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Phileurus valgus


Lucanus

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Can you tell me the size container you used to breed these valgus? Can you let me know how to tell the sex?

 

I've been using 32 oz per female (filled 3/4 with substrates) to get eggs. I check the substrate every month to see if the female has laid any eggs and remove the eggs into bigger containers if I find them.

 

I've yet to find the way to sex them. I was going to compare the last abdominal segments of males and females to see if they can be sexed in same manner as P. truncatus but I forgot to do so before I sent away most of my males to my friend.

 

So far, the specimens I've observed have shown that they can be sexed in same way as P. truncatus but I need to get more males to compare to make sure this is true.

 

One larva that I found came out all deformed, possibly to me disrupting the pupal cell. I have 6 adults total, will the normal ones mate with the deformed one, or should I take it out?

 

It depends on how badly it is deformed. I'll need pictures to tell.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

I have 5 adults I caught with blacklight and the 6 valgus larvae that I found on 7/11/13, they were growing huge on kinshi I wonder if truncatus larvae would do well on kinshi. When I ran out of kinshi a few months ago they have shrank to the size when I found them, and I just wait for them to pupate now. I feed the adults Canadian nightcrawlers cut in half and sometimes dry dog food that is moistened. The larva were in a branch that fell high out of a large live oak tree, maybe they are higher in the trees and that's why they aren't encountered much.

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I have 5 adults I caught with blacklight and the 6 valgus larvae that I found on 7/11/13, they were growing huge on kinshi I wonder if truncatus larvae would do well on kinshi. When I ran out of kinshi a few months ago they have shrank to the size when I found them, and I just wait for them to pupate now. I feed the adults Canadian nightcrawlers cut in half and sometimes dry dog food that is moistened. The larva were in a branch that fell high out of a large live oak tree, maybe they are higher in the trees and that's why they aren't encountered much.

off topic.."7/11" made me lol

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You may be correct. I find Phileurus valgus far less than P. truncatus and usually only one larva per tree. It may lack the large horns of truncatus but its still one of my favorite U.S. beetles. I had no idea the adults could feed on dog food.

 

Same here. Even though this is the first species of Dynastinae I encountered in the US, I've only seen them twice in the wild. Good thing is they are easy to breed so I'm hoping to see more people breeding this cute little species in the hobby soon :)

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I have 5 adults I caught with blacklight and the 6 valgus larvae that I found on 7/11/13, they were growing huge on kinshi I wonder if truncatus larvae would do well on kinshi. When I ran out of kinshi a few months ago they have shrank to the size when I found them, and I just wait for them to pupate now. I feed the adults Canadian nightcrawlers cut in half and sometimes dry dog food that is moistened. The larva were in a branch that fell high out of a large live oak tree, maybe they are higher in the trees and that's why they aren't encountered much.

Looks like there is a well established breeding culture of P. valgus in your area :)

It's interesting to know that yours are doing well in kinshi cause Dynastids generally don't do well in 100% kinshi substrate.

 

I second your agreement. I've seen pieces of P. valgus fallen out from tree tops in various places and I myself have collected a pair with couple of L1s at the tree top this summer. They probably breed in lower parts of trees too but tree tops seem to be their favorite places to breed :)

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They were doing great in kinshi, I wish that I had not run out, because as soon as I had to ween them back to oak, they started slowing down and shrinking like when I found them and that was months ago! They still have not pupated. I should have kinshi soon to experiment with, it was oyster mushroom kinshi. It was like steroids for them.

I need to learn how to use my tree climbing equipment or follow a tree cutting service around.

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  • 7 months later...

Nice!

 

Last week, I was in the process of recycling some old breeding substrate when I was surprised by two D. tityus larvae that I must have missed when I was looking for eggs last year. Always cool to find extras!

 

Cheers

 

That's nice! Wish that kind of thing happened often to me. LOL

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