Probably, and it would appear that Panesthia nymphs attempt to mimic the same model... There's something poisonous or with a nasty bite widespread across Asia that has an orange spot on it's back that these roach genera are mimicking.
*heavy breathing intensifies*
Yeah, could be!
Actually, I have a guess--what about fireflies? They're toxic, and many have a red spot on the back and are otherwise black. They're also very numerous in Southeast Asia. See, for example:Yeah, could be!
I don't think so, at least with Paranauphoeta I know people who have used them as feeders for their geckos and stuff with no issues, they seem to be perfectly edible. I'd assume the same would be true for Panesthia, but since those are so slow growing and breeding I don't think anyone's tried using them as feeders before.
Sheesh, had to avert my eyes from that. Why a picture during such a private moment!? So many peeping toms in the insect world.
Could be, though Paranauphoeta spend most of their time under bark, and Panesthia nymphs deep in rotten logs, so I'd expect the thing they mimic would also be found in those same habitats... Which still makes me think they must be mimicking assassin bug nymphs or something.
Unfortunately like @Arthroverts said, it seems the Chinese golds will die out here in the US, seems like there are likely some odd seasonal cues needed to breed these that we aren't yet aware of... The Vietnam green stock is exceedingly easy for a Perisphaerinae though, pretty dang hardy and much better established in the worldwide hobby.
They just need a TON of ventilation to breed at a decent rate, something most Perisphaerinae share in common. People also probably tend to oversell from their cultures as soon as they start breeding, which can cripple colonies in the long run, that plus the demand and supply are why they are still so expensive here, (whereas in Europe you can get starter cultures for like 40 euros...).
They love to eat BedbugsParcoblatta americana:
Female
Patcoblatta bolliana:
Male
Parcoblatta uhleriana:
Female
Male
Parcoblatta virginica:
Male
Parcoblatta unknown fulvescens like caudelli:
Male
Thank you both for the info and sorry that the P. cf magnifica “Gold” did not do well! It can be quite frustrating and perplexing trying to find what conditions will bring about each stage to successfully produce offspring. I’ve had millipede species which were keen enough to mate but never laid eggs so far as I ever found and one that did seemed to require debris from particular trees! Those Vietnamese green metallic roaches are gorgeous too — I shall definitely have to get some when I have more space and funds…Unfortunately like @Arthroverts said, it seems the Chinese golds will die out here in the US, seems like there are likely some odd seasonal cues needed to breed these that we aren't yet aware of... The Vietnam green stock is exceedingly easy for a Perisphaerinae though, pretty dang hardy and much better established in the worldwide hobby.
We had both tried keeping them several years ago but I think the difficulty was ventilation? I know I kept mine in a plastic shoebox style container and would now try an Exo Terra box.
And I see you’re keeping hissers again; I have always enjoyed mine.
You'd be hard pressed to find Parcoblatta living indoors for longer than a week, let alone eating bed bugs lol...
LOL when it comes to hissers I guess you could call me a purist.
Sadly, pure Princisia are on the cusp of dying out completely in the US thanks to being outcompeted by their hybrid cousins, which are rarely as unique looking as the pure stocks. Yeah, it's unfortunate, but I'm sure someone will bring the golds into the US again sooner or later, just need to figure out how exactly to culture them. The Vietnam greens are great though and relatively easy to culture IMO, so definitely a good choice for the roach enthusiast.Thank you both for the info and sorry that the P. cf magnifica “Gold” did not do well! It can be quite frustrating and perplexing trying to find what conditions will bring about each stage to successfully produce offspring. I’ve had millipede species which were keen enough to mate but never laid eggs so far as I ever found and one that did seemed to require debris from particular trees! Those Vietnamese green metallic roaches are gorgeous too — I shall definitely have to get some when I have more space and funds…
In the nearer future, I need to collect and start a colony of the local Arenivaga roaches before all my forest is replaced with hideous subdivisions.
The Arenivaga bolliana I got from you bred great for me, and my buddy is still maintaining that culture all these years later. They just need tons of ventilation to avoid fungal infections, yeah. Thanks!@Hisserdude gorgeous photos as always!
Those Hemithyrsocera palliata are really pretty! It sounds like it could be difficult to prevent escapes though if the nymphs too can climb and they tend to congregate around the lid (from what I read in your blog). I’ve had young hissers escape but at least most seem content to hide in and under wood pieces with the rest of the colony.
And yup, I'm back to keeping hissers, so far just pure (or hopefully pure) stock of rarer, less prolific species. Very enjoyable for sure!
Not very pretty LOL, just bins with lots of small holes poked in them with a soldering iron. For substrate I use coco fiber for almost every roach species I've ever kept, and hides consist of bark, leaf litter, eggcrates, paper towel hides and sometimes just the substrate itself, all depends on the species' preferences, as not all roaches will accept the same types of hides. Hard to have general guidelines when it comes to obscure species in general, more like I have general guidelines for each family or subfamily of cockroach, because they all vary so much in care.
