G. Portentosa "Giant Morph"
- Thread starter BrianWI
- Start date
There is no such thing as a "hybrid" or "pure strain" of giant portentosa.
The term "giant" should be replaced with "extra-large" or "larger than normal".
The size morph is from a recessive gene much like the black form, and it exists in every roach. To get a colony of the "giants", yoiu can start with a colony of normals and just seperate the larger ones and destroy the smaller adults. Eventually you wind up with a colony of pretty big portentosa (maybe a couple of years under excellent care).
Use the same method to get the black form. In either case, unculled collonies will revert back to a colony of normals over time.
The term "giant" should be replaced with "extra-large" or "larger than normal".
The size morph is from a recessive gene much like the black form, and it exists in every roach. To get a colony of the "giants", yoiu can start with a colony of normals and just seperate the larger ones and destroy the smaller adults. Eventually you wind up with a colony of pretty big portentosa (maybe a couple of years under excellent care).
Use the same method to get the black form. In either case, unculled collonies will revert back to a colony of normals over time.
Since they told me upfront and hinestly, I will assume the seller won't mind me naming them. It was Double D who told me their Giant Morph G. Portentosa we mixes of them, G. oblonganata and P.Vanwerbecki big black form. So there are some that are hybrids. If they were selected from pure G. Portentosa just for size, then they would be "pure strain" G. Portentosa. I am researching some of the hissers currently and am making sure all my assumptions are correct.
I know you have some, Matt. I assume yours have only G. Portentosa in them?
I know you have some, Matt. I assume yours have only G. Portentosa in them?
While it is true that I have every strain of hisser, I do not have any roach hybrids of any sort. Kinda fouls things up the way I see it. Sounds like DD's unintentionally let some nymphs get into one tub or another and they didn't know which one was what, so they were foolishly left together and there you have it.
Aside from that, Princisia vanwaerebecki is no longer that, it is now reclassified G. portentosa. Gromphadorhina oblongata is still G. oblongata, so what they have to offer is a normal giant form and an oblongata hybrid.
The fact that they are offering a hybrid really has nothing to do with thier size, and does not mean even thier offspring will grow big either. Now they are offering a roach that is only 25% likely to exhibit large growth in the first place hybridized with a roach that does not have that gene at all (as known), so the likelihood is that the offspring of the hybrids (assuming they are even fertile) will grow slightly smaller than a normal G.oblongata with a few of them getting to the same size as an oblongata but not larger. The originally named G.portentosa 'Giant' form only got as big as a nomal G. oblongata anyway.
Personally I see no reason to keep those particular hybrids and I would trash them immediately, but they try to make a buck where ever they can so I doubt they will.... it just pollutes the hobby.
You can also read my posts at www.roachforum.com
Aside from that, Princisia vanwaerebecki is no longer that, it is now reclassified G. portentosa. Gromphadorhina oblongata is still G. oblongata, so what they have to offer is a normal giant form and an oblongata hybrid.
The fact that they are offering a hybrid really has nothing to do with thier size, and does not mean even thier offspring will grow big either. Now they are offering a roach that is only 25% likely to exhibit large growth in the first place hybridized with a roach that does not have that gene at all (as known), so the likelihood is that the offspring of the hybrids (assuming they are even fertile) will grow slightly smaller than a normal G.oblongata with a few of them getting to the same size as an oblongata but not larger. The originally named G.portentosa 'Giant' form only got as big as a nomal G. oblongata anyway.
Personally I see no reason to keep those particular hybrids and I would trash them immediately, but they try to make a buck where ever they can so I doubt they will.... it just pollutes the hobby.
You can also read my posts at www.roachforum.com
I think Beccaloni wrote up the paperwork last year sometime, that I seem to recall also includes Gromphadorhina grandidieri.
G.oblongata and G.portentosa are very different species, and aside from the numerous outward physical characteristics there is the usual rule for many hissers.....the design of the male genitalia is what they go by for the most part.
I have these isolated colonies that carry the 'giant' form:
G. portentosa
G. portentosa formerly known as 'Princisia vanwaerebecki'
G. portentosa formerly known as 'Gromphadorhina grandidieri'
and of course the original G. oblongata in all its brick red glory.
Actually one of my favorites...
G.oblongata and G.portentosa are very different species, and aside from the numerous outward physical characteristics there is the usual rule for many hissers.....the design of the male genitalia is what they go by for the most part.
I have these isolated colonies that carry the 'giant' form:
G. portentosa
G. portentosa formerly known as 'Princisia vanwaerebecki'
G. portentosa formerly known as 'Gromphadorhina grandidieri'
and of course the original G. oblongata in all its brick red glory.
Actually one of my favorites...Possibly I think its posted on www.roachforum.com
Though I have personally had email coversations with the taxonomist who wrote it and collaborate with him and another researcher on field related issues. Most of these papers are not online, but many are on websites that are accessable to university personnell only (which I have argued against for some time). If you find a reference to a scientific paper online but the pdf access is denied let me know, I can probably get it.
Though I have personally had email coversations with the taxonomist who wrote it and collaborate with him and another researcher on field related issues. Most of these papers are not online, but many are on websites that are accessable to university personnell only (which I have argued against for some time). If you find a reference to a scientific paper online but the pdf access is denied let me know, I can probably get it.
Scroll down through this page and you can locate all the papers you would need, and even email to him for correct information for the most part.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/staff-directory/entomology/cv-3534.html
Also, you can contact ElytraandAntennae on this forum (Orin) as he is the roach authority in the USA (Beccaloni is in England). I am just a hobbiest with alot of books and years of experience who deferrs to either one of them when I have a question.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/staff-directory/entomology/cv-3534.html
Also, you can contact ElytraandAntennae on this forum (Orin) as he is the roach authority in the USA (Beccaloni is in England). I am just a hobbiest with alot of books and years of experience who deferrs to either one of them when I have a question.
Working on Giant morphs, I have encountered some sellers who have the commesurate mites on their roaches and others do not. I have bought from those who say they don't have them, and have not found any examining them under a microscope. What % of colonies have such mite?
A majority of them do, but there are quite a few people who have needlessly "cleaned" them so they don't. All of my hisser colonies have them, and it seems to make zero difference in thier lives (unless it is beneficial and acocunts for thier good health and I have no way to measure that).
Data on colonies that have them and not is sparse, but from the published papers and my own experience I can find no reason to be concerned about those at all.
Data on colonies that have them and not is sparse, but from the published papers and my own experience I can find no reason to be concerned about those at all.
- Joined
- May 23, 2005
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Roach Mites
There is actually an article that was recently posted in wired magazine abotu a scientist who was studying roaches and discovered they had mites, he then switched his study to study the mites. It turns out that themites are beneficial to the roache sthey help rid the roach of 24 different species of mold and fungi that would otherwise infect or hurt the roach. If however you find a roach with excessive anmounts of mites you should ge tid of that roach as he is immuno comprimised and possibly dying and the mold has taken over hence the excess mites.
Dexter D
There is actually an article that was recently posted in wired magazine abotu a scientist who was studying roaches and discovered they had mites, he then switched his study to study the mites. It turns out that themites are beneficial to the roache sthey help rid the roach of 24 different species of mold and fungi that would otherwise infect or hurt the roach. If however you find a roach with excessive anmounts of mites you should ge tid of that roach as he is immuno comprimised and possibly dying and the mold has taken over hence the excess mites.
Dexter D
Very. They are nomally larger than a grain of sand and move about fairly quickly.