R. junceus birth! Finally!

[hamfoto]

Well, after many, many, many months of waiting...she finally gave birth! I need to count up the months and days, but these are definately at the edge of their normal gestation period...I've been waiting forever!!! This one is my small female...my big one is still waiting to drop. I haven't counted yet, but it looks like a good number.

enjoy!
Chris


(p.s. these are so rare here in the U.S. that if I sell any I'll make a post. I'm sure a few will be sold but please wait until I make a FS post before PM'ing me about buying them.)

 

[Brian S]

Holy cow Chris!!!! Good job!!!!! We mated ours last August btw. I remember pairing mine a day or 2 after yours. Oddly mine gave birth back in January. What are your temps? Mine were 80-83F. My secons female looks like she will drop very soon as well.

A big congratz to you Bro!! This is just the 2nd brood produced in the USA!!!

 

[Mark Newton]

Very nice babies. Gotta be the prettiest little scorps I've ever seen. Great photo's too, very clear with good colour saturation. Must be using a decent macro lens on an SLR. Your temps might have been down. Sometimes climate changes will trigger parturition also.

 

[hamfoto]

Brian! yeah, thanks...it's pretty cool! And yeah, 8 months!!!
My temps were in the low to mid 80's during the days, sometimes getting to 30 C, but not over. It would drop down to ~67 F at night.
The one interesting thing is...the females have not wanted to eat the roaches I usually give them (B. dubia)...this went on for awhile...and then last week I got some crickets for them and they gobbled them up...and now one of the has her babies. Hopefully the other one will soon...

Chris

 

[Staley]

Very nice pics... i am sooo jealous.

 

[Mark Newton]

They have an amazing degree of sclerotization for first instars.

 

[Aillith]

Those are gorgeous. Amazing photos, amazing looking scorplings.

 

[Gigas]

Excellent photo's! make sure you post more when the go to 2I

 

[Mark Newton]

What is the generic name?

 

[Gigas]

Rhopalurus

 

[Mark Newton]

Rhopalurus

danka....

 

[Rigelus]

Yes they look absolutely smashing...allmost good enough to eat :}

Just makes me all the more eager to get my own culture on the go.

BTW Brian, I haven't been able to get hold of Alex. I check who's been on most days but he's not been around since i started checking.

Still no problems i've just paid for 3 x 5 instar from Giorgio in Switzerland that hopefully i will be receiving sometime next week plus theres a good chance i should get a sub adult female within a month or so through a local trade (ikke Frank!).

So whats this then, the Rhopalurus junceus appreciation society..

 

[Dom]

WOW!! Those are definitely the most beautiful babies I've seen. As mentioned the color saturation is incredible.
Congrats!!

 

[Dorcus]

Their stingers look like its made of plastic... Great pics!

 

[funk]

Great looking scorplings.

Congrats!

 

[Mark Newton]

It interests me that the Buthids are meant to have a more primitive form of embryonic development, but the first instars are more advanced than those of say the Scorpionidae. All my Urodacus are always completely white without any degree of sclerotization and segments are very much undeveloped. It is not until the second instar stage that a lot of the features that these firsts show appear. Any comments.

 

[Gigas]

I personally thought scorpionidae were the more primitive familty solely by looking at first instars? Mine was the comparison of PAndinus sp. and Heterometrus sp. with Hottentotta and Centruroides young which always look much more developed

 

[Brian S]

The one interesting thing is...the females have not wanted to eat the roaches I usually give them (B. dubia)...this went on for awhile...and then last week I got some crickets for them and they gobbled them up...and now one of the has her babies. Hopefully the other one will soon...

Chris

Mine was and is the same way. After the young disperse you will probably notice a renewed interest in eating again. Mine ate a cricket everyday for a week after the young dispersed. Now that they are mega gravid they probably dont eat 1 cricket a month and the males possibly less than that. As you will see, the young will eat anything they can over power. Mine are some of the most voracious young I have ever had of any species. BTW, Some of mine are 5th instar already!!! Hard to believe but true

 

[hamfoto]

Update

The babies have molted and are getting ready to leave the mom's back...lookin' good!

enjoy,
Chris

 

[compnerd7]

very nice! those are awsome pictures u have there, and a cute bunch of babbies!:worship: