pannaking22 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Who has a favorite roach family/genus/species? Can be for any reason. Enjoyable pet, perfect feeder, good challenge to keep (or super easy), etc. Underrated species are also acceptable! If you can't just pick one, you can make a small list too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 This is a hard question, very hard. I love all of them! My favorite family overall is the Corydiidae, (Formerly known as the Polyphagidae). I love the desert roaches! My absolute favorite species however, would be either Archiblatta hoeveni or Catara rugosicollis. I really need to keep one of those species some day, that's my life goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Why do you do this to us, Panna? You know it's like picking a favorite child! Genus's that I like: Elliptorhina - Like hissers, but prettier and cuter. Gyna - Fast reproduction, and beautiful color forms make this genus. Parcoblatta - A cool USA native genus with fast reproduction and interesting patterns. Good if you're going for the "classic roach" look. Blaberus - Blaberus has it all! Beautiful colors, large size, and fast reproduction. They make excellent pets, AND feeders. Gromphadorhina - You have to love your classic hissers! Large size, ease of care, and that trademark hiss. Honorable mention: Nauphoeta cinerea - My absolute favorite feeder! Soft exoskeletons, quick growth and reproduction, ease of care, and variability in size makes this a perfect feeder for anything! The only downside is their climbing ability, but this can be stopped with some petroleum jelly. I'd like to see YOU list your favorite species Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleepy Lemur Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Any "hisser" species, blaberus, polyphagids. I googled the archiblatta hisserdude, that's an awesome roach! Never seen anything like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cariblatta lutea Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 My absolute favorite genus is Parcoblatta. Within that genus P. caudelli and P. zebra are my fav. mainly because I have episodes surrounding their discovery. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Why do you do this to us Panna? You know it's like picking a favorite child! IKR!? I googled the archiblatta hisserdude, that's an awesome roach! Never seen anything like it. Yep, sadly I only know of one person successfully breeding this species, and he lives in japan! My absolute favorite genus is Parcoblatta. Within that genus P. caudelli and P. zebra are my fav. mainly because I have episodes surrounding their discovery. lol Well now I have to ask, what kinds of episodes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pannaking22 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 That Archiblatta is crazy! Looks almost like a stocky katydid or cricket. And I know choosing is hard for everyone (including myself) lol But if I must. Hmmm.... Corydidarum pygmaea is towards the top of my list because it's such a unique species and because I've been trying really hard to get nymphs from that project, even though I ran out of males before my female matured (thanks Kyle for the male!) Pseudomops septentrionalis is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, native species because I can always look into the enclosure and see at least a couple individuals roaming about. I'm hoping one day to have a large colony going in a big tank so they'll be really easy to watch then. On a more interesting note, I recently got some Rhabdoblatta formosana and was just keeping them in a 16 oz deli cup until I got their more permanent enclosure set up. I was out of town for a couple days and there was quite a bit of rain while I was gone. When I got back, I found that the ceiling in my invert room had been leaking. Not just leaking, but leaking into a big tub that contained various species in a myriad of enclosures. The Rhabdoblatta were on top and I feared the worst because the container was over halfway filled with water. I opened it up expecting to see a bunch of dead roaches, but lo and behold, all of them were still alive! One even molted to adulthood while essentially underwater clinging to the egg crate! Because of this, I think these guys have moved up to the top of my favorite list if I really have to pick a species Some other winners in my book are Gyna lurida for variation in color, ease of care, and the voracious nymphs, Opisthoplatia orientalis is rapidly moving up the list based on color and how laid back they are and Therea because who can say no to domino and question mark roaches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 That Archiblatta is crazy! Looks almost like a stocky katydid or cricket. And I know choosing is hard for everyone (including myself) lol But if I must. Hmmm.... Corydidarum pygmaea is towards the top of my list because it's such a unique species and because I've been trying really hard to get nymphs from that project, even though I ran out of males before my female matured (thanks Kyle for the male!) Pseudomops septentrionalis is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, native species because I can always look into the enclosure and see at least a couple individuals roaming about. I'm hoping one day to have a large colony going in a big tank so they'll be really easy to watch then. On a more interesting note, I recently got some Rhabdoblatta formosana and was just keeping them in a 16 oz deli cup until I got their more permanent enclosure set up. I was out of town for a couple days and there was quite a bit of rain while I was gone. When I got back, I found that the ceiling in my invert room had been leaking. Not just leaking, but leaking into a big tub that contained various species in a myriad of enclosures. The Rhabdoblatta were on top and I feared the worst because the container was over halfway filled with water. I opened it up expecting to see a bunch of dead roaches, but lo and behold, all of them were still alive! One even molted to adulthood while essentially underwater clinging to the egg crate! Because of this, I think these guys have moved up to the top of my favorite list if I really have to pick a species Some other winners in my book are Gyna lurida for variation in color, ease of care, and the voracious nymphs, Opisthoplatia orientalis is rapidly moving up the list based on color and how laid back they are and Therea because who can say no to domino and question mark roaches? R. formosana are semi-aquatic, but I would never keep them in a fish tank filled with water. Looks like you already accidentally did though The roly poly and pale field roaches are towards the top of my list as well. Therea probably would be on my list if I actually owned any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I was just about to say that Rhabdoblatta are semi aquatic, you beat me to it by a minute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I was just about to say that Rhabdoblatta are semi aquatic, you beat me to it by a minute! You should know by now that I'm just here to steal your thunder You often talk about exotic species that you wish were entering the hobby, and I might have a solution for your woes. Are you on Ovogram? Other than being a great site for people like us, you might get the opportunity to receive some of these rare species that aren't necessarily available through commercial breeders. Even if you never find an offer for Archiblatta, you just can't beat free roaches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 You should know by now that I'm just here to steal your thunder You often talk about exotic species that you wish were entering the hobby, and I might have a solution for your woes. Are you on Ovogram? Other than being a great site for people like us, you might get the opportunity to receive some of these rare species that aren't necessarily available through commercial breeders. Even if you never find an offer for Archiblatta, you just can't beat free roaches! Oh it's on now! I have considered joining, but the whole point is to share, and right now I just don't have the money to ship out roaches for free. (I'm 15, I don't have a job). I will definitely be joining once I have the means to keep shipping roaches to fellow Ovogramers, I just don't want to be a mooch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Oh it's on now! I have considered joining, but the whole point is to share, and right now I just don't have the money to ship out roaches for free. (I'm 15, I don't have a job). I will definitely be joining once I have the means to keep shipping roaches to fellow Ovogramers, I just don't want to be a mooch! I look at Ovogram as an investment. By sending away roaches for the relatively cheap price of shipping, you have the opportunity to relieve things that would normally cost you much more than just a shipping cost. I'm a member, but right now I'm just acting as a leech because I can't afford to give anything away right now. That will soon change though, as I have multiple species with suspect gravid females, and some other colonies that I am just now establishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matttoadman Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Cool topic. I am very new to this so everyday I discover a new favorite. But I must say my E. javanica are amazing. The past few mighty the males are running around the tank having "butt-slapping" duels. Two started fighting around the suction cup on my fake plant and popped it off the wall. Right now the pycnoscelus genus is my favorite. I am curious as how a species can become parthogenetic, how it works. I also like my eublaberus pantanal and hope to get my old entomology proff to compare it to Eublaberus serranus or describe it. Roaches rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I look at Ovogram as an investment. By sending away roaches for the relatively cheap price of shipping, you have the opportunity to relieve things that would normally cost you much more than just a shipping cost. I'm a member, but right now I'm just acting as a leech because I can't afford to give anything away right now. That will soon change though, as I have multiple species with suspect gravid females, and some other colonies that I am just now establishing. Exactly, I am very much looking forward to joining once I have a solid source of money, it seems like a great thing to participate in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Cool topic. I am very new to this so everyday I discover a new favorite. But I must say my E. javanica are amazing. The past few mighty the males are running around the tank having "butt-slapping" duels. Two started fighting around the suction cup on my fake plant and popped it off the wall. Right now the pycnoscelus genus is my favorite. I am curious as how a species can become parthogenetic, how it works. I also like my eublaberus pantanal and hope to get my old entomology proff to compare it to Eublaberus serranus or describe it. Roaches rule. Elliptorhina javanica were my were my first roaches! They really are great, aren't they? Parthenogenesis is a complicated part of biology that I barely understand myself. In a nutshell, it works the same as normal fertilization, but instead of a male gamete fertilizing a female gamete, the female fertilizes her own eggs with her own gametes. No sperm required! Because there is no male to include his genes in the mix, all the offspring are essentially clones of the female. It has a similar effect on the gene pool as asexual reproduction. Also, because there is no male chromosome involved, all of the offspring end up female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roach collector Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 My favorite species of roaches has to be pycnoscelus striatus because I love their reddish orangish color that they have when they reach adulthood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roach collector Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Is anyone keeping Kenyan roaches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pannaking22 Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 I need to get back on Ovogram again. Signed up and have an account and everything, but haven't done much with it since I first signed up. Might be an easy way to pick up some nice species and share the hobby a bit when I have some extra but not enough to warrant selling. Is anyone keeping Kenyan roaches? I have some little Kenyan roaches, but I haven't kept them long enough to say much about them. Seems like they're easy and they should be a good feeder source for my widows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pannaking22 Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 And I remember reading that the R. formosanara were semi-aquatic, but I never intended on keeping them that way lol. It was huge relief to see they survived it all though! Maybe in the future when I have more space/resources I can set up a big enclosure that will give them a semi-aquatic habitata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roach collector Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Is just ordered some roach jelly along with some bysotria rothi nymphs off of bugsincyberspace.com and was wondering if anyone had any advice on the care of this species or has anyone used this roach jelly before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cariblatta lutea Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 IKR!? Well now I have to ask, what kinds of episodes? For P. caudelli I kept finding males at local tennis court, but could not find any females so I never thought I would run across a female in my life. In 2014 I went to FL with my Alabamian friends to collect Gonatista grisea. During the search one of the crews caught a roach and asked me what it was. I took a glance at it and realized it was a female P. caudelli! I got so excited that I screamed with joy. A friend later told me that he thought I was injured because I screamed so loud. LOL After putting some efforts into this single female I managed to breed this species (turned out they were one of the easiest Parcos for me. LOL) and now have a fairly large colony. For P. zebra, I've been wanting to acquire this species ever since I've learned about the existence of genus Parcoblatta. I've spent some money and asked various people to get this species for me but to no avail. Then in the winter of 2014 I was looking through the pictures of bugs I've taken back in 2012 and came across a picture of a freshly molted roach with its exuvia. The look of the exuvia reminded me of P. divisa but the coloration seemed a bit too pale for it to be divisa. Realizing that this could potentially be another species I've decided to investigate the place where i've found this specimen. The investigation resulted in about 20 ish Parcoblatta nymphs that all looked like divisa for me so I was disappointed. Turned out some of them were actually P. zebra. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenevanica Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Is just ordered some roach jelly along with some bysotria rothi nymphs off of bugsincyberspace.com and was wondering if anyone had any advice on the care of this species or has anyone used this roach jelly before. I haven't kept little kenyans. I have however, used roach jelly. It's a waste if you have only a few individuals, but great for feeding large colonies. It will melt in hot and humid enclosures, and dry up in hot and arid enclosures. I use it to feed beetles, not roaches, but it's a good occasional food source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hisserdude Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 For P. caudelli I kept finding males at local tennis court, but could not find any females so I never thought I would run across a female in my life. In 2014 I went to FL with my Alabamian friends to collect Gonatista grisea. During the search one of the crews caught a roach and asked me what it was. I took a glance at it and realized it was a female P. caudelli! I got so excited that I screamed with joy. A friend later told me that he thought I was injured because I screamed so loud. LOL After putting some efforts into this single female I managed to breed this species (turned out they were one of the easiest Parcos for me. LOL) and now have a fairly large colony. For P. zebra, I've been wanting to acquire this species ever since I've learned about the existence of genus Parcoblatta. I've spent some money and asked various people to get this species for me but to no avail. Then in the winter of 2014 I was looking through the pictures of bugs I've taken back in 2012 and came across a picture of a freshly molted roach with its exuvia. The look of the exuvia reminded me of P. divisa but the coloration seemed a bit too pale for it to be divisa. Realizing that this could potentially be another species I've decided to investigate the place where i've found this specimen. The investigation resulted in about 20 ish Parcoblatta nymphs that all looked like divisa for me so I was disappointed. Turned out some of them were actually P. zebra. LOL Lol, that sounds like my reaction to finding my first Parcoblatta americana nymph, I had been informed there were no native roaches here, so when I found one I yelled "Oh my GOD" at the top of my lungs, my family members were quite alarmed! Glad the caudelli were easy to breed, they are one of the cooler Parcoblatta! Ha, they were right in your homeland and you didn't even know, good thing you noticed and caught some more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roach collector Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Ok I might give it to my dubia colony to see how they like it or my embers once the colony starts to grow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
histrio Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 no hesitation for me: hemithyrsocera histrio. :wub: They are small but so beautiful: the black and yellow adult; the black,white and red nymph. they are active on day and not shy or affraid. I can see them often in them box. some of breeders around me have problem to keep them. so it was a challenge for me to have babies. at this time with 10 adults I have more than hundred nymphs. they are 15-21days, they look like ants. this is not bragging. I give my breeding parameters to all who wish breed them. I want that this cockroach conquers the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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