Advice Request for Biolumincent Millipede

Pipp

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Does anyone know if they only glow when they're awake? I have 2 buried under the substrate that I can see through the tank wall, but they don't glow like the ones walking around do. I'm hoping they're not dead, but I don't want to disturb them to find out in case they're molting or something.
 

ErinM31

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Does anyone know if they only glow when they're awake? I have 2 buried under the substrate that I can see through the tank wall, but they don't glow like the ones walking around do. I'm hoping they're not dead, but I don't want to disturb them to find out in case they're molting or something.
I imagine they might only turn their glow on when at the surface and I would be surprised if they glowed while molting -- hopefully that is what yours are doing! I agree; don't disturb them. At least you can keep an eye on them through the tank wall. You'll know if they've died and only then should remove them. :(

Around what temperature or in what range are you keeping them at?

EDIT: It is possible that they may die after laying eggs -- some Polydesmids do. Hopefully yours are not dead but if they are, there is hope that it is not an entirely bad thing and you may have many more on the way -- especially since you observed mating! :)
 
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Hisserdude

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Got my three today, two females and a male, which is a pretty perfect sex ratio if you ask me. :)

Here are some pictures of them:








My male is currently curled up like this, I'm hoping he's just resting....






The cage:


BTW, for the substrate I am using a mix of crushed dead leaves, rotten cottonwood, fermented Traeger sawdust, and some rotten wood from an unknown tree sp. There is a layer of dead leaves on top of the substrate for the millipedes to hide under. The substrate is a few inches deep, hopefully they will reproduce for me and make some egg chambers! :D Will definitely keep you guys updated.
 

ErinM31

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Got my three today, two females and a male, which is a pretty perfect sex ratio if you ask me. :)
Agreed! Congratulations! :D Thank you for sharing your photos, video and set-up and keep us updated on how they do! :) That's about how mine move too, btw, now that they seem to have settled in, sort of an ambling exploration.

Newbie question: What does the "c.f." mean between the given genus and species?
 

Hisserdude

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Agreed! Congratulations! :D Thank you for sharing your photos and set-up and keep us updated on how they do! :)
Thanks! :) I'll be sure to let you know how they do, hopefully we all will have success with these amazing pedes! :D
 

Pipp

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Around what temperature or in what range are you keeping them at?

EDIT: It is possible that they may die after laying eggs -- some Polydesmids do. Hopefully yours are not dead but if they are, there is hope that it is not an entirely bad thing and you may have many more on the way -- especially since you observed mating! :)
Our house is around 76-80 through the day/night. We can't do any lower without skyrocketing the electric bill.

And that is sad about the dying after laying eggs :0 I do hope to get some babies! Will babies be ok in the hardwood chunk substrate as well? Or do they need something else?
 

Hisserdude

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Ah, well my camera seems completely incapable of getting pictures or videos of their luminescence, the camera screen, even in pitch darkness, gives off too much light, and so you can't see the millipedes glowing. :(

However, it is a sight to behold, even though the glow is fairly dim, it's still pretty amazing! :)
 

ErinM31

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Our house is around 76-80 through the day/night. We can't do any lower without skyrocketing the electric bill.

And that is sad about the dying after laying eggs :0 I do hope to get some babies! Will babies be ok in the hardwood chunk substrate as well? Or do they need something else?
According to the paper that @Metastasize posted, that should be alright. I hear you about AC and the electric bill! I tried to cool at least the main rooms of the apartment to the lower 70's but this was expensive and futile. A small wine cooler is only a little over $100 on Amazon.

I don't know that THIS species dies after egg-laying, only that some do, so don't despair if they have passed. The paper posted by @Metastasize suggested that the adults die in the summer, but that this was due to dry conditions. I don't think we really know their lifespan nor life cycle in captivity and that paper may well have been about a different species anyway.

So many unknowns! Well, that makes it both frustrating and exciting! :)
 

Elytra and Antenna

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Newbie question: What does the "c.f." mean between the given genus and species?
cf. means confer or compare and has been used when specimen identification is almost certain and the question lays in the taxonomy. It has shown up in the last few years in the hobby in place of "quotes" to denote an uncertain identification which might be close or might be totally unrelated.
 

Hisserdude

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So far my Motyxia show absolutely no inclination to burrow, is that normal? I feel like I should provide more things for them to hide under, maybe some bark pieces?
 

Chris52

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So far my Motyxia show absolutely no inclination to burrow, is that normal? I feel like I should provide more things for them to hide under, maybe some bark pieces?
That's interesting. I've never seen mine completely burrowed, but they do kind of half-burrow with their back end on the surface.
 

ErinM31

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That's interesting. I've never seen mine completely burrowed, but they do kind of half-burrow with their back end on the surface.
I've seen that a lot too!

So far my Motyxia show absolutely no inclination to burrow, is that normal? I feel like I should provide more things for them to hide under, maybe some bark pieces?
My substrate is coir and wood on one side and BIC millipede substrate on the other, with extra fermented oak mixed throughout and sphagnum moss on one side (which I keep the wettest). They seem to burrow mostly in or directly around it. They don't seem to burrow much if at all elsewhere. Maybe the crawl more through loose detris than actually burrowing into either wood or soil? I might add some more sphagnum moss since it seems a point of congregation; there are always a few millipedes there, although they frequently venture out and will hangout on top of the soil where they don't seem particularly anxious about being out of sight. It looked to me like you have plenty of leaves for them to hide under if they are so inclined.
 

Hisserdude

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That's interesting. I've never seen mine completely burrowed, but they do kind of half-burrow with their back end on the surface.
Well, hopefully mine not burrowing at all is not a sign of stress....

My substrate is coir and wood on one side and BIC millipede substrate on the other, with extra fermented oak mixed throughout and sphagnum moss on one side (which I keep the wettest). They seem to burrow mostly in or directly around it. They don't seem to burrow much if at all elsewhere. Maybe the crawl more through loose detris than actually burrowing into either wood or soil? I might add some more sphagnum moss since it seems a point of congregation; there are always a few millipedes there, although they frequently venture out and will hangout on top of the soil where they don't seem particularly anxious about being out of sight. It looked to me like you have plenty of leaves for them to hide under if they are so inclined.
Hmmm, well then, I'll definitely add some moss to the enclosure, and try to fluff up the top layer of the substrate as well. The male does hide under the leaves a lot, but the females seem to wander around more. Thanks for the advice!
 

Chris52

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Couple questions:

First, has anyone noticed a correlation between coloration and sex? I have not sexed mine, but I did notice that two are a pale orange, and one is darker. From the pics, it looks like Hisserdude has some color variation as well.

Second, where do you all get moss? I would love to have some in my enclosures, but I don't know of a good source.
 

Hisserdude

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Couple questions:

First, has anyone noticed a correlation between coloration and sex? I have not sexed mine, but I did notice that two are a pale orange, and one is darker. From the pics, it looks like Hisserdude has some color variation as well.

Second, where do you all get moss? I would love to have some in my enclosures, but I don't know of a good source.
Seems to be random color variation, one of my females is reddish while the other is more white.

Long fibred sphagnum moss, which is what most peole are talking about I assume, is available at most stores in the gardening section, by the potting soil. There is another type of moss that is actually green that @Mastigoproctus uses and ships his animals in, don't know exactly what it is though, would love to get some more.
 

ErinM31

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Well, hopefully mine not burrowing at all is not a sign of stress....
I don't think so, just because I think these millipedes are usually found wandering the surface. As long as they're just hanging out on the surface and not pacing the perimeter looking for escape routes, I think they're fine.

Hmmm, well then, I'll definitely add some moss to the enclosure, and try to fluff up the top layer of the substrate as well. The male does hide under the leaves a lot, but the females seem to wander around more. Thanks for the advice!
Yeah, we're all still learning. This is just a guess on my part based on how their native habitat was described and where mine do seem to burrow a bit more.

Couple questions:

First, has anyone noticed a correlation between coloration and sex? I have not sexed mine, but I did notice that two are a pale orange, and one is darker. From the pics, it looks like Hisserdude has some color variation as well.

Second, where do you all get moss? I would love to have some in my enclosures, but I don't know of a good source.
I haven't sexed mine as I wanted to minimize handling and potentially stressing them. I THINK that it's natural variation even as within Euryurus leachii, some individuals will be nearly black with orange whereas others are a pale almost peachy gray with orange.

I use sphagnum moss. Many pet stores have it and so does Amazon. Be sure to get one that isn't dyed (ones meant as pet products aren't but they do make them for floral arrangements)! I like the color of the ZooMed Forest Moss but the tan/cream-colored New Zealand moss works just as well. :)

In other news, the pine I got wasn't ponderosa but a mix of pines. Kaytee offered to refund me but I declined as it wasn't their fault but the dealer who advertised one product and sent me another. When I brought it to the dealers attention, they responded right away with an apology and full refund; they were in the process of switching manufacturers and hadn't updated the website. That's understandable and they gave me no hassle at all so I really can't complain although I am disappointed not to have some of their native mine. I might just ferment some of it anyway (the shipping cost more than the pine itself so they didn't want it sent back).
 

Hisserdude

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Well my male is down for the count, he was the weakest of the bunch and spent most of his time curled up looking sickly, so I can't say I wasn't expecting it. :( He never even tried to mate.

Hopefully my females have already been mated, and hopefully they'll lay some eggs for me. They really like hiding under the moss, and they will rest under the leaves from time to time. Still no signs of burrowing, but at least they seem content and are hiding, rather than pacing the enclosure constantly.
 

Hisserdude

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Well my male is down for the count, he was the weakest of the bunch and spent most of his time curled up looking sickly, so I can't say I wasn't expecting it. :( He never even tried to mate.

Hopefully my females have already been mated, and hopefully they'll lay some eggs for me. They really like hiding under the moss, and they will rest under the leaves from time to time. Still no signs of burrowing, but at least they seem content and are hiding, rather than pacing the enclosure constantly.
Would also like to note that it's almost been 12 since I found him dead, and his body still glows.
 

ErinM31

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Well my male is down for the count, he was the weakest of the bunch and spent most of his time curled up looking sickly, so I can't say I wasn't expecting it. :( He never even tried to mate.

Hopefully my females have already been mated, and hopefully they'll lay some eggs for me. They really like hiding under the moss, and they will rest under the leaves from time to time. Still no signs of burrowing, but at least they seem content and are hiding, rather than pacing the enclosure constantly.
I'm so sorry to hear that! :( The one that I had die was also a male. @Pipp were you able to determine the gender of the two of yours that died? It is possible that the males will die after mating and the females after laying eggs or some Polydesmids seem to have a short lifespan. It is good that the females no longer seem stressed and I do hope that they will lay eggs for you! I haven't observed any mating activity among mine. From what I can see, they hang out partially buried in or by the moss, often on top of one another, and occasionally go out for a stroll.
 
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