Keeping Carabus nemoralis

[galeogirl]

Carabus nemoralis are quite abundant around here and I was thinking about going out to collect some to keep. Anyone have any experience with these little black gems?

I was planning to put together a terrarium with deep soil substrate, leaf litter, and a few chunks of rotting log (all from where I plan to collect them) I imagine that there will be a certain number of prey items available for the first few days, but from there I'm wondering what to feed them. Breeding info would be good, too.

Also thinking about collecting some Cincidela oreganus. Might as well enjoy the native fauna.

I've already checked into collecting laws, there don't appear to be any for invertebrates in Oregon, except for marine invertebrates.

 

[Dark Raptor]

Good publications about keeping carabid beetles are:
Hurka K. 1996: Carabidae of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Kabourek, Zlin.
Burakowski B., 1993: Laboratory methods for rearing soil beetles (Coleoptera). Polska Akademia Nauk Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii, Warszawa.
I know that it can be difficult to get them in USA

But I've got some experience with them and I've got some good advices:
- substrate should be kept in high humidity
- you can give them fresh chicken or beef meat, they can also eat small crickets, tenebrio larvae, but remember to remove things that weren't eaten and beetle's droppings (high humidity=nice mould). ahhhh... they are predators, but you should remember to give them fresh fruits: like apples, bananas ect.
- larvae are real cannibals, keep them in separate containers. For mature inects, the best is keeping 1 male and up to 2-3 females.
- eggs should be removed quickly after female lay them and should be kept in boxes with high humidity (like on wet paper towell) with good ventilation. Sometimes freshly hatched larvae should be fed manually.
- Optimal temperatures aren't high (I think 20-24 degrees C by day, 15-20 by night). Some Carabus species can survive in -40 degrees C. (Sorry, I don't operate on F :8o )

Species belonging to genus Cicindela are more difficult to breed, but of course they are much more interesting. I had only Cicindela hybrida, but I wasn't able to reproduce them.

In this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=38258&page=2&pp=15
(post number 22), you've got some pics of my carabid beetles.

...and sorry for mistakes ;P

 

[galeogirl]

So their care is about how I expected it would be. Thanks for the heads up on the cannibalistic larvae. They're pretty cool in their own right.

I think that the deep substrate would help with the moisture issue, I could probably put some woodlice in the tank to keep down detritus and, hence, mold.

Can't wait for spring!

 

[Dark Raptor]

I know that in USA you have Calosoma sycophanta. This one was introduced from Europe to fight with Lymantria moth. Calosoma are one of the most beautiful carabid beetle species that I know. In Europe they are protected, but 20-30 years ago they were very common (but using chemicals in forestry caused their radical decline). I don't know how it is in USA with this one.
But if You will be able to get them, try to rear them. They are fantastic.

 

[galeogirl]

I'm going to the library after work to look for good beetle books and to see if I can find a government booklet on the invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest.

A little light reading.

 

[Wade]

Hey Dark Raptor-

I googled some images of C. sycophanta and they look a lot like the US native C. scrutator. In fact, I have a live beetle now that I was assuming was C. scrutator, but after looking at the pics I'm not so sure. Any ideas on distiquishing the two?

Ground beetles (carabids) are really under appreciated by most American hobbyists, but they're some of the neatest insects around. They're also relatively long lived, I kept a beautiful Pasymachus alive for 3 years.

Wade

 

[beetleman]

i know, i love all types of predatory ground beetles :drool: i used to keep several ssp. i would love to get the african ssp. manticoras,anthias,too bad we can't get them here in the states but the fierysearchers,pasumachus,etc)kinda make up for it

 

[Dark Raptor]

I googled some images of C. sycophanta and they look a lot like the US native C. scrutator. In fact, I have a live beetle now that I was assuming was C. scrutator, but after looking at the pics I'm not so sure. Any ideas on distiquishing the two?

I know only some european species like C. sycophanta and C. inquisitor.
As I compare photos I see that C. sycophanta has larger pronotum and it has other shape that as C. scrutator has.
Best photos to compare are:
C. scrutator
http://www.uark.edu/depts/entomolo/museum/cathunt.html

C. sycophanta
http://claude.schott.free.fr/Galeries-photos/Gal-Carab-Calos-Cychrus/pages/CALOSOMA SYCOPHANTA.htm

I know that the best solution is to find a key to identification of beetles. I mentioned earlier one written by Hurka, but I don't know any literature about american species.

BTW. Lymantria moth was also introduced from Europe

 

[Dark Raptor]

Ground beetles (carabids) are really under appreciated by most American hobbyists, but they're some of the neatest insects around. They're also relatively long lived, I kept a beautiful Pasymachus alive for 3 years.

Prof. Burakowski kept his darkling beetle Blaps mortisaga for more than 10 years! Insects that belongs to family Tenebrionidae can live very long, but some of my weevils Hylobius abietis live for almost 3 years.
As I know ant's queen (Formica sp.) can live more than 16 or up to 20 years.

 

[Wade]

There's also records of Eleodes sp. darking beetes living for 18 years.

Wade

 

[Dark Raptor]

Darkling beetles are great. I have now 8 species in my collection and still I'm looking for more.
I would like to keep large long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae) but they are very difficult to breed. I had some experience with Rhagium mordax, R. sycophanta, Tetropium castaneum and T. confusum. I tried to breed Lamia textor but without success.
My favourite polish species are: Cerambyx spp., Aromia moshata and Rosalia alpina.

 

[Wade]

I especially enjoy the Eleodes sp. because they're active and out in the open most of the time. Really cool!

Wade