entomo-logic
L1
On July 28th 2014 I collected two males and one female Amblycheila baroni at Madera Canyon, Pima Co, AZ.
On July 30th, I placed the three beetles in a 16qt Steralite container that had 4cm of a 50% sand/ 50% loess mixture. The substrates were sifted through a #14 soil sieve and then mixed 50/50 by weight.
The substrate was added to the container and moistened until the water could be seen n small pools at the bottom of the steralite. Then two large (10mm diameter) rocks were placed in the container to provide shelter for the adults and because literature suggests that larvae are most often found along boulders in the wild.
The adults were never observed breeding but several oviposition pits were recorded (August 4th) and one egg (2-3mm long) was seen on the substrate.
September 16th, 43 days after the first oviposition pit was observed the first larval burrow appeared.
The first instar burrows are surprisingly large compared to other species of tiger beetles that I have worked with, having a diameter of 3mm! Upon the first burrow opening I started feeding the larvae by crushing the head capsule of 5mm crickets, Acheta domesticus, and Camponotus pennsylvanicus worker ants, and placing the abdomens into the burrow openings. The container was checked every day and the prey would be pulled if not consumed.
On October 22nd I went through the substrate and found 41 first instar larvae in the container. Having limited space I gave 20 larvae to a friend at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and kept the 21 remaining larvae to rear myself.
Many of the larvae found when I went through the substrate had not formed burrows yet and were living in capsules about 6mm under the surface of the substrate. Presumably these had just hatched from the egg but competition pressures may have also sent the beetles into a dormant state.
In mid February 2015 the first Second instar burrows opened up. These burrows were roughly 4.5-5mm in diameter.
The larvae were voracious and easily took live 5mm crickets. Their diet was supplemented with wild caught moths, callaphorid flies, and Crane flies (Tipulidae).
April 10, 2015, The second instar burrows are all closed and I am patiently waiting the third instar burrows to ope up.
MORE TO COME SOON!
On July 30th, I placed the three beetles in a 16qt Steralite container that had 4cm of a 50% sand/ 50% loess mixture. The substrates were sifted through a #14 soil sieve and then mixed 50/50 by weight.
The substrate was added to the container and moistened until the water could be seen n small pools at the bottom of the steralite. Then two large (10mm diameter) rocks were placed in the container to provide shelter for the adults and because literature suggests that larvae are most often found along boulders in the wild.
The adults were never observed breeding but several oviposition pits were recorded (August 4th) and one egg (2-3mm long) was seen on the substrate.
September 16th, 43 days after the first oviposition pit was observed the first larval burrow appeared.
The first instar burrows are surprisingly large compared to other species of tiger beetles that I have worked with, having a diameter of 3mm! Upon the first burrow opening I started feeding the larvae by crushing the head capsule of 5mm crickets, Acheta domesticus, and Camponotus pennsylvanicus worker ants, and placing the abdomens into the burrow openings. The container was checked every day and the prey would be pulled if not consumed.
On October 22nd I went through the substrate and found 41 first instar larvae in the container. Having limited space I gave 20 larvae to a friend at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and kept the 21 remaining larvae to rear myself.
Many of the larvae found when I went through the substrate had not formed burrows yet and were living in capsules about 6mm under the surface of the substrate. Presumably these had just hatched from the egg but competition pressures may have also sent the beetles into a dormant state.
In mid February 2015 the first Second instar burrows opened up. These burrows were roughly 4.5-5mm in diameter.
The larvae were voracious and easily took live 5mm crickets. Their diet was supplemented with wild caught moths, callaphorid flies, and Crane flies (Tipulidae).
April 10, 2015, The second instar burrows are all closed and I am patiently waiting the third instar burrows to ope up.
MORE TO COME SOON!
