Sorry for posting in an old topic...
@lychas: Where did you collected the animals?
At least one species of Onychophora from Australia are communal. Maybe you have that species. Do you have any death specimen for identification?
I have a New Zealand species, Peripatoides novaezealandiae...
They just start to use the new set up. So I'll have to wait to shoot some more pictures.
The nest is made of ytong. I don't know the correct English term for it. Fast building blocks maybe? White blocks of a rather soft material. Ytong absorbs water pretty well. The nest site is placed in 10...
Many spider species have a tapetum. The reflecting layer in the eye. The main eyes mostly miss a tapetum. I know Liphistius species also have a tapetum. Not shure for other families.
They are not yet pupated. Give it some time.
24x24x24 is fine but they won't fly that much in it. And they are certainly not able to eat in there. So you will have to feed them by hand.
Your colony is lost without a queen. Antworks is the worst thing to keep ants in. There are much easier setups which you can make at home with much succes.
You can use test tubes and a plastic container to make a small set up. If the colony gets bigger you can make a nest out of plaster or...
They are indeed primitive. You can not recognize the queen. I am not even sure there is any. But I have seen eggs and larvae. The genus Pachycondyla has several primitive forms of reproduction. There are species where the queen also forages when she starts up her colony. And there are species...
The adults can't get true the screen. The nymphs stay almost all the time in or on the soil. So they probably won't get there. Maybe the ventilation under the glass can cause some escapes.
On the outside there is no difference. But after a month you can cut a small slice of the ootheca and see if the eggs are developing. Offcourse you kill a few eggs. If there isn't any development or if everything is dried out the ootheca is probably unfertilized.
I use a nest with test tubes for small colonies:
http://img178.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nest37vz.jpg
They will use the test tubes as their nest. There is a small amount of water covered with cottonwool in every tube to keep the humidity up.
You can feed them a mixture of honey and water...
Are you certain that the females are fertilized?
I have only breeding experience with burrowing species (Rhagodes sp.). But most species dig a shelter for oviposition. So important it is to keep a temperature of 28°C and the soil must be slightly moist.
After oviposition the female will guard...
Hello there, why not take a few seconds to register on our forums and become part of the community? Just click here.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.