wcbpolish Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 It is the same here in the USA....a lot of stuff is plain "katydids" then there is one amazing looking " red eyed devil katydid" out of nowhere....you live within the equator "high density animal life".... And then you live near tropical rainforest " even higher density" you have a lot more options than we do! I looked up those red devil katydids you mentioned. WOW! did you find one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 I looked up those red devil katydids you mentioned. WOW! did you find one? Unfortunately no I have never seen one as they occur in Tex, NM, and AZ I think. There is also Paracyrtophyllus robustus in Texas they can be pink and beautiful as nymphs or adults. And Saga pedo the matriarchal katydid " in Michigan may still reside in Jackson county. Gryllita arizonae the Arizona cricket is unique to its genus and is red desert beautiful. Daihinibaenetes giganteus the sand treader crickets and giant mormon crickets of Colorado and Utah dunes and deserts are beautiful and look insanely exotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy1892 Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 This might help you to learn about breeding mantids. http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showforum=35 I really don't look for mantids, I just know that one species does well in my yard. But I guess once spring comes I'll keep on the lookout for the little predators. I've seen a good number of ootheca on trees and such. If you get pictures of those oothecae I could try to ID them. It is the same here in the USA....a lot of stuff is plain "katydids" then there is one amazing looking " red eyed devil katydid" out of nowhere....you live within the equator "high density animal life".... And then you live near tropical rainforest " even higher density" you have a lot more options than we do! Hey, bright green color is nice right? lol katydids are not really plain to me. Chinese Mantids are plain to me though LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wodesorel Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 No I have no real experience breeding mantids...and I caught stagmomantis floridana by accident walking thru a grassy field in central FL. Do you have any pointers for catching mantids? They are something you find while looking for something else kinda bugs. Try places after dark that have low sitting outside lighting and rough walls. My husband finds them all the time along the front of the building at his work. (Along with giant moths, frogs, toads, etc.) I even rescued one that had managed to get inside a Circle K (convenience store) and was walking around all confused. In seven years I've never seen one here at home though. I'm really thinking of splurging on an egg case this year just to have some in the neighborhood. I don't go out bug hunting, but I enjoy what I find in the backyard every day. We're right up against wetlands and it is crazy buggy here in the summers. I spent a lot of time outside in the woods as a kid, but since moving down here (a half hour away!) I keep finding things I'd never seen before. Weird lumpy-butt black spiders. (Can't remember the name and not going looking through spider photos right now) Tortoise Beetles. Dobsonflies. Grape Beetles. Tons of beautiful caterpillars in all shades from black to green to orange to yellow. I find native roaches caught in spider webs all summer long. The amount of Carolina Wolf Spiders that take over the garden every year is terrifying, they have to number in the thousands. When the babies hatch you can chase waves of them across the yard. We also get a really great range of leaf and plant hoppers, including the horned ones. I keep my camera outside with me while gardening so if I find something weird I can snap photos to ID later. My favorite has to be the massive colonies of Citronella Ants that are everywhere in the yard. Dig a hole in the ground almost anywhere and you start smelling citronella, and it's the ants releasing a warning chemical. It smells wonderful! And then the ants themselves are this gorgeous honey-orange-yellow color. I try to leave the dandelions alone for them as they are an aphid farming species and they'll use the dandelions as feeding stations. Unfortunately we're also seeing a lot of invasive species these days. I found my first 14-spotted ladybird beetle this past summer which had an amazing black and white checkered pattern. We're also overrun by Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, and that just started three years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Lol. All the time. Cicindela, asilids, clerids, roaches. I love bugs. Got too obsessed quit my job hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy1892 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Wolverine do you have Parcoblatta zebra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Working in that project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Working on that project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy1892 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcbpolish Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 I got out on Easter Monday and did some hunting. I collected numerous isopods and am going to try to establish a colony with them. I collected some millipedes (Julida?) and am going to try to establish a colony. I found one early instar cricket/grasshopper. I found what might be a small click beetle, but I am not sure. I found what I believe to be 3 firefly larvae (I had NO IDEA what they were when I found them, but they look just like THIS) ANy advice on feeding them? I read that they are predators. I saw a HUGE baldface hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) - probably an overwintering queen - under a log, quite torpid. I left her alone. I saw a HUGE wolf spider. I would have collected him, but did not have any empty container appropriate to hold him, so I observed him for a bit and left him be. I found some fairy shrimp, but they all died after collecting them (anoxia, it think). A friend requested that I try collecting some to start a colony, as he wants me to send him some ova. We'll see if I get a chance to. I also cut some branches to force for food for some critters I have and some critters I expect to receive from friends. It was GREAT... But I looked for Parcoblatta sp. and did not find any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 I got out on Easter Monday and did some hunting. I collected numerous isopods and am going to try to establish a colony with them. I collected some millipedes (Julida?) and am going to try to establish a colony. I found one early instar cricket/grasshopper. I found what might be a small click beetle, but I am not sure. I found what I believe to be 3 firefly larvae (I had NO IDEA what they were when I found them, but they look just like THIS) ANy advice on feeding them? I read that they are predators. I saw a HUGE baldface hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) - probably an overwintering queen - under a log, quite torpid. I left her alone. I saw a HUGE wolf spider. I would have collected him, but did not have any empty container appropriate to hold him, so I observed him for a bit and left him be. I found some fairy shrimp, but they all died after collecting them (anoxia, it think). A friend requested that I try collecting some to start a colony, as he wants me to send him some ova. We'll see if I get a chance to. I also cut some branches to force for food for some critters I have and some critters I expect to receive from friends. It was GREAT... But I looked for Parcoblatta sp. and did not find any. You are a teacher....hmmm starting June you have no excuse to do some intense hunting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcbpolish Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 You are a teacher....hmmm starting June you have no excuse to do some intense hunting!! :-) Because teacher's don't do anything in the summer, right? ;-) I will be working nearly full time at the local pet store this summer, in addition to potentially doing some coursework to maintain my license. BUT - I might have more time (especially if I don't take the class), as I can leave my work at the pet shop there rather than having to take it home (physically / psychologically) most nights. Summer sounds so good right now. We got some snow 2 days ago. It melted within a few hours, so it was not so bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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