JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hi There, This beautiful specimen flew into my lounge in Richards Bay, South Africa. Can anyone help me to id him? Sorry about the poor image quality. Thank you, JV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Can you get ventral pictures and a darker one from above? Can it climb? My first thought is Rhyparobia sp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 It can climb, and I will give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 Okeydoke, here are some more photos. Are they useful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 99% sure it's Rhyparobia. I'm not familiar with any species in that genus other than maderae, sp. "Malaysia", and grandis, but although it doesn't appear to be any of those I wouldn't rule out maderae. An excellent find, however! Unfortunately it looks like a male (if those are two small segments at the end of the underside of the abdomen) but finding a female shouldn't be too difficult since you know they're in the area! Oh what I'd give to have exotic roaches flying into my house... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 Haha, until recently I couldn't stand Roaches. But, I suddenly realized that they're actually quite beautiful. Thank you very much for the id. Are females ground-dwelling? If so, I may have seen some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 I would presume that both sexes occupy the same environment. To the extent of my knowledge the females of all members of the genus are also fully winged and depending on whether or not they're gravid they will possibly also be able to fly. The nymphs (if this is indeed maderae) will be a gray-ish color and should be present near the adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 Okay, I will see if I can find some. It will be nice to have a pair. Thank you so much for all your help. Can these roaches be sexed in the same way as Periplaneta? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allpet Roaches Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Do you have a local agricultural station? They should be able to help you identify your native species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hi, unfortunately we do not have a local agriculture station with knowledge about insects. Around here(to most people) a beetle is a beetle, and a cockroach is a cockroach. Our agricultural centres aren't much better. I will see if I can track down a specialist in our native species, but responses are usually slow. That is a large part of why I utilize the forums. Thank you for the suggestion, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Rhyparobia, I don't think so. I breed Rhyparobia maderae and Rhyparobia sp. gold for years, they're different. This roach seems to be small, have you an idea of the size? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 I would say that its just short of 20 mm, maybe about 18mm long. I think that it may be a species of Tivia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 In my view, definitely not Rhyparobia. I don't know the Tivia genus, so I can't help you more than this :/ It would be great to find some others and to breed them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 I agree, wholeheartedly! One more specimen flew into my lounge tonight, and it is somewhere in here. I just hope that I can find it! He is currently sharing a naturalistic enclosure with an Oxyhaloa deusta specimen, and some unidentified roaches. I'm hoping very hard that I'll find a female. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 I caught another one....... Hold thumbs for a pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I caught another one....... Hold thumbs for a pair. If you can get a ventral shot of it, it can be sexed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 yep, the last sternite is important! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 It would be my pleasure to take photos, but I'll only get round to that later tonight or tomorrow. I would really love to have them sexed. A pair would be wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 I'm very sorry that I haven't gotten around to taking photos yet. Things suddenly became very busy around here. But, I am quite certain that I do have a pair. The one is lighter than the other, and earlier the one was stroking the other with its antennae. Possibly, I think, courting behavior. I am also happy to report that my Oxyhaloa deusta have begun breeding. JV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Actually, most of roaches uses their antennae to communicate, even if it's not a pair. You should compare the last sternite, you'll spot the difference if it's a pair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Thank you, truth be told, i just haven't managed to keep the cockroaches upside down long enough so I can take pictures, and they don't climb the glass. Any suggestions for getting good pictures of their undersides? oh, and if I place them in the fridge for a few minutes so they fall asleep long enough for me to take photos of their undersides will that have any negative side effects? Thank you so much for your interest, and for helping me so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 When I need picture of the underside, I use to keep the roach between two fingers in one hand, and to take a picture with the other hand. The method with the fridge can work, but some species don't support it, and most females will abort their ootheca by this way, it's why I don't use it. No problem for the help, I'm happy to be useful, cockroaches are so amazing, it's wonderful to talk with other enthusiasts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likebugs Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I just grasp the roach gently and have a look. You can also take a photo through glass or transparent plastic. If the roach can't climb the sides, just set them in a clear container and take photos from underneath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thank you for the ideas, and tips. Sadly, I lost one of these cockroaches, and I had to release the other one because it wasn't eating. I have, however, found another very interesting species. I will post photos soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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