# Rhinoceros Katydid Hatch (Copiphora rhinoceros)



## Tenodera (Sep 23, 2015)

Our first nymph hatched after approximately 4 months incubation! It is already feeding on a pre-killed roach! 



The father is still kicking, too.

Reactions: Like 7


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## pannaking22 (Sep 23, 2015)

Whoa, those are awesome! What's the care like on them?


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## Hisserdude (Sep 23, 2015)

Omg, I need some! I hope you can get these established in the hobby! Congrats on the eggs hatching btw!


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## Tenevanica (Sep 23, 2015)

Where did you get these? I want one!


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## Galapoheros (Sep 23, 2015)

Ah yes, the mystical Unicornydid, ...never heard of it.  I wonder what the horn is for.  Are they only carnivorous?

Reactions: Like 2


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## Tenodera (Sep 26, 2015)

They are from the Audobon Insectarium in New Orleans, given to us at the Iowa State Insect Zoo this summer!

I'm currently working on a care manual for all of the animals we have at the ISU Zoo, and these guys are included. Overjoyed to have them hatch on our first try! We have only four nymphs so far; the eggs were mostly laid singly and it wouldn't be out of the question that they are "programmed" to hatch in intervals. There's a lot of knowledge left to be discovered!

Care is much like that of a rainforest mantid: a tall, well-ventilated, and quite humid enclosure with mesh and branches to climb on. They are omnivores and can be fed a lot like Neobarrettia, nomming on insects and other animals roughly their size or smaller (or larger...). They also like fruit, and I'm giving them romaine lettuce and carrot. The carrot has been eaten a whole lot more than the lettuce, and as I expected they also go crazy for beetle jelly. I've been feeding the tiny nymphs by crushing a small roach nymph (brownbandeds) and sticking it to the side of the cage where they'll find it... this is just so that the food doesn't get out the slots in the mesh. Once they get larger I'll transition them into live crickets and roaches. They eat snails very frequently in the wild, as well as lizards and all manner of insects.

Our male is still alive, probably around six months old now. He's not eating much live food and I wonder if the female goes after more proteinaceous stuff preferentially. It might also be that he's too old to be producing a spermatophore and spermatophylax and so doesn't need the fuel. This species is relatively calm and I've never seen them throwdefensive or escape behavior as enthusiastic as Neobarrettia... but the bite does hurt, my goodness. I have not seen the horn used at all yet, it might purely be a deterrent to another animal grabbing it or putting it in its mouth. It may also be used against specific types of enemies. Their body seems very capable of thrusting the horn forward to attack.

I'd love to see these and other katydids become more widespread in the hobby, and I'll do my best to get a whole bunch so that they can be distributed to other facilities. From what I understand they're very rare in culture.

Reactions: Like 6


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## Hisserdude (Sep 27, 2015)

Thanks for the info, I also hope more katydids and other orthopterans get established in the hobby, they are an underrated group. In the mean time I look forward to seeing more pics of this species, hint hint.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## ReignofInvertebrates (Sep 27, 2015)

It would be great to see more predatory katydids in the hobby!  Congrats on the hatchling and WOW is that male cool looking!


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## Ratmosphere (Sep 27, 2015)

That is one awesome creature!


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## Tenodera (Sep 27, 2015)

If only they could see all the attention they're getting.  This thread is now their diary, so I'll be posting updates as they grow and things happen.

Reactions: Like 1


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## beetleman (Sep 27, 2015)

wow...yeah very awesome beast love the horn.it would be very cool if they were more common and in the hobby


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## Tenodera (Oct 5, 2015)

Some are feeding very well, it's easy to tell because they are translucent and the gut contents can be easily observed right through the abdomen. I have yet to see one attack live prey, but I suspect they have been eating the phorid flies that are attracted to their apple slices. They also have been seen eating romaine lettuce. 

I'm trying them on 1st instar Vietnamese Walkingsticks (Medauroidea extradentata) and chopped superworms as well as the brown-banded roaches and flies. A few of them liked the superworm, but most ignored it. 

Enticing them to feed on pre-killed is sometimes difficult and seems suboptimal, but we should be getting Drosophila soon so that might help. Mortality has been relatively low, ~20%, and we have 14 at last count alive.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Hisserdude (Oct 5, 2015)

Cool, I hope more start eating well. Have you tried any dog food? They might like some of that. Also, what did the female lay her eggs in?


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## Tenodera (Oct 5, 2015)

I haven't, but I'll try grinding it up. That's a good idea, always worth a shot!
She laid her eggs in potting soil, about 4-5 cm deep.


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## Hisserdude (Oct 5, 2015)

OK, cool! Hope it works out!


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## Tenodera (Oct 12, 2015)

First molt last night at about 10:30 pm! Executed perfectly. 
Also, one took a live brownbanded that I injured and dropped in front. Ran right up to it, pinned it, and went to town.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hisserdude (Oct 12, 2015)

Awesome! Glad to see it molted nicely!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tenodera (Dec 17, 2015)

It's been a while, but these kiddos are still here! A couple of them now look to be pre-subadult. A few of the more interesting developments:

- The nymphs have begun hunting on their own, and have taken Medauroidea extradentata walkingsticks and brownbanded roaches. They continue to refuse fruit, but eat a lot of lettuce and do well with hand-feeding, in which they sometimes pounce swiftly like they would with free-running prey.
- Sometimes hand-feeding means feeding on my hand! A few of them are pretty bloodthirsty.
- A number of them show a dorsal line of bright red spots.
- The sample size is very small, but of the surviving nymphs there are 10 males and 5 females. We are asking our supplier about whether she has observed an imbalanced sex ratio, or if it is just variance.



This shows off the red markings. 



Going to town on a walkingstick. This prey item was given by hand.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hisserdude (Dec 17, 2015)

Good, glad they are still doing well. That sex ratio is not too bad, 5 females should be plenty to keep the culture going. These guys keep getting cooler and cooler as they grow bigger.


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## wizentrop (Dec 25, 2015)

This is a really cool species and probably the first time I've heard of a captive breeding attempt.

I am quite surprised your female laid the eggs in soil, as I have witnessed this species squeezing its sword-like ovipositor into leaf sheaths to lay eggs. Nevertheless, you are doing it right if you got them to hatch. 
Like you mentioned their diet is varied, I was wondering if you ever tried to offer them seeds/grains? Conehead katydids are known to use their strong mandibles to supplement their diet with seeds. 

Very nice report and keep us updated please!

Reactions: Like 2


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## MWAInverts (Dec 26, 2015)

Beautiful species! Love the single horn, the translucent green, and the patterns  Those mandibles! Ouch lol. I'll be watching this thread for developments, these guys are pretty cool.


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## KevinsWither (Jan 3, 2016)

They kind of remind me of mantids. Very cool.


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## Hisserdude (Jun 10, 2016)

Hey @Tenodera, any updates on these?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tenodera (Jun 10, 2016)

I haaave forgotten to update this thread. For a real long time!
We experienced hardships with the subadult females, who would spread their wing-buds and hold the molting position and then simply fail to shed. Every one of them passed away that way. Some of them showed darkening of the extremities and core which might indicate an infection, but we weren't able to figure out what was killing them. The males (of which there were many, about 3x as many actually) have thrived, living as adults for four-five months (and possibly longer, I'm not with them now and I don't know how many are still kicking!). We received some adult females and have taken another go at it, though.

Reactions: Like 2 | Optimistic 1


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## Hisserdude (Jun 10, 2016)

Tenodera said:


> I haaave forgotten to update this thread. For a real long time!
> We experienced hardships with the subadult females, who would spread their wing-buds and hold the molting position and then simply fail to shed. Every one of them passed away that way. Some of them showed darkening of the extremities and core which might indicate an infection, but we weren't able to figure out what was killing them. The males (of which there were many, about 3x as many actually) have thrived, living as adults for four-five months (and possibly longer, I'm not with them now and I don't know how many are still kicking!). We received some adult females and have taken another go at it, though.


Huh, thats weird, sorry to hear that.  I hope the next attempt goes better, curious how all the females died but the males thrived....


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## Tenodera (Jul 6, 2016)

I really don't know! It was heartbreaking to watch, one after the other... 
I'll see them all again in about a month, though. Don't worry kids, daddy's on the way!

Reactions: Like 1


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## pannaking22 (Jul 8, 2016)

Ah that's a shame that they all died off. Good to hear that another attempt is coming though!


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## Tenodera (Nov 19, 2016)

Just wanted to update here that the last male of that generation has died, for an adult lifespan of about 10 months. He was singing until late October too.

We are raising 30 or so more nymphs currently.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Ratmosphere (Nov 19, 2016)

That's awesome! I want one!


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## Hisserdude (Nov 19, 2016)

Tenodera said:


> Just wanted to update here that the last male of that generation has died, for an adult lifespan of about 10 months. He was singing until late October too.
> 
> We are raising 30 or so more nymphs currently.


Wow, that's a pretty long lifespan, sorry to hear he passed. 

Awesome, hope this batch of nymphs does better than the last, keep us posted!


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## Pipa (Nov 20, 2016)

I would love to try some of these ..... if ..... you ever have any CB's in the future


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## KevinsWither (Nov 23, 2016)

I see them as very interesting. Where did the culture come from?


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## slocoj91 (Jan 2, 2023)

Okay I'm aware this is an old thread, but I'd ve very interested to know if the attempt at culturing continued. I can see OP was around last year, and maybe they get email notifications of thread activity. It wasn't clear if these were kept as a colony or solo, but I find them really curious creatures and have an opportunity to get some.


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## Isopods others (Monday at 4:49 PM)

Could anyone inform me of the difference between a Katydid, grasshopper and cricket?


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