2 amblypygid questions

[Edan bandoot]

Question one: What are the natural diets of our common hobby amblys? I've heard there are some Charinus Sp that almost solely prey upon isopods in nature, is this ( or similar) true for any of our commonly kept sp?


Question two: Have people figured out how to keep E.amanica alive consistantly yet? I've also heard that these guys were a pain in the ass to keep alive.


ramblings:
I really can't find any videos of amblypygi in the wild, it would be interesting to see the natural microclimates that they thrive in.

I imagine they're not all as strictly arboreal as how we keep them in the hobby, and the species that aren't would probably prefer different diets.

The idea that we keep Charon, Phrynus and Damon similarly in the hobby seems weird to me.

 

[Scourge]

Not too sure about the overall diet in the wild, but I've observed them eating flying insects. In captivity I've raised Charinus on a diet primarily consisting of springtails & isopods, supplementing occasionally with fruit flys or lobster roaches.

I've also kept and bred E. amanica - they are not at all difficult to keep. I kept them in plastic storage boxes, stood upright for plenty of height. Cork flats were siliconed to the back, sides & roof, with a large cork half-tube diagonally across the tub and coir substrate at the bottom. Ventilated in the front (the removable conatiner lid) and kept semi moist. When pairing I left the male and female together for sometimes months at a time. As long as the female is receptive when you put them together (if she's not she will show aggression and chase the male away) I have found them to be very peaceful to keep in pairs. Although I haven't left them together during moult periods.

 

[Scourge]

Also, I think some species have been reported to be non-arboreal in the wild e.g. Sarax, Charinus, Catageus...

 

[Joey Spijkers]

In Costa Rica I found many Phrynus sp. All of them were found on vertical surfaces. I imagine it differs per species, but this is the norm for most.

 

[Edan bandoot]

Also, I think some species have been reported to be non-arboreal in the wild e.g. Sarax, Charinus, Catageus...

Do you keep your smaller sp in leaf litter or just on substrate?

 

[Edan bandoot]

In Costa Rica I found many Phrynus sp. All of them were found on vertical surfaces. I imagine it differs per species, but this is the norm for most.

Phrynus was the only one I was able to find footage of in the wild and it seemed to line up with what you're saying.

I've also heard talk about coastal dwelling phyrnus, cave dwelling and rock crevice dwelling phyrnus.

 

[Scourge]

I keep Charinus in small containers with substrate and leaf litter - they mostly hang out on the undersides of the leaves.
All the Phrynus, Paraphrynus, Heterophrynus I've seen in situ were all arboreal, same with some medium and large cave dwelling species I've seen in Malaysia and Borneo

 

[Edan bandoot]

I keep Charinus in small containers with substrate and leaf litter - they mostly hang out on the undersides of the leaves.
All the Phrynus, Paraphrynus, Heterophrynus I've seen in situ were all arboreal, same with some medium and large cave dwelling species I've seen in Malaysia and Borneo

any extra insight on how the cave dwellers eat and live?

do you know if the arizona amblypygi sp are arboreal? I would think that they would live on cliffside/rocks in the desert.

 

[Scourge]

Didn't see any of the cave dwellers eat. Mostly saw them hanging around on the walls or ceilings - even quite low to the ground, but never on the ground.

 

[mantisfan101]

My damon medius seem to eat runners, crickets, and oxyhaloa deusta, and my diadema seem to hate red runners but absolutely love baby parcoblatta fulvescens, and will take crickets if needed, and I was told by a friend that hers seemed to prefer isopods. All of my phrynus and paraphrynus take down red runners, while my baby barbadensis take down baby little kenyan roaches, lobster roach nymphs, and parcoblatta fulvescens nymphs. My damon medius are pretty stationary and stay on their cork board hides in one spot, whole my diadema whiplings are a little bit more active. My phrynus sp Nicaragua, barbadensis, and marginemaculatus are pretty stationary as well, although my paraphrynus cubensis female is a bit of a wanderer.

 

[Edan bandoot]

My damon medius seem to eat runners, crickets, and oxyhaloa deusta, and my diadema seem to hate red runners but absolutely love baby parcoblatta fulvescens, and will take crickets if needed, and I was told by a friend that hers seemed to prefer isopods. All of my phrynus and paraphrynus take down red runners, while my baby barbadensis take down baby little kenyan roaches, lobster roach nymphs, and parcoblatta fulvescens nymphs. My damon medius are pretty stationary and stay on their cork board hides in one spot, whole my diadema whiplings are a little bit more active. My phrynus sp Nicaragua, barbadensis, and marginemaculatus are pretty stationary as well, although my paraphrynus cubensis female is a bit of a wanderer.

my diadema is pretty stationary when given somewhere dark to sit, i havent tried the isopods yet though.

have you tried any other non cricket/roach feeders?

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

I've seen both Phrynus marginemaculatus and Paraphrynus carolynae in the wild.

P. carolynae are supposed to live mostly on rock faces. The ones I saw at night were crawling on the stucco walls of a building, while during the day I found a couple hiding in an irrigation box.

I found P. marginemaculatus hiding under logs in a coastal area with sandy soil. Their hiding places were far from arboreal, they were among rotting bark practically in the dirt. I bet they also live in more vertical microhabitats like hollow trees though, and probably make use of vertical space like the sides of the logs when out hunting. I've read that limestone rocks are also a place they like to hide, but the environment I found them in had few rocks.

 

[Edan bandoot]

I've seen both Phrynus marginemaculatus and Paraphrynus carolynae in the wild.

P. carolynae are supposed to live mostly on rock faces. The ones I saw at night were crawling on the stucco walls of a building, while during the day I found a couple hiding in an irrigation box.

I found P. marginemaculatus hiding under logs in a coastal area with sandy soil. Their hiding places were far from arboreal, they were among rotting bark practically in the dirt. I bet they also live in more vertical microhabitats like hollow trees though, and probably make use of vertical space like the sides of the logs when out hunting. I've read that limestone rocks are also a place they like to hide, but the environment I found them in had few rocks.

i assumed this of the american desert dwellers, appreciate the confirmation.

 

[spiderlover123]

Not too sure about the overall diet in the wild, but I've observed them eating flying insects. In captivity I've raised Charinus on a diet primarily consisting of springtails & isopods, supplementing occasionally with fruit flys or lobster roaches.

I've also kept and bred E. amanica - they are not at all difficult to keep. I kept them in plastic storage boxes, stood upright for plenty of height. Cork flats were siliconed to the back, sides & roof, with a large cork half-tube diagonally across the tub and coir substrate at the bottom. Ventilated in the front (the removable conatiner lid) and kept semi moist. When pairing I left the male and female together for sometimes months at a time. As long as the female is receptive when you put them together (if she's not she will show aggression and chase the male away) I have found them to be very peaceful to keep in pairs. Although I haven't left them together during moult periods.

Nice! Do you have any on you right now?

 

[Scourge]

Nice! Do you have any on you right now?

No My last pair died last year, just after the female spilled some freshly extruded eggs when I moved her tub (couldn't see her so I didn't know until I moved it)

 

[spiderlover123]

No My last pair died last year, just after the female spilled some freshly extruded eggs when I moved her tub (couldn't see her so I didn't know until I moved it)

Gosh darnit. Well the search continues! Thank you for the information regardless!