Leeches and my other pets

[MTA]

One of the weirdest insects I've seen, she was found in the temple of Ta Prohm in Cambodia under a rotten log. She eats snails and slugs only. The females stay a larva for life and males look like a normal firefly.

20170522_212500

• MTA
• May 22, 2017

Hirudo nipponia cocoons

Also my Hirudo nipponia made 3 more cocoons (the bigger ones on top)

 

[MTA]

20170526_165931

• MTA
• May 26, 2017
• 1

"Pregnant" Orobdella sp. eating a worm.

My biggest Orobdella sp. is "pregnant" I don't really know what the term for it is but leeches get this light band a few segments behind their heads before they lay cocoons.

20170526_234011

• MTA
• May 26, 2017
• 1

Hydrophilus acuminatus 3rd instar larva

The Hydrophilus acuminatus larvae are getting very big now, they will probably pupate soon.

 

[MTA]

20170525_234845

• MTA
• May 29, 2017
• 1

Mystery beetle larvae

Unidentified beetle larvae from Cambodia, I think they are either a darkling or click beetle larvae.

20170529_022521

• MTA
• May 29, 2017
• 2

Hemiplecta distincta

Hemiplecta distincta


Here are some leeches I found in a rice paddy.

20170528_145452

• MTA
• May 29, 2017
• 1

Whitmania sp.

A Whitmania sp., either W. edentula or W. laevis.

20170528_145748

• MTA
• May 29, 2017

Erpobdellid leech

Unidentified Erpobdellid

20170528_145919

• MTA
• May 29, 2017

Barbronia sp.

A Barbronia sp.

 

[Hisserdude]

20170525_234845

• MTA
• May 29, 2017
• 1

Mystery beetle larvae

Unidentified beetle larvae from Cambodia, I think they are either a darkling or click beetle larvae.

Neither, looks like they are larvae from the family Callirhipidae, we have a single species from the family in the US, and the larvae are very distinctive, see here.

 

[MTA]

20170603_000704

• MTA
• Jun 2, 2017
• 13

Hirudinaria manillensis

The Hirudinaria manillensis, a bloodsucking leech which I got on May 12th have had their 2nd meal now and the biggest one is almost 3 inches, they were a little less than an inch when I first got them.

20170603_125559

• MTA
• Jun 3, 2017

Color variation in Hirudo nipponia

Here is some color variation in Hirudo nipponia, another bloodsucking leech. The paler ones were found in a muddy lotus pond with murky water, while the darker ones were found in a series of clear watered weedy ponds with lots of dead leaves.

20170603_130032

• MTA
• Jun 3, 2017
• 1

Whitmania pigra and probably Whitmania edentula, big ones are pigra

Here are a comparison of 2 species of Whitmania leeches, the bigger ones are W. pigra, and the smaller ones are probably W. edentula.

20170603_130226

• MTA
• Jun 3, 2017

Head of the leech Whitmania pigra, you can see its eyes

Here is a close-up of the head region of a Whitmania pigra, it is easy to see the eyes on this species.

 

[schmiggle]

Two questions. First, out of curiosity, what's a leech's lifespan like? And second, none of these eat worms, but do you house the Erpobdella together? I wonder if they would eat each other.

Amazing growth on the Hirudinaria.

 

[MTA]

Two questions. First, out of curiosity, what's a leech's lifespan like? And second, none of these eat worms, but do you house the Erpobdella together? I wonder if they would eat each other.

Amazing growth on the Hirudinaria.

Life span depends on the leech, Erpobdella obscura usually lives around 1 year they die after creating cocoons, another predatory leech, Haemopis probably lives a couple years.Hirudo is supposed to live to around 10 years, Hirudinaria apparently lives to 20 years but that sounds pretty far fetched. Erpobdella can be housed together but keep an eye on them when feeding, I had 2 try to eat part of a chopped worm and 1 of leeches started swallowing the other one since both were attached to the worm so I had to pull the other one out.

 

[MTA]

20170605_162047

• MTA
• Jun 7, 2017

Hydaticus grammicus

20170605_162153

• MTA
• Jun 7, 2017

Hydaticus grammicus L1 larva

Hydaticus grammicus adult and L1 larva, they are pretty easy to keep and breed. These lay their eggs on floating plant roots and other stuff. Larvae aren't too hard too rear, mine are doing well on water fleas and tubiflex worms and have molted to l2.

Here is a Whitmania pigra feeding on a juvenile Radix sp. snail.

 

[darkness975]

they don't seem to readily feed on human blood in captivity

Does that mean you tried!!??

Interesting thread - was not aware that really anyone kept leeches.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Does that mean you tried!!??

Interesting thread - was not aware that really anyone kept leeches.

Well it's not like I had a supply of frozen bovine blood on hand or something.
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I love the Lamprigera. Firefly larvae are so beautifully freaky with their little retractable heads and sickle mandibles.

 

[MTA]

20170611_160032

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017

The aquarium for Whitmania pigra.

Aquarium I keep my Whitmania pigra in, the styrofoam is for some diving beetles I keep in there to climb out of the water.

20170611_160349

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017

Set-up for my baby Hirudo nipponia

I keep my baby leeches in delicups with some plants, these are baby Hirudo nipponia.

20170610_162945

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017
• 2

Whitmania pigra being weird.

Whitmania pigra being all scrunched up.

20170610_233055

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017

Whitmania pigra hiding in a shell

Whitmania pigra hiding in a shell

Video of my female Lamprigera glowing

20170611_155817

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017
• 1

Lamprigera sp.

20170611_155713

• MTA
• Jun 11, 2017

The thing that glows on the firefly, Lamprigera

Here is a picture of her stretched out and a picture of her glowing organs.

 

[schmiggle]

That shell appears to have a hole in it. It wasn't drilled by the Whitmania, was it?

 

[MTA]

That shell appears to have a hole in it. It wasn't drilled by the Whitmania, was it?

No, i picked up the shell at a pond. Whitmania can't drill, it just sticks it's head into a snails shell and eats the meat.

 

[MTA]

My Hydrophilus larvae pupated 2 days ago!

20170612_172340

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Freshly molted Hydrophilus acuminatus pupa

Here is a picture of it recently molted

20170614_143625

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Hydrophilus acuminatus pupa

Here is a picture of it today.

20170614_144158

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Baby Meghimatium sp.

Baby Meghimatium sp., This slug is really different from other since it's mantle covers the whole body. They are growing well on squash and fishfood.

20170614_144457

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Sarasinula sp.

Sarasinula sp., a kind of leatherleaf slug and this one was found in Cambodia.

20170614_143420

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

A Whitmania pigra feeding

Whitmania pigra feeding on an apple snail.

20170614_143524

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Moss for leeches

I used to put my leeches in a tupperware container filled with moss when they were ready to create cocoons, but I put in some moss on styrofoam in my W. pigra aquarium to see if they would lay cocoons there.

20170614_164611

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Baby Whitmania pigra

The baby W. pigra are growing well, they are now around 1cm.

20170614_164706

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017

Baby Whitmania edentula or laevis

Baby Whitmania edentula.

Hirudo nipponia - YouTube

• MTA
• Jun 14, 2017
• 2

They do this waving motion to get more oxygen I think.

Hirudo nipponia preforming the waving motion most leeches do, I think they do this to absorb breathe better since the movement circulates water around them.

 

[scorps]

I've wanted to get leeches for a while. They seems super cool. Just don't know where to get them :/

 

[MTA]

I've wanted to get leeches for a while. They seems super cool. Just don't know where to get them :/

This is a good place for Hirudo medicinalis: http://leeches.biz/
If you want Erpobdella obscura this is a good place for them: http://www.knutsonlivebait.com/leeches.html
There is also this guy in the Netherlands you can get Hirudinaria manillensis from, I've ordered from him and he shipped quick and the leeches were all alive upon arrival: https://m.facebook.com/Friedrichvan...l_objid.681955021991504:actrs.100004404340640

 

[MTA]

20170620_174039

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

Juvenile Hirudinaria manillensis

I fed my Hirudinaria manillensis yesterday and they are getting huge, this species grows very quickly it seems.

20170620_173741

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

Hirudinaria manillensis with quarter for scale

This is my biggest H. manillensis with a quarter for scale.

20170617_191427

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

Hirudo nipponia

I also fed my pale Hirudo nipponia around week ago, and they are getting pretty big now, around 1 1/2-2 inches.

Whitmania pigra - YouTube

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

Whitmania pigra doing the waving motion, to help with respiration I think

20170616_202716

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

2 Whitmania pigra eating the same snail

2 W. Pigra eating the same snail, they usually don't do this.

20170620_190006

• MTA
• Jun 20, 2017

Hydrophilus acuminatus pupa

The Hydrophilus acuminatus pupa is developing well and the beetle should emerge in a couple of days.

 

[MTA]

20170624_024903

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017
• 3

Hydrophilus acuminatus

The Hydrophilus acuminatus pupa succesfully eclosed! I'm really happy about this, it is the first time I've reared an aquatic beetle from egg to adult, didn't get a picture of her freshly eclosed though, she is a couple days old in this picture.

20170624_025247

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Hirudinaria manillensis sleeping

Hirudinaria manillensis sleeping, I've only seen this species sleep like this, not sure if my other species sleep.

20170625_214152

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Whitmania laevis and one W. acranulata

Sometimes Whitmania laevis I got from a rice paddy, along with a Whitmania acranulata. I have only found this genus in rice paddies so far.

20170625_214333

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Whitmania acranulata

A closer picture of Whitmania acranulata.

20170625_214449

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Strangely colored Whitmania laevis

This Whitmania laevis has a very different coloration. I wonder if it's albino, or something like that.

20170625_214643

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Whitmania laevis

20170625_214832

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Whitmania laevis

Some other Whitmania laevis.

20170625_215006

• MTA
• Jun 26, 2017

Whitmania laevis underside

Ventral side of Whitmania laevis.

 

[schmiggle]

Hirudinaria manillensis sleeping, I've only seen this species sleep like this, not sure if my other species sleep.

I'm almost positive they all do, sleep is pretty basic to the vast majority of bilaterian animals. Even C. elegans nematodes sleep.

 

[arachnoherp]

Have you kept the brightpy colored terrestrial species?