Keeping less common members of Acrididae and tettigonidae (Katydids)

[Gogyeng]

Here in uk, it is common to see the locusts (Locusta migratoria) in pet-shops kept as food-supply for reptiles and arachnids alike. Locusts themselves are interesting animals but are far more fragile and hard to reproduce than other commercial insects including Morio beetles etc. Likewise other members of acrididae, tettigonidae include the great green bush cricket Tettigonia viridissima, uk native bush-cricket. Like most katytids they are carnivourous. I wondered if anybody had had any luck keeping less common species.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Some people keep and breed lubber grasshoppers and their even larger tropical relatives, Tropidacris. The lubbers at least require a heat lamp to function.

The biggest problem with orthopterans seems to be incubating their eggs, in many species it is very difficult or hasn't been accomplished at all. Katydids often have absurdly long egg incubation periods lasting a year or more as well. I know someone who breeds a type of small, undescribed carnivorous katydid collected in Costa Rica, which has successfully reproduced but has this long egg incubation period. Several people have attempted to breed jerusalem crickets and the large, carnivorous Neobarretia katydids but most don't succeed.

Hobbysists have bred a few species of herbivorous katydid, such as Stilpnochlora couliana and Amblycorypha sp. (I once collected and kept Amblycorypha but never hatched the eggs.) The Cincinnati Zoo has successfully bred Arachnacris corporalis, a really impressive katydid from Malaysia:

Like most katytids they are carnivourous.

This is something I've seen repeated a couple times, but it really isn't true. Most katydids are primarily herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers or grass seeds. There's even some that are adapted to eat nothing but pollen and nectar. Most katydids are omnivores and will prey on or scavenge other insects given the opportunity, but those that eat mainly plants considerably outnumber those that are predominantly carnivorous.

 

[Gogyeng]

Excellent answer, Salmonsaladsandwich ! Learning something new each day. Thanks a bunch

 

[pannaking22]

I think it's the copiphorine and listroscelidine katydids that are predominantly predaceous, but I think even they appreciate some greens in their diets as well. Though there are some orthops where the natural diet isn't known and they don't take to food provided in captivity very well (Phrynotettix sp.), so that adds another challenge.

Space can be an issue with a lot of the non-grylloid orthops as well. They need space to molt, space to wander, space to feed, space so they don't try munching on each other, etc. Oedipodine grasshoppers most likely need space to display before mating, and considering that some (I think the genus is Circotettix) can fly up to 30ft in the air, you'd need a lot of space just for that.

I've had some luck getting tetrigids to breed in captivity, but I'm not fully sure what I was doing to get the eggs to successfully hatch. They did best with very high humidity, but I think they need high ventilation as well, so that can be a problem.

 

[schmiggle]

I think it's the copiphorine and listroscelidine katydids that are predominantly predaceous, but I think even they appreciate some greens in their diets as well. Though there are some orthops where the natural diet isn't known and they don't take to food provided in captivity very well (Phrynotettix sp.), so that adds another challenge.

Space can be an issue with a lot of the non-grylloid orthops as well. They need space to molt, space to wander, space to feed, space so they don't try munching on each other, etc. Oedipodine grasshoppers most likely need space to display before mating, and considering that some (I think the genus is Circotettix) can fly up to 30ft in the air, you'd need a lot of space just for that.

I've had some luck getting tetrigids to breed in captivity, but I'm not fully sure what I was doing to get the eggs to successfully hatch. They did best with very high humidity, but I think they need high ventilation as well, so that can be a problem.

That's the most family-level names I've seen in a post on here in a very long time

 

[pannaking22]

That's the most family-level names I've seen in a post on here in a very long time

Family, subfamily, and genus That's the Identifier/taxonomist in me talking lol. I do a lot of orthop collecting, so I've got a good handle at least on the US species and have been learning the Mexican ones as well recently for work.

I'd like to start keeping various species, but I don't have nearly enough space at this point. Lactista azteca will probably be one of my first attempts. Even though it's an oedipodine, they don't seem to fly as much or as high, so I could probably keep them in a smaller enclosure.