Any cool south Florida inverts/how do I find some

Schledog

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Nov 8, 2018
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So I am going to Marco Island in Florida with my family from Sunday to Thursday and I was wondering how I can capture some cool inverts. I have a list in my head so here’s what I got:

Southern striped walking stick

Nephilia clavipes

Florida whipspider

Bumblebee millipede

Other “giant” millipedes

Pancake slug


Anything else that’s cool.
If you could just comment advice or tips from experience that would be awesome.
 

mantisfan101

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Keep in mind if you intend on catching and keeping any of these invertebrates the stick insects are an absolute no-no to bring back. With that said, here’s a list

Centruroides gracilis

Mastigoproctus floridanus(previously giganteus)

Gonatista grisea(been looking for this species for ages now)

Stagmomantis floridensis

Brunneria borealis

Brachypelma vagans(depends on where you’re looking)

Heteropoda venatoria

Scolopendra alterans/longipes

This is all i can think up of as of now.
 
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Schledog

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Yeah I'm aware about the stick insects I just want to see some, plus they spray fluid that's damaging for the eyes so I didn't want to deal with that. I checked whatsthatbug.com and another cool bug is predatory stink bugs, they remind me of assassin bugs kept in the hobby. I also saw Gonatista grisea on there but that looks like it will be VERY hard to find. Anyway thank you for the others on the list. I'm also going to look for some exotic lizards and will be keeping any day geckos or if I find one, a chameleon.
 

mantisfan101

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Show us some pics if you can, going down there to look for whipscorpions and mantids has ways been a dream of mine. Good luck!
 

pannaking22

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Gonatista grisea is found in pine forests in sandy areas. I found them every now and then in northern Florida while doing fieldwork.

Millipedes and the slug will be underneath debris, most likely fallen trees. That could be a good spot for the amblypygids too, though I think you're too far north for the Paraphrynus at the tip of Florida.

You'll see the Nephila as you're walking around. They build huge webs.
 

Schledog

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A34B1D5B-1CAB-47F7-82E5-72DB1EC9CDAB.jpeg 2B4D461B-28CF-4D55-B2F7-59233DFE4D37.jpeg I don’t even know why people buy bumblebee millipedes cause it took me five minutes for this.
 

Salmonsaladsandwich

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Cuz not everyone lives in florida.

When I went to south florida it was winter, so not many things were active. But I saw a ton of Rhysida longipes centipedes, a large cluster of Nephila webs, some Anisomorpha, and after rigorously turning over rocks at night with a small blacklight I managed to turn up a few Centruroides gracilis.

Something neat I was not lucky enough to actually see was Cardisoma guanhami, the giant blue land crab. I found their burrows and a few claws and other parts lying around, but the crabs were apparently dormant. They live near the coast all along florida and I assume they'll be present on the island you're visiting.
 

Introvertebrate

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I'd like to go down there and catch some invasive chameleons some day. I'd also like to try the lizard lasso technique for catching anoles. Night-time seems to be the best time to find certain reptiles and amphibians out in the open. Perhaps the same goes for invertebrates.
 

Salmonsaladsandwich

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I'd like to go down there and catch some invasive chameleons some day. I'd also like to try the lizard lasso technique for catching anoles. Night-time seems to be the best time to find certain reptiles and amphibians out in the open. Perhaps the same goes for invertebrates.
Not only are many invertebrates nocturnal, it's also easier to spot camouflaged insects like mantids, katydids, caterpillars and stick insects at night with a light than it is during the day. The artificial light reflects differently and disrupts countershading making bugs that normally look like part of the vegetation stand out.

Spiders and some other arthropods can be found from a distance because their eyes are reflective, and of course scorpions glow bright blue when exposed to a blacklight.
 

Schledog

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Yeah I landed mabye an hour ago and I brought back mabye ten pedes but not the slugs
 
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