RezonantVoid
Hollow Knight
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2018
- Messages
- 1,370
I've taken a short break from AB recently, but while I've been gone I've certainly been busy! It recently came to my attention that despite Australia having a wide range of Opiliones/harvestmen species, almost nobody if anyone at all has made significant efforts to collect, keep, breed and distribute them through the AUS hobby. In fact, even overseas where hobbyists have access to a far larger range of species in all manor of sizes and alien looking colours and shapes, the demand for these arachnids seems very small for the overwhelming amount of fun they provide and unique traits they possess. So this thread is intended to document my experiences collecting, keeping and breeding as many Australian species as I can, and show you, the reader, why these invertebrates are worth giving a go.
My experience with Opiliones first begins in late February this year, with the acquisition of 4 adult Nunciella sp. specimens. These belong to Triaenonychidae, a widespread family occuring across the entire country in every state, even Tasmania.
These Nunciella are not especially handsome in appearance, but it's their behaviour that makes to me even the most bland looking species fun to keep.
Triaenonychidae are mostly active hunters that search for small prey across the forest floors, tree trunks and rocky outcrops they call home. They don't construct elaborate burrows like spiders, meaning you're free to design all sorts of beautiful vivariums for these without worrying about the occupants destroying the plants or landscape. As long as plenty of hiding places are available, they are hardy and quite easy to keep.
Better yet, Triaenonychidae (and many similar harvestmen across the globe as far as I can tell) are semi social and seek out the company of more members of their species. It's not uncommon to find multiple individuals of different sizes/ages at once in the wild, sometimes huddled side by side. This means keeping them in captivity allows one to observe some degree of cooperation between them when hunting, which I find very entertaining to watch.
For my Nunciella, I made them to following setup in a 30cm long tank.
Nunciella are found in a wide range of environments, but I went for a somewhat arid look with a small number of mosses and plants inside. The base layer is white sand and the rest of the substrate is a clay and sand mix, to help hold moisture more effectively and give the plants better a growing medium. The hollow log in the middle housed most of the adults for a few months until eventually they each claimed a seperate section of the tank. Today, the scape still looks pretty good with little having changed apart from me adding some extra leaf litter after this photo was taken.
The reason I had to do so was because all 4 adult individuals ended up breeding, and 3 laid successful clutches of eggs that all hatched. This is yet another interesting factor that I love about harvestmen, their parental care. New occupants meant more hiding spots were needed.
Most Opiliones are devoted carers and guardians of the babies even long after hatching. They will stay with their babies and catch food for them for a long time, in the case of my Nunciella all the way until the babies are around 2nd - 3rd instar after a few months. Cannibalism is very rare and the mothers eventually lead the babies outside their little nests to explore the surrounding area, before encouraging them to leave and find their own new home.
The babies get along well with other families and as I type, I believe the tank now contains around 40 individuals of varying ages. They will share food with each other and excitedly chase down any pinhead crickets that are dropped inside the tank. But they aren't picky eaters, Opiliones can and will eat fruits, vegetables, meat, animal foods such as fish flakes, dog kibble, reptile pellets and more on top of live prey. This makes feeding very easy and cheaper than exclusively predatory arachnids.
So all in all, Opiliones are for the most part communal, non destructive, low maintenance, easy breeding, active, omnivorous arachnids that come in a huge array of colours, shapes, sizes, behaviours and preferred habitats, making them perfect occupants for display tanks. I don't think any type of invertebrate has been as fun to try out as these have been for me, and I have many stories to tell and species to showcase.
My experience with Opiliones first begins in late February this year, with the acquisition of 4 adult Nunciella sp. specimens. These belong to Triaenonychidae, a widespread family occuring across the entire country in every state, even Tasmania.
These Nunciella are not especially handsome in appearance, but it's their behaviour that makes to me even the most bland looking species fun to keep.
Triaenonychidae are mostly active hunters that search for small prey across the forest floors, tree trunks and rocky outcrops they call home. They don't construct elaborate burrows like spiders, meaning you're free to design all sorts of beautiful vivariums for these without worrying about the occupants destroying the plants or landscape. As long as plenty of hiding places are available, they are hardy and quite easy to keep.
Better yet, Triaenonychidae (and many similar harvestmen across the globe as far as I can tell) are semi social and seek out the company of more members of their species. It's not uncommon to find multiple individuals of different sizes/ages at once in the wild, sometimes huddled side by side. This means keeping them in captivity allows one to observe some degree of cooperation between them when hunting, which I find very entertaining to watch.
For my Nunciella, I made them to following setup in a 30cm long tank.
Nunciella are found in a wide range of environments, but I went for a somewhat arid look with a small number of mosses and plants inside. The base layer is white sand and the rest of the substrate is a clay and sand mix, to help hold moisture more effectively and give the plants better a growing medium. The hollow log in the middle housed most of the adults for a few months until eventually they each claimed a seperate section of the tank. Today, the scape still looks pretty good with little having changed apart from me adding some extra leaf litter after this photo was taken.
The reason I had to do so was because all 4 adult individuals ended up breeding, and 3 laid successful clutches of eggs that all hatched. This is yet another interesting factor that I love about harvestmen, their parental care. New occupants meant more hiding spots were needed.
Most Opiliones are devoted carers and guardians of the babies even long after hatching. They will stay with their babies and catch food for them for a long time, in the case of my Nunciella all the way until the babies are around 2nd - 3rd instar after a few months. Cannibalism is very rare and the mothers eventually lead the babies outside their little nests to explore the surrounding area, before encouraging them to leave and find their own new home.
The babies get along well with other families and as I type, I believe the tank now contains around 40 individuals of varying ages. They will share food with each other and excitedly chase down any pinhead crickets that are dropped inside the tank. But they aren't picky eaters, Opiliones can and will eat fruits, vegetables, meat, animal foods such as fish flakes, dog kibble, reptile pellets and more on top of live prey. This makes feeding very easy and cheaper than exclusively predatory arachnids.
So all in all, Opiliones are for the most part communal, non destructive, low maintenance, easy breeding, active, omnivorous arachnids that come in a huge array of colours, shapes, sizes, behaviours and preferred habitats, making them perfect occupants for display tanks. I don't think any type of invertebrate has been as fun to try out as these have been for me, and I have many stories to tell and species to showcase.
