Unusual insects

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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Nice pics Fluid Filter :)

I don't know american species, but first shows Meloidae beetle. Next one is a moth (family Sphingidae) the last one is Cerambycidae beetle.
 

odwan

Arachnopeon
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Apr 25, 2005
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nice pix. If you press 'page down' quick enough at the 'dragonfly molting' post, it becomes animation lol.
 

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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Protaetia lugubris

Protaetia lugubris, emerged from cocolit (pupation chamber) this night :)



This is very rare european specie, living in hollows of 'ancient' decidious trees. Coexisting there with Osmoderma eremita and hundrets of other species.
 

jw73

Arachnobaron
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Nice photos. Have you any photos of our most impressive beetle Lucanus cervus ?
 

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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More of Osmoderma eremita

Ok. This is probably my most favourite specie... except Nicrophorus species ;P












...and I believe you know what's that.

They love to make mess... and don't use toilet paper :)

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting
 

cloud711

Arachnobaron
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wicked inverts. cool pics. im just curious what is the life span of a beetle? :)
 

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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cloud711 said:
wicked inverts. cool pics. im just curious what is the life span of a beetle? :)
Thanks.

If we are talking about mature insects: few days to 17 years (or more). Different species have different life span (even in the same family). I keep now Blaps lethifera (Tenebrionidae), they can live for more than 10 years. My Cetonidae species live for only few months.
 

dtknow

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Dark Raptor said:
My adults were eating small mealworm larvea and fresh meat.
Last week I've found place where I saw more than 200 larvae (on 2 square meters).
Yes, my adults produced some eggs and left them in the sand. I don't know how important is humidity, I didn't checked this.
Branches are very important for freshly pupated adults. I've lost two of them (they pupated very early) because their wings didn't develope correctly. And remember that they are flying, so some kind of net is also important.
Did the eggs ever hatch? I'm assuming you did not see them mating.

Got one cocoon now and another antlion which appears to be ready to pupate.
 

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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dtknow said:
Did the eggs ever hatch? I'm assuming you did not see them mating.

Got one cocoon now and another antlion which appears to be ready to pupate.
I've never seen them mating (probably they were copuliting during night). Yes, more than 30% of eggs hatched. I don't know why it was so small number. I believe it was caused by a very low humidity or eggs weren't fertilized.
 

Empi

Arachnobaron
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Nice pics! :clap: I was to busy looking at the pics to read anything. {D
 

Dark Raptor

Arachnoprince
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Scythemantis said:
Okay, I MUST know what these guys are. Fantastic eyes, if those are indeed the eyes. They're larva? Or adults? What do they do in those burrows?
This is larvae of tiger beetle - Cicindela hybrida. They hunt almost like antlions.

Scythemantis said:
What beetles other than Tenebrionidae live for over 10 years? And what species lives 17? I've not heard of that, that's amazing!
Eleodes sp. can live up to 18 years (info from Wade). I know that Blaps species can live for almost 11 years (problably more is also possible). Both belongs to Tenebrionidae family.
I've heard about larvae of Hylotrupes bajulus (Cerambycidae) developing in hard, dry wood for almost 20 years. Adult beetles die after few weeks.
 

Randolph XX()

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wow, i didn't know adult beetles can live that long. So again, 18 yr is for mature Eleodes sp. ?
the longest living adult beetle i've heard of is a 10 yr old Docus curvidens spp
 

Dark Raptor

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Check this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=41082

In another one Wade said something about 18 years, but +/- 1 year is nothing when we look at this specie :)

I've got a good data about Blaps mortisaga specimen that was kept by Prof. Burakowski for 10 and a half years (from the moment he capture them, so who knows how long they werer living there).
I've got now Blaps lethifera. I'll try to check how long they live as adults.
 
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Farom

Arachnoknight
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Ok...here are a few of my pics. :)

White Spot assassin laying eggs:




White spot eggs:


Katydid:


Katydid laying eggs:


And an unidentified spider that I found in southern CA:


Thanks,
Andrew
 
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