Leeches and my other pets

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
8,982
That's cool! People that are interested, go to youtube and type in "giant leech eats worm". This vid first got me interested
but good luck getting those to the US right, I'm pretty sure they would not be allowed here.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
Do Erpobdella hunt living inverts or do you give them fresh killed insects? Where did you get the orobdella? Those only eat earthworms right and get fairly large they wouldn't bite a person would they?...Would they bite out of defensiveness even if they don't drink blood? If there isn't someone to buy them from what is the best way to make a leech trap?
Erpobdella can hunt small squishy inverts like small worms but I just give them chopped up earthworms, bloodworms, and sometimes fresh killed insects. I got the Orobdella on Jindo Island, Korea, they are toothless, and I don't think any leeches bite defensively. You could make a leech trap by taking a container, putting plenty of 1 inch holes, and putting some chicken heart, you will probably only attract scavenging leeches like Erpobdella. If you live in Eastern USA you could try wading around in the water for the blood sucking leech Macrobdella decora.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
Haemopis sp

Ambigolimax valentianus

Acusta despecta

Achatina fulica

Phaedusa paviei

Radix sp

Semisulcospira libertina

Pomacea canaliculata eggs

Allomyrina dichotoma eggs

Allomyrina dichotoma pair

Cetonia sp larva

Cetonia sp adult

Plesiophthalmus nigrocyaneus

Unknown darkling beetle, their larvae are like plesiophthalmus but stockier and orangish

Another unknown darkling beetle

The beetle above as a larva, it ate white rotten wood

Graphoderus adamsi
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
2 Hydrophilus acuminatus eggcases hatched a couple days ago and now I have around 80 larvae.
Here are some

Here is one eating a bladder snail. Has anyone ever kept these before? I am giving them bladder and baby apple snails daily, and changing water daily as well. I know once the larvae are ready to pupate they crawl on land and make a pupal cell in dirt.
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
2,453
Haemopis sp

Ambigolimax valentianus

Acusta despecta

Achatina fulica

Phaedusa paviei

Radix sp

Semisulcospira libertina

Pomacea canaliculata eggs

Allomyrina dichotoma eggs

Allomyrina dichotoma pair

Cetonia sp larva

Cetonia sp adult

Plesiophthalmus nigrocyaneus

Unknown darkling beetle, their larvae are like plesiophthalmus but stockier and orangish

Another unknown darkling beetle

The beetle above as a larva, it ate white rotten wood

Graphoderus adamsi
Love those Plesiophthalmus, are they still breeding well for you?
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
Love those Plesiophthalmus, are they still breeding well for you?
My pair unfortunately died around 2 months after I got them last summer, but they gave around 50 larvae which are growing right now. I also think that the first unknown darkling beetle is a plesiophthalmus species too.
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
2,453
My pair unfortunately died around 2 months after I got them last summer, but they gave around 50 larvae which are growing right now. I also think that the first unknown darkling beetle is a plesiophthalmus species too.
That's great, hope those larvae do well for you! :D They need rotten wood for developing, right?
 

lovebugfarm

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
19
Wow this is a great thread I wish I could offer insight into the beetles. I will however keep watching this thread and look forward to reading more of your posts thank you :)
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
That's great, hope those larvae do well for you! :D They need rotten wood for developing, right?
They might need rotten wood as they tunnel through it a lot and I also find them under the bark of dead wood in the wild but they eat dog food and squash too.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
My Whitmania Pigra laid a cocoon a few days after i put them in a box with moss!!!:D The cocoon is very fresh.
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
2,453
They might need rotten wood as they tunnel through it a lot and I also find them under the bark of dead wood in the wild but they eat dog food and squash too.
Good to know, thanks for the info! :)
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
I received 5 baby Hirudinaria manillensis today! :DVery excited to work with these as they are the 2nd largest leech in the world and get around 1 foot.


Here they are after feeding

Hydrophilus larvae are doing well too, the 2nd instars have grown. It seems they are doing well on pond, bladder, and apple snails.
 

MTA

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
89
Here are some leech cocoons. Left to right: Whitmania pigra, Hirudo nipponia, and probably Odontobdella blanchardi(the one that I thought was a haemopis sp.)

Here is a baby Whitmania pigra.

Some of the H. acuminatus larvae have reached 3rd instar.
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
5,893
I received 5 baby Hirudinaria manillensis today! :DVery excited to work with these as they are the 2nd largest leech in the world and get around 1 foot.


Here they are after feeding

Hydrophilus larvae are doing well too, the 2nd instars have grown. It seems they are doing well on pond, bladder, and apple snails.
A foot!!!!!!!!! That's impressive. Guessing they're blood suckers then?
 

schmiggle

Arachnoking
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,220
A foot!!!!!!!!! That's impressive. Guessing they're blood suckers then?
They are, but there are foot-long predatory leeches as well.
Here is the Mt. Kinabalu giant red leech:

Americobdella, a superficially similar genus from southern Chile, gets to about 8", and is also predatory.
 
Top