JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Hi there, This is a common species of cockroach in my hometown of Richards Bay, South Africa. They are found underneath flower pots, stones, and other objects placed on soil. They seem to be gregarious, and burrow when scared. I have no id what species they are, but I would like to keep the,. Would anyone like to venture an educated guess as to their requirements in captivity. Thanks, JV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 hi! I don't know what species it is, but this is a beautiful roach! What size do they grow? Have you ever seen some of them with wings, or is it a wingless specie? If I had this kind of roach, I'd probably use some cruched dead leaves as substratum. Keep some humidity in it, maybe use some bark for them to hide, and feed them with fruits and so on. That's the way I breed my burrowing roaches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 Thanks for the information. I agree, it is beautiful! I have never seen a winged specimen, so I assume that the species is either wingless, or that the males have wings but are more secretive? The largest I've ever seen was about 25mm long, and the smallest was about two. I've never seen any ootheca, but I'm hoping that keeping them will give me more insight into their behaviour. Now, that is some very useful information, thank you! I will modify their enclosure a little. right now, they have a piece of dried Strelitzia nicolai leaf(Similar in texture to tree bark) some dried mango leaves, a 2mm deep layer of sand to burrow in, and an Achatina fulica shell for if they wish to hide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 It's possible you found a wingless specie, it make me think of some Pycnoscelus species, despite I don't think this one belong to this genus. I hope you'll get some babies, it's always great to bring a new specie in the hobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Can you get a picture of the end of the abdomen of one of them? P. surinamensis has a shiny thorax and abdomen but the last few segments of the abdomen are a dull color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 15, 2012 Author Share Posted December 15, 2012 I can try and get some photos, later on. I do know now that they are nocturnal. All of them have emerged from the soil, some are eating, and others are climbing all over. I also hope that I can get them to breed. If I do, I will purchase a permit, and export some to a trustworthy hobbyist outside the country. I am a firm believer that all species should be open game, whether you're a scientist or a hobbyist, and some of rhe greatest observations have been made by hobbyists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 No idea about the species yet, but they eat a wide variety of foods. They eat the pieces of vegetable that I give them. But, they have a particular predilection for moist dog food. They are currently sharing a tank with my two other unidentified specimens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 I believe that I have found winged adults of this species! I will post photos soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 Okay, here's a photo of what I found. I found several of these under some rocks and flowerpots. I am almost certain that they are the same species as the above mentioned one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 genus Pycnoscelus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 According to a friend of mine, there are good criters to identify the specie on the underside. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what you should look for, but I can ask him. Loads of species from this genus are quiet similar, you should label it "Pycnoscelus sp. South Africa", or something, if you aren't totally sure of the specie. If they breed in your culture, maybe we can exchange some roaches, so that my friend will be able to identify it, when there is stil doubt he looks to the genitalia, that's probably one of the best way of identification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 Wow, Thanks for the ID! I would never have imagined that the species was related to the Suriname Cockroach. It is a beautiful species, and I am definitely going to try and breed it. Any advice? I am also switching them back to a sand substrate, it seems to suit them better than the leaves. I will keep you updated about my progress, JV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Rousseaux Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I have two species of this genus (Pycnoscelus femapterus and an other specie not identified yet, probably Pycnoscelus surinamensis), I breed both of them of wet dead leaves and feed them with pond stickes and apple, but they don't seem to eat a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohananV Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thank you so much for all the help. It turns out that this species is very susceptible to the heat here(we have an average of about 30 degrees Celcius). So, it takes a lot of work to keep them cool. I have, however, managed to find a substrate that works for them. I tried out the wood shavings that one uses for rodents and it seems to work like a dream. It is easy to remove if it begins to mold(a very, very serious problem here), and it is easy to separate the roaches from the substrate. Since I last posted, one of my females also treated me to a brood of 13 nymphs! I will post photos when they are a little bit larger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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