Phengodes arizonensis glow worm beetle

[REEFSPIDER]

I had acquired this girl about 2 months ago, fed her 1 good sized orthoporus ornatus brown phase, and it was quite the sight to see in captivity! After she took that millipede i offered her another one about 2 weeks later, the exact same species and size, and she refused, and has been burrowed ever since. Until today! I honestly had only checked her once in the time she was burrowed and I assumed she would perish soon as I read they're an annual species that dies at the end of summer. She will be getting another millipede as soon as i source one for her to consume.

 

[beetleman]

very cool, interesting critter!

 

[REEFSPIDER]

It has refused again. Sigh. Will try again in the future.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

It has refused again. Sigh. Will try again in the future.

This post has the wrong pic uploaded to it

 

[MurrayTheMailman]

Heck of a beetle. Haha. I realized it’s not a beetle but what exactly is that picture of ?

 

[REEFSPIDER]

Heck of a beetle. Haha. I realized it’s not a beetle but what exactly is that picture of ?

The original post is a beetle of the phengodes order, the females remain larviform through out their entire life cycle into sexual maturity, males will pupate and evolve into true soft shelled beetles, fly and seek out a female who is crawling around somewhere. They hunt and eat specifically millipedes only. The error picture is in my reply, it is of some M.sexta moth pupae

 

[MurrayTheMailman]

The original post is a beetle of the phengodes order, the females remain larviform through out their entire life cycle into sexual maturity, males will pupate and evolve into true soft shelled beetles, fly and seek out a female who is crawling around somewhere. They hunt and eat specifically millipedes only. The error picture is in my reply, it is of some M.sexta moth pupae

No kidding the life cycle is absolutely mind boggling. Very interesting indeed. Never heard of them.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

No kidding the life cycle is absolutely mind boggling. Very interesting indeed. Never heard of them.

To be honest neither had I, a mate came back from an AZ trip with some pedes and a few tarantulas and not much else herp wise, and i was buying a s.heros from him and I immediately needed this thing with no idea it consumed millipedes or anything. Its been in my care for over 3 months. And has eaten a millipede once just does not seem to wanna eat anymore, although it is very active still.

 

[Galapoheros]

Didn't you say that thing was 3-4 inches long? Really interesting how the banding is so similar to some banded Sc. heros centipedes. The sps here may be small due to the most abundant millipede here being a small size as well, doesn't need to be big to take down a tiny millipede.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

Didn't you say that thing was 3-4 inches long? Really interesting how the banding is so similar to some banded Sc. heros centipedes. The sps here may be small due to the most abundant millipede here being a small size as well, doesn't need to be big to take down a tiny millipede.

The glow worm itself is a tad bit over 3 inches when at rest it can stretch a bit more as it is segmented, the banding is what really caught my eye and was intriguing. The florida phengodes are much duller in comparison. It came to me with some millipedes that were caught in the same range it was collected in, they were large (for north American sp) and dark brown maybe 5-6 inches, and that is what sp it ate, i got video of it on my instagram it was quite a trip to observe. I i bought both the millipedes from its home range but the other unfortunately died. I offered it a smaller smoky oak or ghost narceus sp today as i didn't want to give it one of the pink foots or ivorys i bought LOL. It looks alot like the banded heros i got also, from the same collection point.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

This is what it does from around 6pm until i retire each day, when i wake around 7am it is burrowed again.

 

[Galapoheros]

This is what it does from around 6pm until i retire each day, when i wake around 7am it is burrowed again. View attachment 290726

I know how it feels, I would do the same thing where I use to work. I'm thinking the mouthparts on these are kind of interesting because they have to break through the hard exo on millipedes, wonder what they look like. I see males of the sps. around here flying around my porch light sometimes.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I know how it feels, I would do the same thing where I use to work. I'm thinking the mouthparts on these are kind of interesting because they have to break through the hard exo on millipedes, wonder what they look like. I see males of the sps. around here flying around my porch light sometimes.

Same, i actually don't handle this thing much for that reason. It supposedly pierces the millie and disconnects its central nerve rendering it alive but paralyzed, it then eats from head to vent inside the millie. Much like a tunnel boring machine in a premade tunnel

 

[MTA]

I might be wrong, but from what i remember, The Ultimate Guide to Breeding Beetles said that they only eat every couple of months. So she might be okay.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I might be wrong, but from what i remember, The Ultimate Guide to Breeding Beetles said that they only eat every couple of months. So she might be okay.

Is this literature somewhat common?

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I might be wrong, but from what i remember, The Ultimate Guide to Breeding Beetles said that they only eat every couple of months. So she might be okay.

The Orin Mcmonigle book is the one you speak of?

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Cool! I'm super jealous. I found a Pleotomus sp. larvae last February and it was just the coolest bug. I had no clue what it was when I found it, then scoured bugguide for a week or two. I had it for a few months, and I got to see it molt. Well, I saw it preparing to molt, freaked out because I thought it was dying, then realized it was probably just about to molt, then came home to find it freshly molted. Unfortunately it got munched up by the rollie pollies that were scooped up with it, kicked myself for weeks on that one.

Cool find

• Mirandarachnid
• Jan 31, 2018
• 3

EDIT: Oh, and this sp. eats snails and slugs. It was a great time trying to find snails in the panhandle of Texas during the winter

 

[REEFSPIDER]

Cool! I'm super jealous. I found a Pleotomus sp. larvae last February and it was just the coolest bug. I had no clue what it was when I found it, then scoured bugguide for a week or two. I had it for a few months, and I got to see it molt. Well, I saw it preparing to molt, freaked out because I thought it was dying, then realized it was probably just about to molt, then came home to find it freshly molted. Unfortunately it got munched up by the rollie pollies that were scooped up with it, kicked myself for weeks on that one.

Cool find

• Mirandarachnid
• Jan 31, 2018
• 3

EDIT: Oh, and this sp. eats snails and slugs. It was a great time trying to find snails in the panhandle of Texas during the winter

I'm fairly certain this one molted also, during the dormant time where i didn't see it at all, and I hear the smaller nymphs of this sp eat snails and slugs also. So cool to see someone else keeping, or kept something similar

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I'm fairly certain this one molted also, during the dormant time where i didn't see it at all, and I hear the smaller nymphs of this sp eat snails and slugs also. So cool to see someone else keeping, or kept something similar

When it was getting ready to molt, it curled up in a C and the last two segments were glowing on and off, bright two seconds, dark two seconds. Such a cool critter.

 

[MTA]

The Orin Mcmonigle book is the one you speak of?

Yes that book is by Orin Mcmonigle.