# Darkling beetle picture thread



## Smokehound714 (Aug 10, 2014)

Show off your tenebs!

 Coelocnemis californica -California broad-headed Darkling beetle






 Eleodes gracilis(?)  Male eleodes, unknown species.







 Eleodes osculans







 Phloeodes diabolicus







 "Foul! Reaching in!"






 Eleodes dentipes

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Lucanus95 (Aug 10, 2014)

Forked fungus beetle



















Been breeding these over the past 4 years or so

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## dementedlullaby (Aug 14, 2014)

My wife wanted to give super worm breeding a go. Just for the fun of it, doubt we'll ever have a proper supply to feed anything. She really loves these little beetles and I've become kinda attached to them as well. We have five of these little buggers. 

"Zophobas morio beetles"






When transferring to a new container today we noticed some larvae. One is a decent size (about meal worm sized thus far) but the others must be freshly hatched. They are teeny. Maybe 1-2mm tops. Success!

We also have one mealie beetle that must of came in with a cricket shipment and transformed in their enclosure. I call him Frank. Poor Frank lives a solitary life. Next time he surfaces out of the oats I'll snap a photo.


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 15, 2014)

Cryptoglossa _muricata_

 The ONLY darkling beetle I found all night in palm desert! The reason being I stupidly focused on the hills which were solid rock, and provided very little burrowing opportunities..  

  Oh well, at least I got something other than an eleodes, lol


----------



## ratluvr76 (Aug 17, 2014)

I've looked and can't seem to find a source to purchase Phloeodes diabolicus or the forked fungus beetles... 

is their care the same as regular mealworms and superworms? Are the larvae suitable to use as feeder insects? I'd like to have a mealworm farm but would like something a bit different in the way of adult appearance. lol.


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 19, 2014)

ratluvr76 said:


> I've looked and can't seem to find a source to purchase Phloeodes diabolicus or the forked fungus beetles...
> 
> is their care the same as regular mealworms and superworms? Are the larvae suitable to use as feeder insects? I'd like to have a mealworm farm but would like something a bit different in the way of adult appearance. lol.


Phloeodes is actually quite a large genus, Im sure there are hundreds of unnamed species, as they can be difficult to notice without a good eye.  Their habit of tucking their limbs in and playing dead for several minutes is very good camouflage, I have a very good eye, and I fail to see them until I decide to take another look later on, so obviously there could be many species that continue to go unknown.

  Anyway, to answer your question, they take a while to breed.  They require different care, moist coco fiber is required to breed them, they wont tolerate the same conditions as mealworms., they also can be quite picky, but thanks to trailblazr80, I know they love bananas and fruit. They definitely depend more on fruit than darkling beetles, Rhamnus, Prunus ilicifolia, and california blackberry are common in riparian habitat here in socal.  It's likely they feed heavily on these berries, they also have a fondness for polypore fungi and lichens!  (Btw i didnt know this until recently- ironclads aren't darkling beetles!  But they DO share ancestry with them.)

 I had brought home a few slabs of lichen-encrusted oak-bark, and my ironclads stripped them bare!  They also love dried out old mushrooms.  Basically, you want to emulate oak woodland habitat..  They seem to be repelled by fresh mushrooms, but devour old dry mushrooms with gusto.  Just keep the coco fiber from getting too dry, and without oversaturating it.

 I have been providing mine with overripe cherries and dry mushrooms, and my females have been disappearing under the slabs, so I'm sure there are some eggs under there

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## ratluvr76 (Aug 19, 2014)

I guess Socal is another spot on my "must visit" list. LOL go get me some beetles.. 

good information, thank you.


----------



## Dark Raptor (Aug 20, 2014)

My favourite beetle family. I especially adore _Diaperis boleti_. Here's the one I captured 3 years ago.






And my wife's object of study - _Alphitobius diaperinus_, "photographed" with SEM microscope.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 20, 2014)

Dark Raptor said:


> My favourite beetle family. I especially adore _Diaperis boleti_. Here's the one I captured 3 years ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


fantastic photos!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Dark Raptor (Aug 22, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> fantastic photos!


Thanks!

Here are two other, untypical Tenebrionidae beetles:

_Cteniopus sulphureus_






_Lagria hirta_






...and _Alphitobius diaperinus_, last instar larva.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Micrathena (Aug 22, 2014)

Dark Raptor said:


> My favourite beetle family. I especially adore _Diaperis boleti_. Here's the one I captured 3 years ago.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm no good with beetles, but is that one of the pleasing fungus beetles? I had one of those a while back, but I mistook it for a burying beetle. Unfortunately it died.
EDIT: I just took the time to look that up. I had a Megalodacne, it seems.


----------



## pannaking22 (Aug 22, 2014)

Micrathena said:


> I'm no good with beetles, but is that one of the pleasing fungus beetles? I had one of those a while back, but I mistook it for a burying beetle. Unfortunately it died.
> EDIT: I just took the time to look that up. I had a Megalodacne, it seems.


Yup it's a teneb. You can tell those two families apart by the "cheek bones" that only tenebs have, and erotylids have clubbed antennae, while tenebs tend not to have the clubs at the end. There are a lot of beetle families that look similar, so it can be a rough group to work with until you get some experience


----------



## Dark Raptor (Aug 26, 2014)

Another species from Poland...

_Uloma culinaris_ - female






_Uloma culinaris_ - male






_Platydema violaceum_






_Corticeus fasciatus_






_Corticeus_ cf _linearis_

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 26, 2014)

Dark Raptor said:


> Another species from Poland...
> 
> _Uloma culinaris_ - female
> 
> ...


great to see some cylindrical bark beetles 

 AWESOME photos, as usual!


----------



## Dark Raptor (Aug 26, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> great to see some cylindrical bark beetles
> 
> AWESOME photos, as usual!


Thanks 

Of course, there are also more "typical" species...

_Opatrum sabulosum_












_Bolitophagus reticulatus_






And very, very old photo of _Tenebrio opacus_. The rarest _Tenebrio _species in my area.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 27, 2014)

Phloeodes diabolicus feeding on greenshield lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata), a species of lichen common on oak bark.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Dark Raptor (Aug 28, 2014)

Cool looking pronotums and elytras. This is something I love in this family 

2 other species from my area.

_Blaps lethifera_, successfully kept and bred few years ago...













_Tribolium confusum_, common pest in food products.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 28, 2014)

^^--- Are those guys eating orange chicken? Haha


----------



## Dark Raptor (Sep 3, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> ^^--- Are those guys eating orange chicken? Haha


As I remember, it was chicken meat... you were really close 

Five more, unidentified, from Borneo.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## ratluvr76 (Sep 3, 2014)

That rainbow one is AMAZING!


----------



## Smokehound714 (Sep 9, 2014)

Asbolus laevis 'Smooth death-feigning beetle'..  ..Native to dunes of the southwest, closely related to the blue death-feigning beetles.

Eusattus dilatatus (top) -Endemic to the imperial sand dunes region





Edrotes ventricosus (bottom) 'Inflated darkling beetle' ..Native to sandy areas of the mojave desert, as well as a portion of the Sonoran.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Smokehound714 (Sep 11, 2014)

tried to get a better shot of the Eusattus


----------



## Smokehound714 (Sep 16, 2014)

"YEEEEE-HAAAW! GIT ALONG, LIL DOGIE!"







 Asidina confluens, a strange (even by tenebrionid standards) darkling beetle, pretty much another species of death-feigning beetle, also plays dead.   My guess is this genus is closely related to cryptoglossa..  They're strongly associated with paloverdes, and also have a powder blue coating.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Sep 17, 2014)

Awesome tenebs, everyone! I need to get my pics up here too...maybe later this week!


----------



## Smokehound714 (Sep 24, 2014)

my asidina is dead.  Didnt realize asbolus would bully it like that.  I woke up to 5 A. laevis all biting it, one edrotes was biting its face.

 So, if you get some asidina, dont put them with death-feigners :\  I guess they'd prefer being with eleodes.

  HOWEVER.. there is new life 

  I have no idea what these are.  i collected them by mistake.  they started hatching today.

  My guess- Asbolus laevis, but they seem a bit thin.. all the asbolus hatchlings ive seen were stubby and fat.  Would be sweet if they ended up being eusattus dilatatus   Each egg is about 2.5mm, the hatchlings are about 4mm.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Sep 24, 2014)

Sorry about your asidina  Congrats on the unknown larvae though!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Oct 5, 2014)

The problem of not knowing much about various species is when you have an enclosure full of multiple species, you dont know who's offspring are who :\

  I mean, I know ALOT about them, from countless hours of reading, and observing them in the wild, but yeah.. I'm just going with my gut here..

 I'm assuming this is a phloeodes larva, judging from the short fat body, and enormous mandibles, I had read years before their larvae have huge mandibles for boring into wood..





 And this one.. I dunno    because all my osculans, gracilis, and acuticaudus laid eggs (and continue to do so), im confused :\






  And I've stumbled upon a potential perfect staple food for death-feigning beetles- Roasted soybeans!  Full of protein and all the good stuff.  I felt they'd be a good substitute for paloverde and mesquite beans, which are a major portion of their diet in the wild, and should be very similar in nutrition.. They LOVE it!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## pannaking22 (Oct 6, 2014)

Good to know about the soybeans! I'll have to start offering those to my death feigners as well. I bet my roaches would take those down as well.


----------



## kellakk (Oct 6, 2014)

This is a Phloeodes larva: http://gallery.myff.org/gallery/735934/IMG_5037.JPG
Not my pic. I borrowed the pic from beetleforum.com.

My guess on the second larva is E. osculans, purely because they seem to be easiest to breed.  My colony only stopped producing larvae when it became overcrowded.  Also, I kept them mixed with other Eleodes, who haven't produced any larvae yet.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Oct 6, 2014)

kellakk said:


> This is a Phloeodes larva: http://gallery.myff.org/gallery/735934/IMG_5037.JPG
> Not my pic. I borrowed the pic from beetleforum.com.
> 
> My guess on the second larva is E. osculans, purely because they seem to be easiest to breed.  My colony only stopped producing larvae when it became overcrowded.  Also, I kept them mixed with other Eleodes, who haven't produced any larvae yet.


Thank you, that ruled out phloeodes- though now I know there are tons of ironclad larvae in there.. I initially assumed they were some kind of hitch-hiker I brought in.

  I did further searching, and those fat short ones ended up being coelocnemis.  I had a feeling the skinny ones were osculans, perhaps I'll isolate one of each in a cup so when they mature, I'll know who's who at a glance


----------



## Smokehound714 (Nov 5, 2014)

Stethasida muricatula, another strange member of the bizarre asidini tribe, this species is yet another wooly tenebrionid!  







  They tend to be small, 20mm seems to be their maximum length.  Still pretty neat, though.

  Next up- Coniontis, found a female and a male..  I'm hoping they successfully breed..  Common in sandy scrub here in socal.







   Some Psocids got into the tank and they're everywhere now!  However that's not a problem- they're the clean-up crew!  If you have a dry enclosure, consider culturing some barklice!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Mat (Feb 13, 2015)

This is Blaps gigas recently emerged from the pupa - just trying to get a culture of these started.







I'm UK based, if anyone has any interesting darkling larvae available I'd be interested in getting some new species.  Drop me a PM

Matt

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (May 5, 2015)

Great pics guys! Nice collection of tenebs you got there smokehound! The Coniontis sp should readily lay eggs in coconut fiber, if you have females of course. And the resulting larva pupate somewhat readily in small containers of moist compressed coconut fiber. 
P.S: If you happen to have any spare Stethasida muricatula, Asbolus laevis or any other unusual darklings, I would love to take some off your hands.


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 28, 2016)

After a long break from keeping Tenebrionids, I am back and have some really unusual darkling beetles in my collection!

Eusattus muricatus:

















 I am keeping mine in a medium sized container filled with sand and a little bit of coconut fiber. I have witnessed egg-laying and I have discovered a few eggs at the bottom of their enclosure! The eggs are very big for darkling beetle eggs, many times bigger than Eleodes eggs. Hopefully they will hatch soon, I have never seen any pictures of Eusattus larva on the web!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 29, 2016)

Coelus ciliatus:


















Another really cool darkling beetle, and in the same tribe as Eusattus. These guys are sand dune specialists, and require a sandy substrate. I am keeping them in a medium sized container filled with sand and a little bit of coconut fiber. These guys have a layer of dead leaves on top of the substrate, as well as the Eusattus muricatus. They really love dog food, like most of my darklings. Hopefully these guys will breed for me, I don't know if anyone has successfully managed to get these to reproduce in captivity.


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 29, 2016)

Eleodes sp:












Got a sexed pair along with my Coelus.

Eleodes caudiferus:












Caught this female along with my Eusattus muricatus. Hopefully she's gravid, I have yet to see any signs of oviposition...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tenevanica (Mar 29, 2016)

I'll have to take some more pictures later! These are the ones I have on my computer right now: (Spoiler alert. I only have one of _A. verrucosus._)

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 29, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> I'll have to take some more pictures later! These are the ones I have on my computer right now: (Spoiler alert. I only have one of _A. verrucosus._)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, get some pics of your Stenomorpha confluens, those are really cool looking! You got a nice collection of darkliing beetles, too bad most of them are extremely hard to breed!


----------



## Tenevanica (Mar 30, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Yeah, get some pics of your Stenomorpha confluens, those are really cool looking! You got a nice collection of darkliing beetles, too bad most of them are extremely hard to breed!


A little Tenebrionidae photo shoot? That sounds like a nice little weekend project for me because I just invested in a better camera. I'll get you guys some pictures, and I promise they'll be of nice quality. 

I'd keep more beetles if I could breed them! As I sink deeper into the invert hobby I find my interests gravitating more towards roaches and tarantulas, and I think it's because beetles are just too damn hard to rear over multiple generations. I still love darklings though, and when a dealer has some new tenebs available (usually bugsincyberspace) I will always pick some up. The antics of darkling beetles are just too entertaining to pass up!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 30, 2016)

Nice, I look forward to the pictures, and they better be nice quality, you've already promised! 

Tenebrionids are actually among the easiest of beetles to rear through multiple generations, for most species the only hard part is pupation, (which I'll admit, I haven't really mastered myself). The species you have however are notoriously hard to breed, expect for your E.suturalis, those should be easy to breed. I agree though, invertebrates with simpler life cycles, (like roaches and tarantulas), are much easier to breed through multiple generations.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 30, 2016)

Glad to see this thread still going! Might try to rear some of the tenebs in my area this summer if I get out and collect a bunch of species. If I get out enough I'll try to collect extras to ship off to you all too

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 30, 2016)

Cool, I wish you luck finding some cool stuff this summer! What kind of Tenebs do you usually see in your area?


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 30, 2016)

I haven't really sat down to ID any unfortunately, so I can't tell you much about the local diversity. From what I can find on Bug Guide though, I can say with some certainty that I've found: _Bolitotherus cornutus_, _Neomida bicornis_, _Platydema _sp., _Alaetrinus minimus_, _Neatus _sp., _Diaperis maculata_, _Alobates pennsylvanica_, and _Meracantha contracta_. Wow, I guess I've seen more than I thought lol.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 30, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> I haven't really sat down to ID any unfortunately, so I can't tell you much about the local diversity. From what I can find on Bug Guide though, I can say with some certainty that I've found: _Bolitotherus cornutus_, _Neomida bicornis_, _Platydema _sp., _Alaetrinus minimus_, _Neatus _sp., _Diaperis maculata_, _Alobates pennsylvanica_, and _Meracantha contracta_. Wow, I guess I've seen more than I thought lol.


Nice, I really love Alobates, so unusual for a darkling beetle to be carnivorous!  And Meracantha contracta are very cool too, from what I've heard they are tricky to breed though. I hope you can find some this year, not enough people are keeping darkling beetles!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 30, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Nice, I really love Alobates, so unusual for a darkling beetle to be carnivorous!  And Meracantha contracta are very cool too, from what I've heard they are tricky to breed though. I hope you can find some this year, not enough people are keeping darkling beetles!


I haven't ever kept them seriously since I have enough other inverts lol, but I might take a stab at a couple of the local species and see what happens. If nothing else I can keep another small communal enclosure like what I have now with my desert species. Planning on cleaning off a couple shelves this spring when I have the time to put together a nice FS list and go from there  Used to have some huge _Eleodes_ from Colorado, but I sold the lot of them a while back. I think I posted them up on Beetle Forum at some point to confirm ID's.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 30, 2016)

Huh, maybe I didn't post the pics for ID...weird. I know I still have them somewhere though, so I'll see if I can find them again.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 30, 2016)

Well once you have some room you should definitely consider keeping some of your local darklings,  I'm envious of some of the species you have around you. 

Yeah, we got some huge Eleodes obscurus here, I may try to catch some again this year, I never was successful in rearing any to adulthood, now I want to try again.

If you still got those pics I'd be happy to try and ID them for you, even though the beetles themselves are no longer in your possession.


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 30, 2016)

I'd be more than happy to send some out your way once I get a decent number  

I believe _E. obscurus_ was what I had the most of, but there were a couple other species mixed in too. And thanks, I appreciate it!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 30, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> I'd be more than happy to send some out your way once I get a decent number
> 
> I believe _E. obscurus_ was what I had the most of, but there were a couple other species mixed in too. And thanks, I appreciate it!


Hah thanks, hopefully _I'll _still have room by then, I have been aquring lots of inverts lately lol! 

E.obscurus are really cool, and the females can be so heavy! Like I said, if you ever dig up pics of the ones you can't identify I'd be happy to give it a try, identifying darklings is one of my favorite pastimes.


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 31, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Hah thanks, hopefully _I'll _still have room by then, I have been aquring lots of inverts lately lol!
> 
> E.obscurus are really cool, and the females can be so heavy! Like I said, if you ever dig up pics of the ones you can't identify I'd be happy to give it a try, identifying darklings is one of my favorite pastimes.


I've finally managed to slow myself down lol and the stuff I sell will help slim things down a bit. Anything I collect in the summer will hopefully get me a few extra bucks as well so I have a little more money rolling in. Seems like interest in native inverts has really been increasing, so hopefully I can help out the hobby a bit by dispersing some of the oddities I come across  Both live and dead of course because I love trading dead insects.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Mar 31, 2016)

And fingers crossed that I can find those pictures again tonight lol.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 31, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> I've finally managed to slow myself down lol and the stuff I sell will help slim things down a bit. Anything I collect in the summer will hopefully get me a few extra bucks as well so I have a little more money rolling in. Seems like interest in native inverts has really been increasing, so hopefully I can help out the hobby a bit by dispersing some of the oddities I come across  Both live and dead of course because I love trading dead insects.


Cool, oddities are my favorites!  Hopefully this summer will hold lots of successful bug hunts for all of us!

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Mar 31, 2016)

Embaphion muricatum larva:












Just got these yesterday, thanks again @Mastigoproctus! Can't wait until these mature, they are one of the most interesting darkling beetles out there!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Tenevanica (Apr 3, 2016)

I'm almost done with my Teneb photo shoot! The pictures aren't as good as I hoped they'd be, but they're better than my phone camera! I'll upload everything tonight.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 3, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> I'm almost done with my Teneb photo shoot! The pictures aren't as good as I hoped they'd be, but they're better than my phone camera! I'll upload everything tonight.


Ooooh, I look forward to seeing them!


----------



## Tenevanica (Apr 3, 2016)

And now, for my long awaited picture post...
These pictures aren't as good as I wanted them to be, but it's what I've got.
*Asbolus verrucosus *


*Eleodes saturalis (Best picture I could get!)*


*Unknown darkling (Hisserdude?)*


*Cryptoglossa variolosa *


*Asbolus laevis*


*Zopherus haldemani*


*Stenomorpha confluens (I couldn't get any pictures of my live specimen, but here is the pinned DOA I received when I ordered the other one.)*



Again, these aren't the best pictures considering my new camera, but I figure they're tolerable. Enjoy!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 3, 2016)

Nice, cool pics!  Oh, and that unidentifed darkling is an Eleodes armatus.


----------



## Jacob Ma (Apr 5, 2016)

This thread is really cool!  I have some temperate forest species of Tenebroids in my "compost bin" that eat the decaying wood and plant matter, but they are very hard to find in there.  How do most of you get your species?  I see some of them at bugsincyberspace, but do any of you guys wild-collect them?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 5, 2016)

Jacob Ma said:


> This thread is really cool!  I have some temperate forest species of Tenebroids in my "compost bin" that eat the decaying wood and plant matter, but they are very hard to find in there.  How do most of you get your species?  I see some of them at bugsincyberspace, but do any of you guys wild-collect them?


Almost all the species I have kept I have caught myself, Idaho has a really great diversity of Tenebrionids!  The only ones I have bought are my Tenebrio molitor, Zophobas morio, Embaphion muricatum, Coelus ciliatus and an Eleodes species.

What forest species are you talking about?


----------



## pannaking22 (Apr 6, 2016)

@Tenevanica how do _A. laevis_ compare to _A. verrucosus_? I've thought about picking up a few at some point but was on the fence because they really are just smooth _A. verrucosus_. And super jealous of your _Z. haldemani_! Absolutely gorgeous beetle.


----------



## Tenevanica (Apr 6, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> @Tenevanica how do _A. laevis_ compare to _A. verrucosus_? I've thought about picking up a few at some point but was on the fence because they really are just smooth _A. verrucosus_. And super jealous of your _Z. haldemani_! Absolutely gorgeous beetle.


They are just smooth _A. verrucosus. _They tend to be more of a royal blue than _A. verrucosus, _but other than that they're basically the same. Very pretty beetles either way. I didn't know _Z haldemani _was so rare when I bought it. Do you know if there is a captive stock of ironclad beetles, or are they all wild collected?


----------



## pannaking22 (Apr 6, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> They are just smooth _A. verrucosus. _They tend to be more of a royal blue than _A. verrucosus, _but other than that they're basically the same. Very pretty beetles either way. I didn't know _Z haldemani _was so rare when I bought it. Do you know if there is a captive stock of ironclad beetles, or are they all wild collected?


Good to know, thank you! Might have to get some then. I think pretty much all the _Zopherus_ are rare in the hobby. As far as I know, all ironclad beetles are WC because getting them to breed in captivity is pretty arduous. Getting them to oviposit requires lichens and fairly specific fungi I think, with rotting wood mixed in too, and the larvae take a long time to reach adulthood. @Smokehound714 would know more about breeding ironclads than I would I think.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 6, 2016)

Tenevanica said:


> They are just smooth _A. verrucosus. _They tend to be more of a royal blue than _A. verrucosus, _but other than that they're basically the same. Very pretty beetles either way. I didn't know _Z haldemani _was so rare when I bought it. Do you know if there is a captive stock of ironclad beetles, or are they all wild collected?


To my knowledge no one has successfully bred Ironclad beetles and raised them to adulthood, I assume a rotten log setup would be needed to stimulate oviposition.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 6, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> Good to know, thank you! Might have to get some then. I think pretty much all the _Zopherus_ are rare in the hobby. As far as I know, all ironclad beetles are WC because getting them to breed in captivity is pretty arduous. Getting them to oviposit requires lichens and fairly specific fungi I think, with rotting wood mixed in too, and the larvae take a long time to reach adulthood. @Smokehound714 would know more about breeding ironclads than I would I think.


You beat me to the punch by a minute, you and @Tenevenica teaming up on me or something?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22 (Apr 6, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> You beat me to the punch by a minute, you and @Tenevenica teaming up on me or something?


Lol, we do what we can  Just glad to hear that my info wasn't too far off lol.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 6, 2016)

pannaking22 said:


> Lol, we do what we can  Just glad to hear that my info wasn't too far off lol.


Your info was straight on, I believe this species is associated with cottonwood, and whatever fungus that grows on it. I hope someone can learn how to breed these guys, we need some captive bred ironclads in the hobby.


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 6, 2016)

Well my Eusattus seem to have all died, what a bummer.  All the eggs looked like they shriveled up too, despite being kept pretty moist. Don't know what I did wrong, seems these guys just don't do well in captivity.

Reactions: Optimistic 1


----------



## Smokehound714 (Apr 6, 2016)

Ironclad beetles require white rotted wood to develop as larvae.

 Some like hardwood, others like softwood

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## pannaking22 (Apr 7, 2016)

Hisserdude said:


> Well my Eusattus seem to have all died, what a bummer.  All the eggs looked like they shriveled up too, despite being kept pretty moist. Don't know what I did wrong, seems these guys just don't do well in captivity.


Ah that's a shame, sorry to hear it! 



Smokehound714 said:


> Ironclad beetles require white rotted wood to develop as larvae.
> 
> Some like hardwood, others like softwood


Thanks, Smokehound!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 7, 2016)

Well I may have exaggerated things a bit, turns out only two adults died, the rest seem to be just fine. I'm keeping the substrate more moist, hopefully they'll lay more eggs!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Apr 15, 2016)

Haha, yes! My Eusattus eggs have finally started hatching! Found a larva in the cage today, unfortunately it's too small for me to get a picture of but still, hooray!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Hisserdude (May 3, 2016)

Some more darkling pics I took today!

Eleodes caudiferus female:


















Eleodes hispilabris:
























Eusattus muricatus egg:

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (May 22, 2016)

My Embaphion muricatum have been doing very well, and one has even matured! @Mastigoproctus, how are yours doing?

Pre-pupa:






Pupa:
























This one looks like it'll mature soon:






Teneral adult:

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Aug 6, 2020)

Don't know why I stopped posting here, well anyways, here are some pics of species I used to keep, but never posted about here:

_Eleodes acuticauda_ CB adults:



















_Eleodes tribulus_ CB adults:













_Embaphion_ cf. _contusum_ CB adults:













_Eleodes osculans _CB adults:













_Embaphion muricatum_ CB adults:


----------



## Hisserdude (Aug 6, 2020)

_Coelocnemis dilaticollis_ (formerly _C.californica_):













_Coniontis_ sp. "CA" CB adult:













_Edrotes ventricosus_:













_Eusattus muricatus_ CB larva:


----------



## Hisserdude (Jun 16, 2021)

_Cryptoglossa muricata_, "Rough black death feigning beetles". I'm up to F2 with these guys, don't think anyone's ever gotten _Cryptoglossa_ to F2 before, except for maybe @Dean Rider.

F1 larva:



















F1 pupa:







F1 adult, first pics are of it's teneral stage, then we work our way up to it being fully darkened and hardened:











































Fully darkened now:













And now I've been finding small F2 larvae in the adult's bin!  I only have three CB F1 adults, so they are true F2 offspring. Sadly I found them a little late, and it seems they cannibalized significantly before I realized my adults had even started breeding... I've found 5 larvae so far.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Sep 27, 2022)

The holy trinity of Piedish Beetles!  

The OG Pie-dish Beetles, Embaphion muricatum:



















The Bruiser Pie-dish beetle, Embaphion c. contusum:



















And lastly, the newest addition to culture, Embaphion glabrum, the Smooth Piedish Beetle:

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## tarantulaguns (Dec 29, 2022)

Hisserdude said:


> The holy trinity of Piedish Beetles!
> 
> The OG Pie-dish Beetles, Embaphion muricatum:
> 
> ...


I absolutely adore the pie-dish beetles! Are they kept simular to A. Verrucosus, or do they thrive better in damper conditions?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hisserdude (Dec 30, 2022)

tarantulaguns said:


> I absolutely adore the pie-dish beetles! Are they kept simular to A. Verrucosus, or do they thrive better in damper conditions?


They do like about a third of their enclosure being kept humid, but so do Asbolus IMO (with A.verrucosus being the most moisture loving of them all).


----------



## tarantulaguns (Dec 31, 2022)

Hisserdude said:


> They do like about a third of their enclosure being kept humid, but so do Asbolus IMO (with A.verrucosus being the most moisture loving of them all).


Do you keep Asbolus on a sand and coco fiber mixture to achieve the humidity, then? Mine are currently on just sand, but I'm willing to make adjustments!


----------



## Hisserdude (Jan 3, 2023)

tarantulaguns said:


> Do you keep Asbolus on a sand and coco fiber mixture to achieve the humidity, then? Mine are currently on just sand, but I'm willing to make adjustments!


I keep mine just on sand.

Reactions: Thanks 1


----------

