Differentiating nymphs!

[Zephyr]

K, I recently did a trade with a fellow member who sent me some discoids and dubias. However, she said that the discoids had a few newborn babies who accidentally fell in to the container with the dubia nymphs. How can I tell the difference right now!?

[Allpet Roaches]

I asked someone who keeps both species to check out the differences on really tiny nymphs. Here is his response:

"Well, they really do look very much alike.

The only difference my untrained eye can tell is that the discoid nymphs have a more rounded, crescent shaped pronotum than the dubia's. The overall body shape also seems to be more teardrop in the dubia's, but this just may be due to the age differences between first shedding and primary (newborns)."

[drasar]

I was wondering how old a Dubia nymph had to get before the males get their wings and I am able to visually tell them from the females? Right now it looks like almost every Dub I have is Female. It was a mixed size colony when I first got it about 3 weeks or so ago...there should be identifyable males by now...right?

[Zephyr]

Depends on how big they are. You can flip them over and sex them too; males will have multiple tiny segments on the end of the abdomen and females will have one big one.

As far as telling these babies apart;

Dubias seem to be more slate gray as babies; discoids orange-brownish.

Now that I have seen both species and worked with them for a while I can easily tell newborns apart.

[RosenKrieger]

Dubias wont get their wings until they are fully grown. You can tell the males from the females by looking at the underside of their abdomen. If the last segment is big, its female, if it's small, it's male. Here's a photo to help you.

[drasar]

Thanks that was actually very helpful...I know they all look Female while younger just wasn't sure if they had to be full grown to tell them apart