# Platymeris biguttatus - assasin bugs :]



## BakuBak (Jan 25, 2004)

hi  .. finaly i bought some of them ... 
 i have 2  mature  and 4 young ones ... 

i have some quastions and it would be  nice if You could answer them :]  

1.how long do they grow ?? and awter wich molt they become adoultus

2.  how many eags and in whot period of time  i can get from 1  feemale ? 

3. whot i have/need to do to succeed at breading them ... 


=D =D =D


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## MacCleod (Jan 26, 2004)

1. It takes about 5 months to grow from nimph to adult.
When they are about 3cm (1,2"), you 'll notice tiny wings. Than they are sub adult, and will finally molt to adult.

2. If kept in good conditions, the female will lay a few eggs each day.

3. The temperature should be around 25° C and a humidity between 60 - 80%. The substrate (potting soil) should be humid too (not wet). Give them also a few hiding places.
For feeding, a few crickets each 3 days will do 


Have fun with them....they are really cool :}


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

thx
=D =D =D


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

good conditions.. hmmm here is some photos :]  

and some more quastions.... 

 1.how big can be food for anoultus and immature ... 

 2. is it a good idea to kep young ones  in single conteners (like on photo or beter is to put them with adoultus/young 

3.  is there enything more  that i schould know ?? maybe you know  som good  www with infos about hhem .. - i have found some but it wos nothing special =D =D =D 


no  i wont give any photos becouse they are too big to fit in here =D =D =D


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## MacCleod (Jan 26, 2004)

1. Assassin bugs are real killers. They can handle a prey that is as big as theirself, or even a bit bigger  
I've seen my nymphs attacking a cricket that was much bigger then they were  Really amazing.

2. You can keep them all together. As long as there is enough food, they won't kill each other. Actually only the nymphs are cannibalistic.

3.Caresheet 
I 've written a caresheet myself too, but it's in Dutch...I think you won't understand a word of it


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

yeh your right in Dutch i am able to buy an wurst mit curry :]  

like for now i am giving them meel worms ....  
but if you say that they can handle a bigger  ones   i wiil thing  about something bigger :] 


do Yu look after eags ore live them alone in main contener ? 

I see that you are very famillary with assasins ... do you have more species ??
is there any difrens in theyr behave ?? 

 to this moment i have heard about : 
  Platymeris biguttatus 
Platymeris rhadamanthus 
Platymeris mombo 

they all from africa .. mayby  you know any more species that are possible to buy and bred ?? 



=D =D =D =D =D


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## Navaros (Jan 26, 2004)

As far as I know only the 3 african species are commonly available without going out and collecting some for yourself. There are lots of very cool assassins but some of them will drink blood so be careful.;P I think most of those live in South America though. There is a small neon green species of assassins that live in my state, I have found 2 and will try to find more this year and get them breeding. This is probably my favorite species.
http://ridgwaydb.mobot.org/mobot/ma...A75&nextorder=40&referringcategory=rainforest
:} :} :}


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## MacCleod (Jan 26, 2004)

Yep, I certainly look after eggs, but you can leave them in the tank if you want.
Keep in mind that they are not always found on top of the substrate, but also "in" it.

I have P. biguttatus and P. rhadamanthus. They live together in one HUGE tank (120x50x60cm), without any problems.
Their behaviour is very similar.

P. mombo is a very nice sp. too, but hard to find in the hobby


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

here have a look at som assasins from my country  :]  

some of them are vegetarians but  ........... =D =D =D


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## MacCleod (Jan 26, 2004)

Hey...you have some nice looking tiger beetles in your country :} 

Certainly these guys:


















Very, very sweet  :}


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

i am from poland so you too schould have dem in belgia

=D =D =D


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## MacCleod (Jan 26, 2004)

> _Originally posted by BakuBak _
> *i am from poland so you too schould have dem in belgia
> 
> =D =D =D *


Never seen them


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## BakuBak (Jan 26, 2004)

becouse they  are rare  =D   
if i found any at summer i will  colect some=D =D


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## Longbord1 (Jan 26, 2004)

ive seen the black ones here in ny and they were eating maggots. the only prob is i can't seem to find any


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## Navaros (Jan 26, 2004)

BakyBak, the one that feed on plants are usually stink bugs. Hemipterans with short curved proboscises are predatory, the ones with long straight proboscises are vegetarians. On another note, anyone ever bred wheel bugs?


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## ORION_DV8 (Jan 26, 2004)

those first two pics look like carabids(ground beetle's) to me not cincindelids(tiger beetle's) I could be wrong.
ORION


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## MacCleod (Jan 27, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ORION_DV8 _
> *those first two pics look like carabids(ground beetle's) to me not cincindelids(tiger beetle's) I could be wrong.
> ORION *


Yeah yeah, I know...but they all have those amazing jaws, and that's just what I like about them :}


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## Wade (Jan 27, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Navaros _
> *. On another note, anyone ever bred wheel bugs?  *


I've never been able to get any eggs from them. Easy and fun to keep otherwise, though.

Wade


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## Wh1teshark (Jan 27, 2004)

Those pictures on that site are totally awsome!
I really want to learn to take such good macros...

http://www.cso.com.pl/~stopa/galeria/index.html

Just click on the links on the upper part of the page.

BakuBak - can you read out if the guy who took the pictures has a e-mail adress on the page?

Regards,

/David


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## BakuBak (Jan 27, 2004)

> _
> BakuBak - can you read out if the guy who took the pictures has a e-mail adress on the page?
> 
> /David [/B]_


_ 



there is no e mail but i  found this :]  

look !! _


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## Wh1teshark (Jan 28, 2004)

I'm afraid that didn't help me that much  thanks anyway.

/David


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## genious_gr (Jan 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by MacCleod _
> *Hey...you have some nice looking tiger beetles in your country :}
> 
> Certainly these guys:
> ...


We have these here as well. I actuallu had one this summer. I suppose it died of age.


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## BakuBak (Feb 24, 2004)

sory 4 teaking too light such oldis but i am a litle bit upset ... 
  i have my assasins  from the date of first post and i have no  nimfs :[   why dhey dont do any  sex :[  how can i  tel them that it is fun too have sex ?? =D 


as for condition ,, thecy have good huminidity - eaven  little bit higher then is need to  
 temperature  beetween 30 and 23 *C - they may choose  place wich  they prefere , , , they have many  schelters and big  conteiner .... whot am i dooing wrong


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## MacCleod (Feb 24, 2004)

What substrate are you using ?

Are you sure you have a mating pair ?


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## BakuBak (Feb 24, 2004)

i have just chek them  and i have 2 females :[ ,,, but the bright side is thet i found 10 egs - they are good viseable  in the blue light :] . now i am dooing an incubator for them :]


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