# Platymeris biguttata Care and Housing



## adonis (Jul 18, 2007)

I have decided to purchase a small number of Platymeris biguttata (white-eyed assassin bugs), and I don't really know how to care for them.

After numerous internet searches, I have got very little information as to their care.

I have read all of the topics that come up when searching on google for "Platymeris biguttata ". 

What has your experience been like with these ambush predators? 

What can I expect? Do you remove the eggs, or just leave them? Is a colony easy to maintain?

Thanks for any help you can offer.


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## ArachnoCrazy (Jul 18, 2007)

Check out this site http://www.easyinsects.co.uk/site/content/view/18/26/


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## adonis (Jul 18, 2007)

*http://www.easyinsects.co.uk/site/content/view/18/26/*

Thanks. Good link

I had seen it before; alot of the info that is available is just "copied" from one source or another.

I'm hoping for a larger variety of info, if it's out there.

There aren't many people with personal accounts of their experiences keeping P.biguttata. Is it an uncommon pet?


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

:clap: i luv em! i had in the past the 3 sp. that were availible, and they were the easiest to keep,all of them and they bred like wild fire,they drank off the glass of their enclosures,ate mealworms(the bottom got littered w/skins of the mealworms,had to remove often)and when they laid eggs i justleft them in there,little red babies were popping out everywhere,they stayed w/adults never had any of them eating eachother,my setups were fishtanks/sand/alot of corkbark slabs,it worked great,just be careful when you put your hand in there they could be hiding anywhere good luck w/them.


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## ArachnoCrazy (Jul 18, 2007)

I just keep them on sand and added some bark and fake plants for them to hid in.  I mist the sides of the container every once in awhile, but assassins get most of their moisture from their food so they do not drink much.  I have only seen them drink once since I have gotten mine.


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## tyrel (Jul 18, 2007)

Where do you plan to get them?


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## adonis (Jul 18, 2007)

*Arachnophiliac*

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=98324

Getting them from Arachnophiliac. 

I will be purchasing five, but hope for a colony to develop!!!!

Does anyone know how small they are when first hatched? Will a screen enclosure be enough?


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

a fine sreen mesh will work, the nymphs never climbed anyway,but if they did they couldn't get threw.


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## adonis (Jul 19, 2007)

*http://insectorama.ibelgique.com/page%20platymerus_bigutata.htm*

http://translate.google.com/transla...ue.com/page%2520platymerus_bigutata.htm&hl=en

Platymerus bigutata & Platymerus Rhadamantus



Insects killer

These two species belong to the family of Reduviidae.

 Platymerus Bigutata: Gabon

 Platymerus Rhadamantus: Tanzania



These two species, adults and nymphs are the predatory ones. They live on bushes and in the vegetation where they catch other insects and empty them using their horn.



DESCRIPTION: Platymerus Bigutata

                            Any black with two white spots on the pair of former wings. The legs are black and yellow. The head carries a pair of fine and more or less long antennas (fragile) and a horn for piqué these predatory and to nourish itself. This reduve measurement 4 cm length. The thorax carries two spines on the edge external. The males recognize females by their size (a little finer and smaller) and by the ventral face of the abdomen. In the male the last abdominal segment ends in a kind of ball. 



DESCRIPTION: Platymerus Rhadamantus

                            Any black with two spots red on the pair of former wings. The legs are black and red. The head carries a pair of fine and more or less long antennas (fragile) and a horn for piqué these predator and to nourish itself. This reduve measurement 3.5 to 4 cm length. The thorax carries two spines on the edge external. The males recognize females by their size (a little finer and smaller) and by the ventral face of the abdomen. In the male the last abdominal segment ends in a kind of ball. In the female of P.Rhadamantus one sees light milked reddish on this segment.



For the two species



 Temperature: + 25°C

 Moisture: To pulverize every three days

 Means of defense: Their horns is a good means of defense. They can you prick and to cause painful burns and tinglings, but without risk for the human ones. These reduves projects also an acid (ATTENTION with the eyes and the face bus causes burns) when they are disturbed or handled. 



 Foods: ADULTS: Worms of flour, cricket, small cockroach, fly

                        NYMPHS: To nourish the nymphs with worm of flour proportional to their size

 Reproduction: Enough easy, sexuée, but it are perhaps parthenogenetic. The cannibalism is rare if it have enough food.

 Terrarium: The bottom of terrarium will be furnished with + 4 cm of sand. In terrarium one places a piece D " bark so that the reduves can go up above and to hide. 

Eggs

The eggs are laid in general on the ground but I already often found some flee. They must be collected + every week and to be placed in an incubator. 

 EGGS: P.rhadamantus: brown chechmate with a cream-coloured white cover.

                    P.bigutata: brown-black shining with a cream-coloured white cover. A little smaller than P.rhadamantus

 P.S: The eggs having the depressed air or malformed are sterile, not to keep them.

 INCUBATION: 21 to 30 days

 INCUBATOR: It is constituted of one limps out of plastic (standard limps of crickets). The lid will be perforated many holes of the size of the holes of limps of crickets to allow a good air circulation. In the content of one limps places a very wet sheet of essuie. Eggs above are placed without them not being touched (mould). One puts limps it with the top of a radiator (heat source) and one pulverizes the every day.

 BLOSSOMING: Not to nourish the nymphs during 24 hours, because they are mole and could be made attack.

 NYMPHS: With the birth the nymphs are:

The abdomen is red, the thorax and the head is black, the legs are orange and black with the articulations at P.rhadamantus and a little yellower at P.bigutata. As regards descriptions of the nymphs I am not sour to 100%, because I make the breeding for the moment of it, therefore I must initially check by me even.


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## adonis (Jul 19, 2007)

*Care Sheet Links*

http://www.centralpets.com/animals/insects/other_insects/bug4345.html

http://www.centralpets.com/php/search/storiesdisplay.php?Story=243

http://www.reptileallsorts.com/assassin-cs.htm

http://www.pwbelg.clara.net/articles/page2.html

http://www.herper.com/insects/assassins.html


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## adonis (Jul 19, 2007)

*Pictures Links*

http://bugnation.myfreeforum.org/archive/assassin-bugs__o_t__t_2218.html

http://bugsincyberspace.com/platymerus_bigutata.html


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## adonis (Jul 20, 2007)

*http://trophort.com/000/545/000545509.html*

The life history and egg-laying behaviour of Platymeris biguttata (L.) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eluwa, M. C. 1972 

Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Nigeriarecd 1975; 3(2): 108-120 

Laboratory investigations on the life-history and egg-laying behaviour of the predacious Reduviid Platymeris biguttata (L.) are reported. In unsaturated air, eggs lost moisture easily, and losses of more than 42% of their fresh weight impaired viability permanently. Within limits, pre-incubation dehydration accelerated subsequent development of the eggs. Within favourable temperature limits, development and hatching occurred only when eggs were either in contact with water or in very saturated atmospheres of 98% R.H. or more. The optimum temperatures for development lay between 25 and 30 deg C, the corresponding mean incubation period being 18.5 days. At the critical constant temperature of 35.5 deg C, some embryonic development occurred but there was no hatching. At temperatures fluctuating between 20 and 30 deg C and relative humidities of 60-90%, the duration of nymphal development lasted 131-193 days in bugs fed on insect prey thrice weekly, and 179-215 and 109-152 days for those fed once weekly and very frequently, respectively. When the food supply was adequate, communal rearing enhanced the rate of nymphal development. There were five nymphal moults, with striking changes in colour from red in the first instar to black in the adult. The eggs, which were not attached to the substrate, were laid singly, preferably in sand, sawdust or at the corners of containers simulating crevices, mainly during the night.


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## tyrant963 (Nov 25, 2007)

​Anyone know where to purchase white eyed  assassin bugs???? i must of spent 5 hours looking for an online store that sells them.


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## Chrysopid (Nov 25, 2007)

I'm not sure if anyone has said this before on this thread...

I have some wheel bugs (assasin bugs _Arilus cristatus_), my nymph got eaten by a cricket

So be careful, they were big enough to eat the crickets (this particular one had eaten a couple before) 
But I guess it wasn't as hungry as the cricket was  I know my lesson now,
believe people when they say not to leave a feeder cricket more than a day with the nymphs!


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## Choobaine (Nov 25, 2007)

My eggs will be hatching soon! Well not mine, I didn't lay them. :/


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## tyrant963 (Nov 25, 2007)

how often should you feed them, and how should they drink?


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## Takumaku (Nov 25, 2007)

For nymphs:
Water: I don't give them any water, not even spraying the container.
Feed: I feed once a week, sometimes twice a week if I'm trying to reduce my roach colony.

For adults:
Water: Lightly spray one side of the container with water.
Feed: once/twice a week, just like the nymphs


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## tyrant963 (Nov 25, 2007)

i read that you should feed adults at least 3 times a week, unless your talking about roaches, they supply more food than crickets.  thanks, i wasnt sure about the nymphs.


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## Takumaku (Nov 25, 2007)

If you are going to keep the adults together, I would keep food in there at all times.  Other than that, a single weekly feeding is more than enough.  You are also look at their butts.  If the butts aren't fat and plump, just feed them some more.  These guys are the OBT of the true bug world.  They can survive on extreme neglect.


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## tyrant963 (Nov 25, 2007)

my main fear, im hoping not to encounter is assassins eating eachother, im probably going to have 4 in a 10 gallon tank, i dont want them to rip each other apart.  and OBT??


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## ZoSoLp510 (Nov 26, 2007)

Hey tyrant...

Acro here on the boards may have some left. I just got a couple form him a few weeks ago... they're great, and Sean is an awesome guy to deal with.


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## tyrant963 (Nov 26, 2007)

he said he might be able to get me some when the next set of eggs hatch, i dont know yet, hope i can get some soon


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## ZoSoLp510 (Nov 26, 2007)

tyrant963 said:


> he said he might be able to get me some when the next set of eggs hatch, i dont know yet, hope i can get some soon


Ah ok... sorry I couldn't be more help. If I find anyone else I'll let ya know  though.


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## Takumaku (Nov 27, 2007)

tyrant963 said:


> my main fear, im hoping not to encounter is assassins eating eachother, im probably going to have 4 in a 10 gallon tank, i dont want them to rip each other apart.  and OBT??


OBT = 'orange bitey thing' (Usumbara Baboon tarantula), Pterinochilus murinus.  A very aggressive/psycotic tarantula that can survive on pure neglect.


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## Choobaine (Nov 28, 2007)

Don't worry too heavily about platymeris cannibalism, they aren't the biggest eating each other fanatics. If there's food they'll be good. Just keep those little tummies stoked.  Mine seem rather amiable, they all sit together, it's cute. They won't hesitate to eat as soon as their hungry!


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