# Unusual insects ...part II



## Dark Raptor (Sep 24, 2014)

My old thread died, most images disappeared with huge help of image hosting service  This is the reason why I'll start a new thread, with images of different insects and other invertebrates (maybe few vertebrate macro shots will be also added here). I'll try to upload arachnids to this thread.

Most of the animals you will find here, where photographed be me or my wife (or both by us) in Poland or during our trips around Europe. There will be also pictures with more exotic species - our pets or inverts we have seen in Asia.

I'll upload pictures that were taken just a few days ago and these made a few years ago. During that time we changes our gear many times. From Nikon D70s, through D200, D300s to D700. The funniest thing is, that we use all of our cameras to this day (D70s mostly for IR photos). We also used many different lenses, and some are still being used: Nikkor Micro 105/2.8D, Nikkor Micro 60/2.8D, Nikkor Micro PC 85/2.8D, reversed Takumar 28/2.8 (Pentax mount), Takumar MC 50/4, Industar-61L/Z 50/2.8, microscope lenses ect. Extension tubes, speedlights, diffusers, pieces of aluminium foil or white paper (to bounce the light), CPL filters are our additional accessories.






1. _Cimbex_ sp. sawfly larva.






2. _Prionus coriarius_ (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)






3. Sciomyzidae fly.






4. _Tychius quinquepunctatus_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).






5. _Therea petiveriana_






6. _Hierodula membranacea_






7. Final molt of _Blaberus_ sp.






8. _Silpha _sp. (Coleoptera: Silphidae)






9. _Colydium elongatum_ (Coleoptera: Colydiidae)






10. _Lilioceris lilii_ (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

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## Spepper (Sep 24, 2014)

Gorgeous pictures! :clap:  I love the mantis one.  It was almost like it was saying, "Woah, dude, out of my face!  What part of 'personal space' don't you humans understand?" LOL  Great pictures.

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## pannaking22 (Sep 24, 2014)

Wow, awesome photos! Great pic of the _Prionus_!

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## Dark Raptor (Sep 25, 2014)

pannaking22 said:


> Wow, awesome photos! Great pic of the _Prionus_!


Thanks. This species is very common in my area.

5 more, mostly weevils...






11. _Blaberus _sp., right after the final molt.






12. _Curculio glandium_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).






13. _Melolontha melolontha_ (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae)






14. _Cionus tuberculosus_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)






15. _Strophosoma capitatum_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

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## Smokehound714 (Sep 25, 2014)

MAN you take awesome photos.

  anyways:






 ^ Robberfly, Efferia sp. Male






 ^ Male velvet ant.  genus/species unknown, but probably a dasymutilla.






 ^ Antlion.. Brachynemurus sp

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## Dark Raptor (Sep 29, 2014)

Nice specimens. I found Asilids in my area very often. Antlions are more difficult to find but velvet ants are really, really rare.






16. Unknown Asilidae






17. _Myrmeleon formicarius_






18. _Mutilla europaea_, female






19. _Phausius splendidula_ (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), female






20. Eyes of the syrphid fly






21. _Glomeris _cf. _pustulata_

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## Dark Raptor (Sep 30, 2014)

This time, mostly yellow animals...






22. _Polistes _sp.






23. _Calliteara pudibunda_






24. _Rhogogaster _cf _viridis_






25. _Porcellio scaber_ - isopod

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## Akai (Sep 30, 2014)

man i want a new camera.   gorgeous pics!  thanks for sharing!

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## Dark Raptor (Oct 1, 2014)

Thanks 



Akai said:


> man i want a new camera. (...)


I think the most important things are: good lens and the light. Just few weeks ago I took my first DSLR camera, Nikon D70s (10 years old, 6.3 Mpx CCD sensor) and much older, soviet lens Industar 50/2.8 with the cheapest M42 extension tubes. With huge help of two speedlights, I was able to take good shoots even without light metering in my camera. Few samples:






26. _Sympetrum sanguineum_, female.






27. _Catoptria pinella_






28. Tachinid fly






29. _Lagria _cf. _hirta _(Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)






30. Leafhopper larva

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## Akai (Oct 2, 2014)

Do you use a manfrotto rail or similar attachment on your tripod to get these sort of tight macro shots??  The quality is stunning.

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## Dark Raptor (Oct 2, 2014)

Akai said:


> Do you use a manfrotto rail or similar attachment on your tripod to get these sort of tight macro shots??  The quality is stunning.


Thanks 

No. 99% of my pictures were taken without any tripod. I've got Manfrotto 055xprob with 322RC2 tripod head. I'm using it only for shots with natural light and it is very rare situation (I do more landscape shots with this equipment).

D700 and D300s have big viewfinders so it is not so difficult to get eyes of the insect/spider in the DOF. It is much more difficult when reversed lenses are being used. There is so little light, that sometimes I need a bit of luck to take sharp, not "out of focus" shot.






31. _Curculio glandium_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) - this is a nice example how reversed wide-angle lens works. Picture taken with Takumar 28/2.8 on extension tubes. Beetle is only 10 mm long, image wasn't cropped.






32. _Spondylis buprestoides_ (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)






33.  Lasiocampidae moth






34. _Enallagma cyathigerum_






35. _Myrmeleon formicarius_ larva

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## Akai (Oct 2, 2014)

you have steady hands taking macros of insects out in the field without a tripod.  the best thing to happen to macro photography is digital cameras where you can take multiple shots of a subject and you can pick and choose the ones you like.  i honestly don't know how they did it the old days.  do you use a light ring on your macro lenses?

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## Dizzle (Oct 2, 2014)

Great photos! 
35. Myrmeleon formicarius larva 
Good job getting that one, the antlion larva are fascinating imo. I get a bunch making their pit-traps in the dry earth/sand near my shed every spring/summer.

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## Dark Raptor (Oct 2, 2014)

Thank you 



Akai said:


> you have steady hands taking macros of insects out in the field without a tripod.  the best thing to happen to macro photography is digital cameras where you can take multiple shots of a subject and you can pick and choose the ones you like.  i honestly don't know how they did it the old days.


Yes, I have the same feeling. Many years ago I tried to take macro shots with Nikon F65 and F2, but I was getting only 1-2 sharp shots out of 36.



Akai said:


> do you use a light ring on your macro lenses?


No. At the beginning (with D70s) I've been using only built-in flash with home-made diffuser (made of paper, aluminium foil ect.). Later, I bought SB-800 and used it as main source of light (D70s wasn't able to control this lamp in CLS mode). When I bought D200, I was able to use two lamps - built-in as "master" and SB-800 as "slave". Now I'm using two SB-910 lamps in "slave" mode. It makes my equipment heavy   

This is my field setup, when taking pictures in home, I don't use diffusers but bounce the light from white walls and ceiling

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## Dark Raptor (Oct 10, 2014)

36. _Cionus hortulanus_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)






37. _Lymantria dispar_, male.






38. Young Tettigonidae nymph in the mornin






39. _Liparus glabirostris_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)






40. _Deilephila elpenor_. This one was shot with my friend's Sony Alpha A700 and Soligor 100/3.5

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## Dark Raptor (Oct 30, 2014)

Five snapshots...






41. Solitary bee. Picture taken with Trioplan 100/2.8. I love this lens for fantastic bokeh.






42. _Phausis splendidula_ (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), mating.






43. Female of earwig (_Forficula _sp.) protecting her eggs.






44. _Anoplius _cf _viaticus _vs _Trochosa _sp. wolf spider.






45. First vertebrate in this thread... but really, really small. _Rana arvalis_ - moor frog hiding in the moss.

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## Dark Raptor (Nov 13, 2014)

46. _Hylobius abietis_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).






47. _Cybister lateralimarginalis_ (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)






48. _Phyllobius_ sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)






49. _Tabanus _sp. (Diptera: Tabanidae)






50. _Rhagium mordax_ (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

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## pannaking22 (Nov 14, 2014)

Great pics! I love the cerambycid in flight. Out of curiosity, have you gotten any pictures of buprestids?

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## Dark Raptor (Nov 14, 2014)

pannaking22 said:


> Great pics! I love the cerambycid in flight. Out of curiosity, have you gotten any pictures of buprestids?


Thanks.
This family is not very common in my area. I've got only a few shots with more popular species.






51. _Agrilus _sp.






52. _Agrilus _sp.






53. Probably larva of _Chalcophora mariana_






54. _Anthaxia _sp.






55. _Trachys minuta_

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## pannaking22 (Nov 15, 2014)

Beautiful, those Agrilus pictures look great. Definitely the most diverse genus! I'm guessing you're IDing the larva as Chalcophora based on size?

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## Dark Raptor (Nov 17, 2014)

pannaking22 said:


> Beautiful, those Agrilus pictures look great. Definitely the most diverse genus! I'm guessing you're IDing the larva as Chalcophora based on size?


Thanks.
Yes, mostly on size and habitat. It is the largest species in that _Pinus sylvestris / Picea abies_ forest.

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## pannaking22 (Nov 17, 2014)

Ah that makes sense.


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## Smokehound714 (Nov 20, 2014)

Ceuthophilus californianus- California camel cricket.   

  My only encounters with camel crickets was with smaller species, these get pretty big, the specimen pictured is a juvenile female.







  Posted this in another thread- Ophryastes argentatus, a large snout beetle, found in the sonoran and mojave desert.

  Hyles lineata mature larva:







  been encouraging mexican evening primrose to grow, to encourage this striking species to establish..  Fortunately they're by no means a true pest, as their host plants grow almost as quickly as they do.







  Stenopelmatus nigrocapitatus







  Stenopelmatus sp 'Mahogany'







  poecilanthrax arethusa, a VERY difficult species to photograph.  I got extremely lucky with this shot, which came out very nice.







   Male Hoplosphyrum boreale, scaly cricket species..  I plan on culturing these, as they mature at a small size, and are significantly less cannibalistic.

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## Dark Raptor (Nov 21, 2014)

This _Stenopelmatus _looks really cool : I found something, a bit similar, in Sabah, Borneo.






51. Large orthopteran from Kinabalu National Park.






52. _Amphiacusta _sp. from central America






53. _Sitona griseus_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), one of my favourite weevils.






54. _Sphinx pinastri_. There are only 20 species of hawk moths in Poland. This one is probably the most common.






55. _Bombylius _sp. bee-fly.

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## Mike41793 (Nov 22, 2014)

Wicked thread

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## Dark Raptor (Dec 3, 2014)

This time... mantids 







56. Unknown mantis from Borneo.






57. _Ameles _sp., from Crete island.






58. _Sphodromantis _sp.






59. _Hierodula membranacea_ vs _Pholidoptera grisea_






60. _Creobroter gemmatus_


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## -Sarah- (Dec 9, 2014)

Dark Raptor,

Man. Your stuff is awesome. I've been a photographer for many years and thoroughly have enjoyed this thread!! It's very refreshing to see someone with your level of talent. I've been away from AB for a few years so I've missed a lot. Glad to see such detail and character!

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## Dark Raptor (Dec 12, 2014)

:biggrin: Thanks. In the last years, I've started taking more landscape and wildlife shots than macros. But still, it is my favourite style of photography 






61. _Duliticola_ sp.






62. Eye of _Aeshna mixta_ dragonfly. Taken with reversed Takumar 28/2.8 and extension tubes.






63. _Andrena _cf _fulva _solitary bee.






64. Wanna get some? - _Ameles _sp. from Bulgaria.






65. _Vespa crabro_, european hornet.

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## kjm (Dec 12, 2014)

I'm just mesmerized by the talented photographers in this forum and particularly this thread. Job well done and thank you for showing us. :yes:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## numbat1000 (Dec 14, 2014)

Where did you find that gorgeous Duliticola?  I have always been mesmerized by trilobite beetles, I wish I could find some for sale...


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## Dark Raptor (Dec 16, 2014)

Thank you 



numbat1000 said:


> Where did you find that gorgeous Duliticola?  I have always been mesmerized by trilobite beetles, I wish I could find some for sale...


Near Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Borneo. I tried to keep them, but they survived only 6-8 months. In most species, males are unknown. Still, scientists are not sure what is the food source of these beetles (they probably feed on fungi, protozoans and bacteria from the decaying wood). My specimens were also parasited by entomopathogenic nematodes... so I think it is a bit difficult to have them for a longer time.






66. _Chrysopa _sp.






67. _Myrmica _sp. These tiny ants are really nasty.






68. _Ochlodes _sp.






69. _Ibycus rachelae_, long-tailed slug aka "ninja slug" from Borneo. Species discovered in 2008.






70. _Trachycephalus resinifictrix_. Ok, not an insect... but another tiny amphibian

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## numbat1000 (Dec 19, 2014)

Thanks!  I have always had a soft spot for those guys.  Were they very common there?  What did you feed them when they were in your care?

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## Gail (Jan 6, 2015)

Fantastic photos - my fav is the 14. Cionus tuberculosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) - very cool "fur" and legs!

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## Dark Raptor (Jan 7, 2015)

Thanks!



numbat1000 said:


> Thanks!  I have always had a soft spot for those guys.  Were they very common there?  What did you feed them when they were in your care?


Yes, everyday I was able to find 10-15 specimens near or under the dead tree logs. They move really slowly, so it was very easy to capture them. I was also able to record short movie with one, adult female:

[YOUTUBE]W0uLQiYpDLU[/YOUTUBE]

I used wood, in the last stage of decay (deciduous trees - mostly _Betula_, _Quercus _and _Malus_). They probably fed on fungi and bacteria.

Here are another five:






71. Louse fly (Diptera: Hippoboscidae).






72. _Rhagium mordax_ (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).






73. _Sphodromantis _sp.






74. 2mm long rove beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) feeding on hymenophore.






75. _Formica rufa/polyctena_ hunting Trochosa sp. wolf spider.


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## numbat1000 (Jan 7, 2015)

Wow!  10-15 of them everyday!  And I thought they were rare! How long were the biggest ones you saw?


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## Dark Raptor (Jan 9, 2015)

numbat1000 said:


> Wow!  10-15 of them everyday!  And I thought they were rare! How long were the biggest ones you saw?


Yup, I was also amazed. But maybe I was lucky and I found specific place in Kinabalu National Park.
The largest specimens were about 80-90mm.


...and 5 more.






76. _Chrysis _cf _ignita_.






77. _Rhynchites auratus_ (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae).






78. _Tychius quinquepunctatus_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).






79.  _Protaetia (Liocola) marmorata marmorata_ (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).






80. And first mammal... but feeding on insect  - _Vespertilio murinus_.

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## numbat1000 (Jan 28, 2015)

Beautiful pictures, as always  
I love that Chrysis though, they look so stunning close up!


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## Dark Raptor (May 27, 2015)

I'm testing my new "set-up" for shadwoless macro photography...






81. _Valgus hemipterus_ (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)






82. _Meloe _sp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae)






83. _Cetonia aurata_ (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)






84. _Melolontha melolontha _(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)






85. _Byrrhus pilula_ (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae)






86._ Cytilus sericeus_ (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae)

...and three spiders, as bonus 





87. _Evarcha falcata_ (Araneae: Salticidae)






88. _Tegenaria _cf _sylvestris/ferruginea_






89. _Avicularia diversipes_ - adult male.

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## Smokehound714 (Jun 5, 2015)

Daihinibaenetes, a genus of large camel crickets, known as 'Sand-treaders'.  Much larger than the algodones sand treaders which inhabit the same region.

   Unlike the more familiar ceuthophilus, of which are peaceful and gregarious, Daihinibaenetes are aggressive predatory omnivores that seem to have a special fondness for macrobaenetes as prey.

  They behave somewhat like a mix of stenopelmatus (jerusalem crickets) and ceuthophilus, building a complex network of tunnels in hummocks (mounds of stabilized sand that collect around vegetation in dunes), and like other ceuthophilinae, are intensely photophobic and sensitive to sound.  







  I love how pallid she is, like an ivory carving brought to life     I also currently have 50+ viable eggs from her, as well!

  EDIT:  just lost around 30 of 'em.  I had incorrectly assumed they stay in a dry diapause state until the monsoon, but they don't.  they're likely laid amongst roots of creosote and other desert plants, using the humidity to stay alive until the monsoonal moisture arrives and soaks them.  The other eggs I have are all being kept moist and are obviously developing.

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## Biollantefan54 (Jun 5, 2015)

I thought this was interesting


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## pannaking22 (Jun 5, 2015)

Biollantefan54 said:


> I thought this was interesting
> View attachment 137121


Looks like a _Euthyrhynchus floridanus_ nymph

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## Biollantefan54 (Jun 5, 2015)

pannaking22 said:


> Looks like a _Euthyrhynchus floridanus_ nymph


That looks like it! Thank you 
First I have seen of one!


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 6, 2015)

^^-- Daihinibaenetes scale shot.. I cant wait to see how big males get!  Male ceuthophilinae grow much larger than females.






 ^^-- Macrobaenetes algodonensis 'Algodones dunes sand treader'  Female






 ^^-- Macrobaenetes group-shot.  Males grow larger and have strange bowed tibia.

 If you compare Macrobaenetes with daihinibaenetes, you'll notice that the tibial spines on the forelegs are oriented differently.  In Macrobaenetes, these spines project outwards, laterally, to aid in walking on unstable sand.  In daihinibaenetes, the spines face inward, allowing them to skewer their prey as they pounce.  






 ^^-- Cysteodemus armatus, the "spider", or "inflated" blister beetle.  It's a shame they're virtually impossible to breed, all they need are soft fruit and hibiscus flowers.  (they'll eat any malvaecaea)


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## Hisserdude (Jun 6, 2015)

Those Daihinibaenetes and Macrobaenetes are amazing!  Are they common around you?


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 7, 2015)

No, they are both endemic to the imperial sand dunes area.  I live in anaheim, 200+ miles away.


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## Hisserdude (Jun 7, 2015)

Ahh, OK. Hope you are successful breeding them!


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## Hisserdude (Jun 7, 2015)

Here are some Ceuthophilus cf. agassizii that I have been breeding. They are not really cannibalistic, but the males are always biting each others back legs off, which is annoying. 

Female:






Male:

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## Smokehound714 (Jun 8, 2015)

I was breeding ceuthophilus back in winter.

 C. californianus adult male:



















 One of his offspring:

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## windscorpions1 (Jun 8, 2015)

Smokehound714 said:


> I was breeding ceuthophilus back in winter.
> 
> C. californianus adult male:
> 
> ...


gonna assume these are from the same family as Jerusalem crickets?


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## Hisserdude (Jun 8, 2015)

@Smokehound714: Cool! Are you still breeding them now?



windscorpions1 said:


> gonna assume these are from the same family as Jerusalem crickets?


Same Infraorder, different families. http://bugguide.net/node/view/595687/bgpage

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## Smokehound714 (Jun 8, 2015)

Ive already sold all my specimens.

 Ill likely have to wait til fall/winter to find more.


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## windscorpions1 (Jun 8, 2015)

Hisserdude said:


> @Smokehound714: Cool! Are you still breeding them now?
> 
> 
> 
> Same Infraorder, different families. http://bugguide.net/node/view/595687/bgpage


Thanks ill have to look up on these a bit.


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## Hisserdude (Jun 8, 2015)

Smokehound714 said:


> Ive already sold all my specimens.
> 
> Ill likely have to wait til fall/winter to find more.


Ah ok, hope you can find more once fall arrives! 



windscorpions1 said:


> Thanks ill have to look up on these a bit.


You definitely should, cave crickets are usually easy to keep, and make cool pets! Unfortunately most species aren't predatory, though that makes them easier to keep I guess.


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 9, 2015)

I like the fact that they're not predatory, makes them easier to rear


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## Hisserdude (Jun 9, 2015)

Yeah, although you gotta admit, feeding something predatory is a bit funner to watch than feeding a scavenger/herbivore!


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 9, 2015)

Indeed.  She's pretty vicious. She'll actually chase my hand and bite me if I'm not careful. I dont like the idea of 30+ nymphs in separate enclosures, but oh well..  I probably wont have a chance to obtain these again for quite some time, so I'm making it count.


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## Hisserdude (Jun 9, 2015)

Man I wish I had some of those!  Wonder how you're supposed to breed them... anyway, when your eggs do hatch you should put all the little containers in a big one, to make things a little easier to move around. You could also maybe get one of those craft boxes with all the compartments, though I'm sure they would jump out real easily then. P.S: if you find yourself with excess of these, I'd love to take a few off your hands.


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## Dark Raptor (Jun 10, 2015)

Smokehound714 said:


> ^^-- Cysteodemus armatus, the "spider", or "inflated" blister beetle.  It's a shame they're virtually impossible to breed, all they need are soft fruit and hibiscus flowers.  (they'll eat any malvaecaea)


This one is really cool 
It is also really hard to breed european species. Larvae of Meloe are bee and bumblebee parasites.

I was taking some pictures last days...






90. _Staphylinus erythropterus_ (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)






91. _Mutilla europaea_ (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)






92. Unknown click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae)






93. _Centrotus cornutus_ (Hemiptera: Membracidae)






94. Unknown click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae)






95. _Hylobius abietis_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)






96. _Liparus glabrirostris_ (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

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## Smokehound714 (Jun 10, 2015)

Hisserdude said:


> Man I wish I had some of those!  Wonder how you're supposed to breed them... anyway, when your eggs do hatch you should put all the little containers in a big one, to make things a little easier to move around. You could also maybe get one of those craft boxes with all the compartments, though I'm sure they would jump out real easily then. P.S: if you find yourself with excess of these, I'd love to take a few off your hands.


They actually have an interesting reproductive strategy, The females, when ready to mate, will form small 'leks' on a hummock, and they'll wait for a suitable male to court them.  If he's successful and they like his drumming, they'll accept him and he'll take control of his 'harem' for a short period, mating and ensuring other males dont mate with them.  I'm unsure if females naturally tolerate each other, or if instinct just tells them not to kill each other during the breeding season, information about this genus is extremely lacking.

   In fact, there are only three species of daihinibaenetes listed..  and one of them, D giganteus, likely doesn't belong in this genus, as they possess sand-baskets, and males have strongly bowed tibia on their third pair of legs- something Daihinibaenetes lackes entirely!  So D giganteus is probably either ammobaenetes, or macrobaenetes.


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## Hisserdude (Jun 10, 2015)

That's very interesting, I had no idea they had such a complex breeding ritual!


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