Scarites in captivity?

Tenevanica

Tenevanica

L2
I caught a Scarites sp. beetle while out collecting, and I'm wondering how well they do in captivity. I'll keep it as a live specimen if they do well. If not I'll just pin it.

 
They do alright in captivity, though most people aren't interested in them. They'll eat softbodied prey, and like to burrow, so a deep substrate should be provided. Never heard of anyone getting eggs from them, though that may just be because few people keep them.

 
They actually do very well in captivity, surviving up to 5 years (depending on the species - I kept S. striatus), and breeding.
They don't necessarily need softbodied prey. Sure, it will be easier for them to handle, but they are adapted to feed on darkling beetles, crushing their exoskeleton with their strong mandibles. It is quite interesting to watch their attack strategy.

It is possible to obtain eggs and rear the larvae. Just make sure things don't go too moldy in the enclosure.

 
wizentrop said:
They actually do very well in captivity, surviving up to 5 years (depending on the species - I kept S. striatus), and breeding.

They don't necessarily need softbodied prey. Sure, it will be easier for them to handle, but they are adapted to feed on darkling beetles, crushing their exoskeleton with their strong mandibles. It is quite interesting to watch their attack strategy.

It is possible to obtain eggs and rear the larvae. Just make sure things don't go too moldy in the enclosure.
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As always, you are a wealth of information on Carabids!
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Just wondering, have you noticed the high amount of inexplicable die offs commonly experienced with Carabid larva in captivity, and do you know why they often die?

 
Usually larval die offs are due to using the wrong substrate, wrong humidity level or lack of understanding of the beetle's life cycle. The latter is extremely important - many carabid species need a natural photoperiod, temperature fluctuations, and a dormancy period. The keeper must be aware of these factors, for example it is impossible to force-rear a carabid larva continuously to adulthood if this species requires a period of hibernation in the larval stage.

 
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Hisserdude said:
They do alright in captivity, though most people aren't interested in them. They'll eat softbodied prey, and like to burrow, so a deep substrate should be provided. Never heard of anyone getting eggs from them, though that may just be because few people keep them.
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I agree with wizentrop, these do good in captivity. I keep S.vicinus and have already got them to lay 2 eggs, which have hatched and since then the larvae have each molted to L2.

I give them dead A.vulgare a lot and they can easily eat them.

They absolutely love to burrow! Usually the only time I see them is at night, the rest of the time they are in their neatly constructed and very interesting burrows.

I'm planning on letting mine go though( might still keep the 2 larvae) so I can make some room for some new large and cool insects.

 
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