# assassins on the hunt



## chuck (Oct 2, 2003)

WOW!  i just got my first pair, red spotted assassins, and they are awesome but ugly.  once they knew there were crix in the tank they were on the hunt.  they took hiding under the cork bark and when a crix walked by, it was like "night of the living dead", they just emerged from the ground and stalked the crix.  when they finally attacked they wrestled with them for a few.  and now looking at the remains, its nothing like a T or scorp's remains, theyre pretty much still intact but i guess hollowed out

heres a pic of when i first got them, sorry its not of the "hunt".  theres one on the left you can see, and then another on the left hiding behind the cork


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## Steven (Oct 2, 2003)

congrats,....
i keep assassins for about 4 years now,.... awsome little devils  

did you buy a breeding pair?


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## chuck (Oct 2, 2003)

i just got 2, not sure of their sex.  i wouldnt mind them mating if they were of the opposite sex.  how do you sex them anyways?


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## MacCleod (Oct 3, 2003)

The abdomen of the males has a rounded end (loos like a small bubble).
It's very good to see. The females don't have that bubble-thing


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## chuck (Oct 3, 2003)

> _Originally posted by MacCleod _
> *The abdomen of the males has a rounded end (loos like a small bubble).
> It's very good to see. The females don't have that bubble-thing  *


thanks, so looking at your avatar the assassin there is a female?


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## MacCleod (Oct 3, 2003)

Not sure about that.

You can only see it when you flip the assassin on it's back 

Also the female is a little wider then the male.


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## Steven (Oct 3, 2003)

> You can only see it when you flip the assassin on it's back


yep the only way to sex platymeris

correct info MacL. has given you there,.. i wonder were he'd got that info from   

PS: Hey, Gino ook terug wat meer actief hier op het Arachnoforum? ,....=D


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## Valael (Oct 3, 2003)

Are assassins cannibalistic at all?


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## MacCleod (Oct 3, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Valael _
> *Are assassins cannibalistic at all? *


No, they're not 
You can keep them in a pretty large group if you want.
They 'll live in peace together


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## Steven (Oct 3, 2003)

adult towards each other are in no way canibalistic,... or iff you don't give them food for a month i guess they will eventually do start on each other,....
sometimes little nimfs can be eaten by bigger nimfs,....
that's the only canibalistic thing i've ever noticed,... very social bugs are assassins in my opinion


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## MacCleod (Oct 3, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *yep the only way to sex platymeris
> 
> correct info MacL. has given you there,.. i wonder were he'd got that info from
> ...



Yeah, some weird guy I know told me how to sex them =D 

En ja, ik moet hier op tijd eens komen zien hé...hier valt wa meer te beleven dan op mijn forum


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## Steven (Oct 3, 2003)

merci hé  some weird guy,...=D ;P


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## chuck (Oct 5, 2003)

they can live together peacefully where there isnt any food, but they turn into rivals when 1 crix appears.  i was watching them eat again last night, i put 2 crix in but they were only aware of 1 of them.  they seemed to be sharing 1 crix for a while until one of the assassins tried to move, the other got angry.  they dropped the crix and started to i guess fight.  seemed like one of the assassins tried to stick the other with its mouth piece.  i put my tweezers in to split them up and then they finally each got their own crix.  and while they were running around i tried to sex them.  i didnt find any bubble below them, but then again im not sure what it looks like.


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## Steven (Oct 5, 2003)

but then again im not sure what it looks like

Hey,... i wish i could help you,... i've got a nice picture where the differnces are very clear,... only my scanner doesn't work at the moment.

You can ask MacCleod if he can scan this particular picture,.. cause i know he knows wich one i mean,....

@MacCleod
kunt ge da fotoke uit den TerraEncyclopdie van E.Bruins hier es posten,... is dieen jongen ook geholpen, ge weet wel waar die twee op spelden geprikt naast elkaar liggen,....

greetz
Steven


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## MacCleod (Oct 5, 2003)

Here it is 







The left one is the male...do you see the small bubble on the end of his abdomen ?


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## Steven (Oct 5, 2003)

that's the one =D


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## chuck (Oct 8, 2003)

i got a mating pair, when will they lay eggs, fertilize, hatch?


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## MacCleod (Oct 8, 2003)

Keep the substrate a little moist, and they 'll lay their eggs in it, or just on top of it.
Check ones in a week for eggs.
They 'll hatch after 1 or 2 months.

The eggs look like this: (_picture taken by Gongyles_)


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## Steven (Oct 8, 2003)

yep,... info correct by MacCL.

guess the eggs are about 1/10-1/12 of an inch,... is that correct geometrics ?


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## chuck (Oct 8, 2003)

how could i deter them from mating w/o seperating them?
does each egg contain one assassin?
how many eggs will they lay at once?

damn, i need that assassin book


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## MacCleod (Oct 8, 2003)

Each egg "should" contain one assassin, but not all eggs are fertilized.

If kept in good conditions, the assassins will lay a few eggs in a space of 24h.

Your first sentence I don't really understand :?


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## chuck (Oct 8, 2003)

> Your first sentence I don't really understand :?


is there any way i can keep them together and have them not mate?


how the hell will i be able to spot brown 2mm eggs on dirt?  i know there will be a few loose assassins in my room :? 

are they able to lay eggs whenever they want/need to?  or is there a mating period?

whats the name of a good book on these bugs?


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## MacCleod (Oct 8, 2003)

They 'll always mate if you keep them together 

There's no mating period.

But don't worry too much about the eggs, because not every egg will give you an extra assassin.

I breed the eggs in a seperate small box with 1/2" of substrate which I keep moist all the time.
The hatchlings I raise also in a seperate small tank, cause they need very small food, like dustcrix, dead flies, small (but dead) crix...

I don't know if there are any books about assassins.
I've got an encyclopedia about all kinds of exotic pets that you can keep in a tank (reptiles, amphibians, inverts), and in there is a caresheet about assassins, but it's in Dutch.


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## Wade (Oct 8, 2003)

Elytra and Antenna offer a nice little book on assasins and other true bugs:

www.angelfire.com/oh3elytraandantenna

Has anybody ever seen terratorial behavior between male assasins? I have two male Arilus cristatus who have been engaging in some sort of non-lethal combat. They only fight with their forelegs, not with thier rostrums.

Wade


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## Steven (Oct 8, 2003)

don't know how the behaviour of wheelbugs is,. but i never seen any of my platymeris attack eachother,... only some struggles if they have to share a cricket or so =D


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## ahkiu (Oct 12, 2003)

these guys are interesting ! 
never considered keeping them before, what are their life spans like?

anyone got any links to some basic husbandry for keeping assasin bugs?


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## MacCleod (Oct 12, 2003)

Good question about their life span! That's something I don't know too :?

Here are some heplfull links:

Assassin bugs caresheet 

Caresheet 2


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## Steven (Oct 12, 2003)

and don't forget this link:

nederlandstalige roofwantssite


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## MacCleod (Oct 12, 2003)

> _Originally posted by gongyles _
> *and don't forget this link:
> 
> nederlandstalige roofwantssite  *


Mja, daar gaan de meesten hier aanwezig weinig van begrijpen hé 

But it's a great site anyway


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## Steven (Oct 13, 2003)

lifespan of an adult assassin max 2 years as i remember :?


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## Spike (Oct 15, 2003)

How about from nyph to adult  how long do they live?


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## Steven (Oct 16, 2003)

it takes about 6months to grow from nimf to adult so their entire max. lifespan should be 30 months (don't know for sure though)


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## chuck (Nov 3, 2003)

is there a mating season when they only produce eggs?  i have a place for them to lay their eggs, a small cup with wet peat and i still have no eggs!!!!!


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## biznacho (Nov 3, 2003)

maybe all yours are the same sex?

These sound really interesting.  I'd love to get some but they are a bit on the expensive side here in the US.  That and I don't have anywhere to keep them, but that can be fixed with a quick trip to a Petco/PetSmart.

biznacho


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## chuck (Nov 9, 2003)

found 2 eggs =D 
going to go read up in my book to see what i should do
how many more should i expect?

im using a shallow dish with moist peat.  i set that into a deli container with many tiny holes on top.  and then put some more water on the bottom of the deli cup.  does that sound ok, or will mold attack the eggs?
whats a good temp?
and how long should i expect them to hatch?


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## MacCleod (Nov 10, 2003)

I put the eggs in a small box, with about 0,5" of moist peat in it. Keep it moist, not wet. You should keep the box warm, at about 25° C. That's all.

The eggs will hatch in about 1 month.

Once a week you should check the substrate of your tank, and remember, the eggs can be under the substrate too


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## chuck (Nov 10, 2003)

youre right, i found 3 more under the peat =D 

i see that some are a light brown and some are dark, that mean anything, (how long ago they were laid)?


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## MacCleod (Nov 10, 2003)

The difference in color is very normal.
You 'll notice that the eggs become "fatter" by the time.
Right before they hatch, the eggs turn reddish - brown.


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## chuck (Nov 10, 2003)

will they be larger than the egg when they hatch?
what can i feed the nymphs?


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## MacCleod (Nov 10, 2003)

Of course they are larger than the egg 

I feed them curl flies (or how do you name those in English). These flies can't fly, and the nymphs tackle them whithout any problem.
You can also feed them fruit flies or micro crickets.


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## chuck (Nov 10, 2003)

i hate feeding nymphs, hopefully my hissers will give birth soon.
i can get a hand on some scuttle flies.
will they eat a freshly killed cricket?


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## MacCleod (Nov 10, 2003)

> _Originally posted by chuck _
> *.......
> 
> will they eat a freshly killed cricket? *


Sure, but try a small one (as big as the nymph itself)

After 3 molts you can feed them bigger, dead crickets and small, live ones.


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## chuck (Nov 14, 2003)

if i keep the eggs in a kritter keeper and allow the nymphs to live in that, will they be small enought to crawl thru the slits?
update on the eggs - found another 3, a total of 8


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## MacCleod (Nov 15, 2003)

> _Originally posted by chuck _
> *if i keep the eggs in a kritter keeper and allow the nymphs to live in that, will they be small enought to crawl thru the slits?
> update on the eggs - found another 3, a total of 8 *


The nymphs are not able to climb on smooth surfaces, so they can't reach the lid.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Nov 15, 2003)

Whoa! Platymeris nymphs can and will walk up the sides of the cage and leave.


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## chuck (Nov 16, 2003)

who to believe?  the guy with an assassin as his avatar or the guy with assassin in his name? :?


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## MacCleod (Nov 16, 2003)

I keep my biguttatus nymphs in a glass tank, and I have never seen them walk the sides. Only the corners, because they have a good grip on the sillicone.

My "fresh from the egg" rhadamanthus nymphs are kept in a small plactic box with small holes in the side, and they can climb it using the holes as a grip.

But I'm talking about real smooth surfaces, IMO they are not able to climb it.

On the other side, the adults are very good at climbing smooth surfaces.


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## chuck (Nov 17, 2003)

im about to get a pair of white spotted assassins, anyone try to cross breed these?  what will happen, new colors, infertile young, kill eachother?


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## MacCleod (Nov 18, 2003)

> _Originally posted by chuck _
> *im about to get a pair of white spotted assassins, anyone try to cross breed these?  what will happen, new colors, infertile young, kill eachother? *


You can cross breed them, but it's not sure if they WILL breed.
But to get a "real" hybride (don't know if this is an English term :? ) you have to cross breed a lot of specimen...it's very complicated.

I wouldn't start with it it if I were you 
Just keep the red spotted and the white spotted seperated...that 'll do


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## chuck (Dec 4, 2003)

i know adults and young cannot be housed together, but can red and whites cohabbitate at the same size?


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## MacCleod (Dec 5, 2003)

I guess it won't be a problem, if you provide enough food, space and hiding places.


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## chuck (Dec 9, 2003)

i ordered a pair of 1" white assassins, and well theyre not white.  theyre yellow.  are these the mombos?


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## Steven (Dec 9, 2003)

> i ordered a pair of 1" white assassins, and well theyre not white. theyre yellow. are these the mombos?


do you mean yellow spots or yellow banded leggs?

-Platymeris B. have white spots and yellow banded legs
-Mombos have yellow spots and red banded legs
-Platymeris R. have all red


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## chuck (Dec 9, 2003)

no spots and yellow banded legs.  do only adults get the spots?


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## biznacho (Dec 9, 2003)

I think the adults get spots when they molt into adulthood.  I've no experience with these so I dont have any first hand accounts.

It's been nearly a months since you first posted finding eggs.  any hatched yet?  any look like they're about to?

biznacho


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## chuck (Dec 9, 2003)

thanks for reminding me, its been a month exactly, 11/09/03  theyre still there, all 12 of them.  keeping them at room temp - mid 70s, a misting every other day or so.  would the female drop eggs and then the male fertilizes them?


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## Steven (Dec 10, 2003)

> no spots and yellow banded legs. do only adults get the spots?


 correct !



> would the female drop eggs and then the male fertilizes them?


the eggs are allready fertilized when dropped,...
2months should be the maximum time for them to hatch.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Dec 10, 2003)

Even stranger, both the red spots and orange spots have red bands on the legs while there is a white morph of the orange spots with white bands on the legs but only on the nymphs.

On glass climbing: whoever you believe won't change the fact that the Platymeris have pulvulli structured in a way to allow them to climb glass.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Dec 10, 2003)

Also, you can't just change biguttata to biguttatus just because you want to. It was originally described as P. biguttata.
Why don't you change Pseudocreobotra to Pseudocreobroter?


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## chuck (Dec 13, 2003)

33 days for my first assassins to hatch.  i got 2 yellow / red little buggers trying to climb my deli cup.  would a hisser nymph be too much for them?  when will they be ready to eat?


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## wayne the pain (Dec 14, 2003)

*hey good work chuck* 
 and good luck with them


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## MacCleod (Dec 14, 2003)

Can you give an exact size of the little assassins ??


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## chuck (Dec 14, 2003)

hours old, id say something like 1/4 an inch

EDIT - also, should i seperate them from the unhatched eggs?


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## MacCleod (Dec 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by chuck _
> *hours old, id say something like 1/4 an inch
> 
> EDIT - also, should i seperate them from the unhatched eggs? *


Yep, I put my little buggers in a seperate plastic box.
I feed them dead flies, or you can also give them micro crix or small, dead crix.


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## chuck (Dec 14, 2003)

how about beheaded hisser nymphs? or cut up wax worms?

and they dont seem to be able to climb the plastic deli cup


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## MacCleod (Dec 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by chuck _
> how about beheaded hisser nymphs? or cut up wax worms?


Sure...you can try several things, and see yourself what they prefer 



> and they dont seem to be able to climb the plastic deli cup


Told ya


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## chuck (Dec 16, 2003)

first sign of canniblism, saw a little guy dragging around the newest hatched
crix exoskeloton seem to be too tough for them to penetrate


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## chuck (Dec 18, 2003)

starting to get pissed off.  they wont eat cut up crix, meal worms, hisser nymphs, or scuttle flies.  its fun to watch them chase their food but the scuttle flies are just too quick and can scale the walls.  please tell me what you guys feed your assassin nymphs


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## Navaros (Dec 18, 2003)

I used to feed mine tiny mealworms and crickets. I'm sure flightless fruit flies would be good too.


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## MacCleod (Dec 19, 2003)

Already tried "dead" scuttle flies ?

I feed mine dead regular flies (the big ones), and they like it a lot


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## Elytra and Antenna (Dec 19, 2003)

I say take the lid off the cage if there's no worry then. Lack of propensity isn't synonymous with lack of ability. (Don't worry they can survive for days in the house).

You're thinking too small on the food.


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## chuck (Dec 19, 2003)

these scuttle flies are the only thing they chase.
theres no way im allowing the flies out, maybe ill seperate the assassins into smaller containers so its easier to catch food


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## chuck (Dec 19, 2003)

how about a pinkie or fuzzie?


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## Navaros (Dec 20, 2003)

I really doubt it....I don't think african assassin bug species will eat vertebrates. It's possible though I guess. I think it's much more likely you would get blood feeding, parasitic species of assassins to eat them.


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## chuck (Dec 21, 2003)

last night i contemplated allowing them kill each other and allow the few strongest to survive.  but then i looked across the room and saw a short deli cup, my savior.  all i have to do is add some peat and the assassins will be able to reach the top w/o a problem


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