thesavageprojects
Fifth Instar
Now that these are considered cockroaches do you guys feel that they will become a part of the hobby.
Should they? Why. I want to hear your opinions.
Should they? Why. I want to hear your opinions.
Termites
- Thread starter thesavageprojects
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vfox
Blatta
I must have missed this post; I feel it merits some thought. Personally I think keeping any creature can promote learning and foster responsibility. While I personally do not desire keeping termites I do find them very interesting. It would likely be a rather rewarding experience to have a small colony but I think animals that tunnel and bore themselves away would be a bit less interesting to me. A good example of this in cockroaches are my roth's burrowing roaches, I have one adult so far and he is a fantastic jet black male, but I never see him and the only reason I know he exists is because I was digging around in the substrate looking for sub-adult peppered roaches. (I have a 5 species show tank) My roth's are really cool but because I rarely see them they are less interesting to me than say, my deaths heads in the same tank. I suppose it's one of those "out of sight, out of mind" kinda deals.
Their status as a pest would likely deter a lot of people from keeping them as well. I don't mind pest species, one of my favorite roaches are my americans. Although I'm not completely certain on the probability of it happening termites also have the potential to drastically harm your home if they escape. I would imagine this would require a current or new queen to also escape so it's probably unlikely. Another issue would be their males, when they try to do mating flights, what would we do with them? How would we be able to control their dispersal if released outside? Again, potential damaging pests here.
To me it seems more like keeping ants than cockroaches. I know several people here keep ants and I would imagine the idea of a social colony of termites would appeal to them moreso than the general roach hobbyist.
Wolverine
Fifth Instar
Been looking for some funny you bring up this topic. People culture germans,oriental and American roaches might as well. Think a thin tank with removable blacked out sides would be neat. So many varieties with complex societies. Going to find some soon will share my results. Want to find some cryptocercus to put next to them!
I am currently maintaining an Eastern Subterranean Termite colony that I've had now for two and a half years. I keep them in a 20 gal Tall with a cover that I fabricated myself. I find them much easier to manage than most of my roach cultures; toss in small pieces of water-damaged wood and a few sprinkles of water every other week is all that's needed. They certainly have their place in the hobby to those willing to broaden their blattodean horizons.
I would really love to get my hands on some (Mastotermes darwiniensis). For those who are not too familiar with termites, this Australian native is the last remaining member of the most primitive of termite families, Mastotermitidae. The large, roach-like queens protect their eggs within a ootheca similar to those of roaches. However, these oothecae lack a developed keel and calcium oxalate salts, suggesting a degeneration of the oothecal encasement. It is also the only termite species to possess Blattabacterium, a symbiotic intracellular bacterium found in all but one cockroach family (Nocticolidae). This as well as genetic analysis confirms a clear transitional state between roaches and termites. Although many entomologists continue to question the validity of the blattodea/isoptera union, I am highly convinced of the evolutionary relationship between the two.
Mark
I would really love to get my hands on some (Mastotermes darwiniensis). For those who are not too familiar with termites, this Australian native is the last remaining member of the most primitive of termite families, Mastotermitidae. The large, roach-like queens protect their eggs within a ootheca similar to those of roaches. However, these oothecae lack a developed keel and calcium oxalate salts, suggesting a degeneration of the oothecal encasement. It is also the only termite species to possess Blattabacterium, a symbiotic intracellular bacterium found in all but one cockroach family (Nocticolidae). This as well as genetic analysis confirms a clear transitional state between roaches and termites. Although many entomologists continue to question the validity of the blattodea/isoptera union, I am highly convinced of the evolutionary relationship between the two.
Mark
vfox
Blatta
I completely agree they should be united. Then again I find crickets and grass hoppers very similar to roaches too. Id imagine they are more closely related than we think as well. Especially now with the discovery of an African roach with jumping hind limbs. What do you guys think? Not to get too off topic, just curious. I'm not as familiar with hoppers and crickets as I am roaches so it's mainly conjecture. Lol.
Most likely the new African roach with jumping legs is an example of convergent adaptation, wherein the jumping roaches adapted to an environment that favored the ability to spring away from predators or other threats quickly. Perhaps there are mantids or other predators there that swiftly catch crawling roaches, so the ability to jump out of harm's way quickly was more beneficial.
A few other roach species can jump, notably Periplaneta australasiae and Blattellidae sp. "Mauritius."
A few other roach species can jump, notably Periplaneta australasiae and Blattellidae sp. "Mauritius."
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On another forum I'm on, we had a interesting "conversation" about that. (We also have some people that live nearby trying to get ahold of some.) The debate was if/when the hybrid was formed, how long ago it was vs. how many of each species mated. We never did find a answer, however it is clear that there was a hybrid and it was more on the roach side then the cricket side. Most likely, you would need to go way back when they were closely related.
Who knows, there was a cross between Pallida and Lobster Roaches reported there! The babies are different looking then either species, can climb, breed more quickly then lobsters! He has yet to post pics, yet, so who knows? Anything can happen!
I believe it was a result of a cross breeding... but who knows? Do you really think their hind limbs could become that distinct from a convergent adaptation?
vfox
Blatta
I don't think it's cross breeding, they are very different animals. It would be like a cockroach breeding with a termite, although closer in relation, it can never happen. However animals do adapt to their environment very well and sometimes in very short timeframes. (notably those crazy fish in Africa that form new species every several hundred) I was using that as an example to talk about cricket and roach similarities, I didnt mean to imply they were a hybrid.
The jumping hind legs of Saltoblattella is most certainly the result of convergent adaptation. An extinct cockroach(Skok)from the Jurassic/Cretaceous also had similar legs but their are no close affinities between this and the modern species from South Africa. Especially since (Skok) possessed an external ovipositor.