colloseus vs. tesselata

[Kimix]

I want to pick up a new species of roach and I'm deciding between Peppered Roach (Archimandrita tesselata) and Colossal Cockroach (Blaberus colloseus)

Info seems to be scarce so I have a few questions for both of these

1) Are they burrowing roaches (ie require dirt to dig, or can they be kept on just egg crates)

2) Does the egg sac hatch internally, or do they lay a detached oothica

3) Confirm these are both safe to use as feeders

4) Just any comments you have on either one

Thanx!

 

[Matt K]

First, go to www.roachforum.com

Then-

1) "Are they burrowing roaches (ie require dirt to dig, or can they be kept on just egg crates)" - They take advantage of the caging that you supply either way. In nature they are found clinging to vertical surfaces in dim or dark areas. B. colloseus is more often in hollow rotten logs or small caves and crevices, on the lee side of large rocks, etc. A. tesselata I have only know to occur just within the openings of hollow trees or in-between the folds of tree buttresses within a foot to three from the ground, but at night they will go up the tree quite high. So to answer your question use 2 inches of substrate and egg crates leaning up at a slant.

By contrast nymphs (juveniles) of either one REALLY prefer to burrow just below the surface of the substrate you choose. In captivity you will find either one as an adult burrowing in loose substrate and/or clinging to a vertical surface.

2) "Does the egg sac hatch internally, or do they lay a detached oothica".
In both, they form an ootheca which is a case, not a sac, that is held internally and then the young are birthed live.


3) "Confirm these are both safe to use as feeders" - any roach species in safe to use as feeders, though there is one that nothing seems to want to eat (Ornate Velvet Roach - Deropeltis paulinoi)

4) Just any comments you have on either one- please refer to www.roachforum.com - Personally I like them both for different reasons, but I tend to like my A.tesselata better because the nymphs appear quite large and more like a 'trilobite', adults are wider than B.colloseus so they seem to be alot larger, and they are variable to the color and pattern changes from one specimen to another, sometimes quite a bit, and is fun to look at. B.colloseus are very uniform.

Thanx![/QUOTE]

 

[Digby Rigby]

Then again...

You could always go for Archimandrita marmorata. Like Peppered but even a bit larger

Digby Rigby balboa28279@mypacks.net

 

[Kimix]

I was under the impression that Domino Roaches (Therea sp.) and Glow Spot Roaches were toxic?

I think ive pretty much decided on Peppered Roachs, I have fusca already, so the different look of the peppereds will be nice.

Who sells Archimandrita marmorata? I checked every roach site I know of and dont see them.
EDIT -- Found them for sale at DoubleDs

 

[Matt K]

I was under the impression that Domino Roaches (Therea sp.) and Glow Spot Roaches were toxic?

Who sells Archimandrita marmorata? I checked every roach site I know of and dont see them.
EDIT -- Found them for sale at DoubleDs

I got some from them a long while back and they were not A. marmorata. Know that A. marmorata look identicle more or less to A. tesselata and both can get the same size. Publications sugest that the A.tesselata from lowland Costa Rica are actually the largest of the two.

Also, Therea and Lucihormetica are not toxic.

 

[burmish101]

I was under the impression marmorata and tesselata look exactly alike, the only difference is internal. I would personally go with Blaberus over Archimandrita, I know someone who had a few medium sized nypmhs and took them over 9 months to mature, and 6-7 months later got his first babies lol.