think, as well as darker wings, as they've been most frequently hybridized with black wing craniifer, (technically "fusca" isn't a valid species and most likely a form of craniifer, so hybrids between black wing craniifer and those aren't necessarily true hybrids so much as locality crosses, still frowned upon if not labeled properly though and no taxonomist has 100% proven the pure "fusca" are craniifer yet). 

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If there's a picture I cannot see it, your description definitely makes it seem more difficult to identify for me. If I show a picture of what I have, would you be able to tell me the ballpark or even if I'm lucky exactly  what I have? My original ones had remnants of the jack-o-lantern pattern but almost solid white/clear wings with minimal dark markings around the middle of the wings. What i have now, it's a dark blotch on the pronotrum, like a botched fingerprint impression almost then darker wings. 

 

Even if I go to breed whats frowned upon, it feels imperative to me that I label everything and know what I actually have. Though my originals were majorly white winged, they did have resemblance of the jack oflantern pattern though none where as solid as my deaths heads- if the wings weren't opposing colors confusing the two would be fairly easy. What I have now.... I'm starting to think I have no idea what it's actual species is and it may not even be a hybrid, and if it is its so far gone no wonder they won't breed. 

 

Here I was thinking socializing  wild caught nile monitors, mostly ones rehomed from unfit owners the hardest part of my involvement in the natural world. Yet the roaches end up as the hardest for me to figure out, strange how things work out 😅  

 

Though I am mostly ignorant and have to rely on myself and random Google searches or YouTube videos (aside from this site, where my initial comment is when I remembered I was actually on here) I dislike failure and desire to do my absolute best as can be done- especially when it comes to tending to other lifeforms.

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For the subcinta, im referencing the one video I saw from bugsincyberspace that introduced me to them- though I believe he was actually talking warty glowspot roaches in particular and it wasn't until I got the subcinta in hand that I realized they were actually different.  Very much like how im trying gardening to create a self sustaining system- just fumbling about and hoping I succeed but unlike the plants there's a fair margin of success for me with roaches

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13 hours ago, Diablo said:

If there's a picture I cannot see it, your description definitely makes it seem more difficult to identify for me. If I show a picture of what I have, would you be able to tell me the ballpark or even if I'm lucky exactly  what I have? My original ones had remnants of the jack-o-lantern pattern but almost solid white/clear wings with minimal dark markings around the middle of the wings. What i have now, it's a dark blotch on the pronotrum, like a botched fingerprint impression almost then darker wings. 

Sorry, click on the THIS in bold in my comment, it's a link. 😅

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13 hours ago, Diablo said:

Here I was thinking socializing  wild caught nile monitors, mostly ones rehomed from unfit owners the hardest part of my involvement in the natural world. Yet the roaches end up as the hardest for me to figure out, strange how things work out 😅  

You got unlucky, Blaberus are one of those genera with lots of hybrids floating around, makes everything more complicated. 😂 Same with hissers. 

13 hours ago, Diablo said:

For the subcinta, im referencing the one video I saw from bugsincyberspace that introduced me to them- though I believe he was actually talking warty glowspot roaches in particular and it wasn't until I got the subcinta in hand that I realized they were actually different.  Very much like how im trying gardening to create a self sustaining system- just fumbling about and hoping I succeed but unlike the plants there's a fair margin of success for me with roaches

verrucosa are a lot more surface active and also more prolific than subcincta, so they're probably a lot more tolerant of crowding too.

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Oh I feel dumb, thought you were just emphasizing 'this' for whatever reason. And I'll be damned,  what I have now looks just like those, so I had hybrids of some sort originally. Rather upset I can't remember where I got them, I miss those guys. Extremely reliable food source and bred crazy with real pretty whites instead of cream color wings plus that solid black body. The wings looked almost freshly molted at all times but they did have some black markings.

 

Man I hear that with the hissers, my colony has always been a motley crue of various colors. at least I did figure out eventually to say upfront my stock are feeders and absolutely not pure anything, plus being diligent now on labeling and keeping species apart since I'm getting into more non feeder types. Though I use them as feeders, potential customers may not. 

 

Thank you for all the insight and help 👍 I'm probably gabbing your ear off hahaha 

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19 hours ago, Diablo said:

Oh I feel dumb, thought you were just emphasizing 'this' for whatever reason. And I'll be damned,  what I have now looks just like those, so I had hybrids of some sort originally. Rather upset I can't remember where I got them, I miss those guys. Extremely reliable food source and bred crazy with real pretty whites instead of cream color wings plus that solid black body. The wings looked almost freshly molted at all times but they did have some black markings.

 

Man I hear that with the hissers, my colony has always been a motley crue of various colors. at least I did figure out eventually to say upfront my stock are feeders and absolutely not pure anything, plus being diligent now on labeling and keeping species apart since I'm getting into more non feeder types. Though I use them as feeders, potential customers may not. 

 

Thank you for all the insight and help 👍 I'm probably gabbing your ear off hahaha 

Yeah sounds like you used to have hybrids, but pure fusca are supposed to be just as hardy and a great feeder species (way too prolific for a typical pet species), so IDK... Who'd you get the "fusca" from in the past? And what was the name of the eBay seller you got your current stock from? 

Yeah, definitely best to label those as hybrids, just so people know. Anyone using them for feeders won't care, it's really just the pet hobby that does. 😅

Oh no problem, happy to help! :D

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I honestly can't remember, it was either someone named Kelly Vanette or this other younger guy who's name i can't really remember  that I got the hybrids from, it was at least 2 years ago and both have since stepped out of selling (I had purchased most their stuff while they were expressing desire to cut way back or get out entirely) 

 

Then for the ebay on this batch, I have bo clue honestly. Took so damn long to find them the moment I had the money to spend and saw them available it was straight to cart and purchased. At the time all of my colonies had died off in a heat wave and I still had many mouths to feed so I was kind of scrambling around and frantic buying. Do the true fusca ha e to have substrate and such? I got away with the hybrids being housed just as dubia- frass and egg flats. I am intending to have an inve of substrate for all my species then more of course for my borrowers so if that's the problem I'm already planning on fixing that- but I'm not entirely sure if that's the problem. I did get them as xs nymphs, and there's been some issues with molting that I had thought I fixed. Well, did fix- they stopped dieing mid molt once I tweaked my temperatures and raised the overall humidity of my bug room. I did have one batch of babies at some point but my cleaner crew was rampant and the nymphs just disappeared so I all but decimated the Buffalo beetle population from my colonies.

 

I'm gonna have to hunt down some hybrids when I get more bins, they really are fantastic feeders plus I very much liked how they look. Definitely need wide horns and Halloweens back as well, maybe get into shadow and extinct roaches. Tis the joyous tax season too, lucky me, when I typically make purchases because 5hen I can drop a fair amount and get all kinds of goodies. That website roach crossing- are they easy to order from? I've tried an order from cape cod roaching before who seems set up similar in the order process but just never got an email back, was a bit depressing and I ended up having to spend more money elsewhere and getting fewer numbers and species. Now though, im not in a frantic spot where I'm worrying how and when I'll be able to feed my animals with my colonies just cooked. All but my fusca are set and producing, so I can take my time and be selective and responsible as a buyer 👍

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11 hours ago, Diablo said:

Do the true fusca ha e to have substrate and such? I got away with the hybrids being housed just as dubia- frass and egg flats. I am intending to have an inve of substrate for all my species then more of course for my borrowers so if that's the problem I'm already planning on fixing that- but I'm not entirely sure if that's the problem. I did get them as xs nymphs, and there's been some issues with molting that I had thought I fixed. Well, did fix- they stopped dieing mid molt once I tweaked my temperatures and raised the overall humidity of my bug room. I did have one batch of babies at some point but my cleaner crew was rampant and the nymphs just disappeared so I all but decimated the Buffalo beetle population from my colonies.

That website roach crossing- are they easy to order from? I've tried an order from cape cod roaching before who seems set up similar in the order process but just never got an email back, was a bit depressing and I ended up having to spend more money elsewhere and getting fewer numbers and species. Now though, im not in a frantic spot where I'm worrying how and when I'll be able to feed my animals with my colonies just cooked. All but my fusca are set and producing, so I can take my time and be selective and responsible as a buyer 👍

Pure "fusca" should do fine in such a set up, so I'm not sure what's up with yours, perhaps they're also hybrids, just really crappy ones... (though rampant buffalo beetle populations aren't good for any roach species). Substrate might help improve reproduction though, or at least boost the survival rates of younger nymphs. 

Roachcrossing's just started taking orders and getting back to people consistently again, so you should be good to make an order from him at this time. You should ask about his fusca as well, his are definitely pure and supposedly pretty prolific. 

 

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  • 1 month later...

I've sent an email to him this morning and am awaiting response, I've added substrate to all my bins except for 2 or 3 maybe as of yet- I plan on adding more mossy type substrate to help hold humidity better along with the tropical dark soil blend I make for my reptiles,  and have finally managed to get most of my Buffalo beetles and larvae into a controlled environment for potential future use- any leftovers are in sealed containers of substrate awaiting a baking period after checking for roach nymphs and easily gathered cleaner crews. 

 

Once roach crossing responds to my order inquiry I'll bug him a bit about how he raises his bugs compared to how I do mine, im hoping that this go around I get a response at least but to be fair I Confuse that site with cape cod roaches so similar so i do forget who I contacted at a specific time and how many times I contact if I get no response as what has been the norm from both companies for like...2 years in a row until now.

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  • 3 months later...

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