velvet worms

[Feri]

Does anybody on this board keep velvet worms (phylumnychophora)? If so then what are your experiences? Are there in the trade species other than Peripatoides novaezealandiae?

Feri

 

[Steven]

i'm on the search for velvetworms for about 6 years now,...
never seen them beeing offered
if you do manage to track some down,... please let me know!!!

ik know Tom.Larsen had got 3 of them some years ago,.... but he didn't get them to breed,.... and they died after 5 months or so.

very intresting animals :} :} :} :} yet not very much is known about them

 

[wayne the pain]

hey i just got a list off a man in the uk selling these if your interested let me know!

 

[Feri]

Hello Wayne, if he ships outside the UK then please let us know his list and his contact.
Thanks

Feri

 

[Steven]

i've send you a PM Wayne

 

[wayne the pain]

tried sending you one back

your pm's are full
oh and steven they were velvet slugs not velvet worms :8o
sorry

 

[danread]

I know www.easyexotics.co.uk did have some a while ago, but i just had a look on the website and it seems they don't have any more. It might be worth contacting the owner (Les Pickin) and finding out where he got them from.

Cheers,

Dan.

 

[Wade]

Re: tried sending you one back

Originally posted by wayne the pain
your pm's are full
oh and steven they were velvet slugs not velvet worms :8o
sorry

Wouldn't surprise me if that was just annother commonname for the same animal.

Wade

 

[Feri]

No, not in this case. Those Velvet slugs are really slugs (Molluscans) and not onychophorans. I saw a pic of them.

Feri

 

[Feri]

Easyexotics offered a New Zealand species. The problem with that is that it requires temperatures between 16-18 Celsius degrees. In the summer it seems to be impossible to keep the temperature below 25-30 degrees. Putting ice in the container would not be very effective and would have only a short term effect. Putting the whole container in a refrigerator setted to 16 degrees would be very expensive (practically impossible for me) and I wouldn't be able to see anything at all. And I live in an appartment, I have no cellar. So it would be better to get onychophorans from tropical jungles.
These are very interesting animals. They are more ancient then arthropods, yet some of them has a placenta like structure when pregnant (like mammals). And they capture their pray by shooting a glutinous liquid on them. And they look so lovely!

Feri

 

[Wade]

Originally posted by Feri
No, not in this case. Those Velvet slugs are really slugs (Molluscans) and not onychophorans. I saw a pic of them.

Feri

Well, that's a new one on me!

Anyway, here's a link to an an old thead with some care information on velvet worms and even some links:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...erpage=15&highlight=velvet worms&pagenumber=1

Wade

 

[Steven]

anybody has made any improvement getting velvetworms or some more info he could find?

arent their any south-american specie of those?
or even african?

guess someone would have seen them on a journey or so?
or are they that rare?

i've seen some pictures of "all white" velvetsworms,... those were stunning!!!!!!

 

[Feri]

Onychophorans live in Latin America, West Africa, South Africa, Australia, Tasmania and New zealand. I could find noone selling south american velvet worms. I don't know how rare they are but I think that they aren't sought after and that's why they aren't offered. (And they may require special care from the collector to keep them alive. Such as dessication. velvet worms are extremely vulnerable for dessication as not only can't they close their spiracles, their skin isn't water resistant at all eighter. Finding a south american dealer and giving him some information would be very good. Another reason for the lack of velvet worms may be that though they are very easy to collect (I think) under rotting logs, they doesn't look interesting when resting, they look like a small slug. So collectors doesn't think that its worth collecting. It would be great to get to South America and see the jungle. But money...

Feri

 

[wayne the pain]

feri

have you tried getting in contact with jsbug 1958 on these boards he maybe able to help, or even ines who lives in venezuela she might have them in her back garden

 

[Steven]

I know what you're saying Feri,....

i haven't given up hope yet to find some,... :} cause i have contact with a dutch-hobbyist who said he once had some velvetworms (New zealand) in his property,.. only he hasn't managed to breed them
he's a co-worker at a dutch zoo (he's guards the insectarium)

he's gonna try and pick up some old "newzealand"contacts and ask about velvetsworms,.... i'll keep you informed,...

if you find some,.. could you please keep me updated as well?

greetz

 

[Feri]

I will inform you as soon as I can find anything. (But unfortunately I'm not too optimistic in this regard.)

Feri

 

[Dracula]

Please read thread by dracula. thanx

 

[Steven]

I will inform you as soon as I can find anything. (But unfortunately I'm not too optimistic in this regard.)

hey Feri,....

6_Euro a piece + shipmentcosts,...sounds intresting????

if you want the mailadress where you can get them,....
giveme a PM,.... i'm awaiting how much the shipment would cost to Europe

i'm thinking about ordering some,.... only the weatherconditions aren't optimal right now!!!

 

[Navaros]

Lucky... I would really like to try some velvet worms. The only ones I ever see for sale are in Europe.

 

[Steven]

mmmmm,.. the guy who's offering them isn't european