predatory beetles!

M

manticora

Pupa
who else keeps predatory beetles? they a blast to keep,i'm keeping amblychiela,pasimachus,had colosoma,always looking for more sp.like anthia, manticora,dytiscus, etc.the larva and adults are just amazing in their hunting skills,just courious if anybody else enjoys them as much as i do
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I like all the predatory beetles but they are the hardest to come across. My favorite are any of the larger Phileurus which live about two years. I had truncatus for 7 generations but did a larva feeding experiment that ended up wiping out my colony and I haven't been able to acquire them again. The food didn't kill the larvae, it made them much, much larger but the wings didn't close right on the adults and the adults ate each other instead of mating (the strong elytra protect the soft abdomen).

 
I've kept Pasimachus and Calosoma before, but they're a bit too secretive for me. Beautiful animals though. Otherwise, I regularly keep aquatic Dytiscids; Thermonectus and Cybister in particular.

I've been considering making a run at Amblycheilus this summer.

 
shoegazer said:
I've kept Pasimachus and Calosoma before, but they're a bit too secretive for me. Beautiful animals though. Otherwise, I regularly keep aquatic Dytiscids; Thermonectus and Cybister in particular.

I've been considering making a run at Amblycheilus this summer.
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yeah, the amblycheila are awesome,kinda like mini manticoras
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i would love to get some of the larger dytiscus,verticalus,harrisi,marginalis and their larva are beasts.

 
manticora said:
yeah, the amblycheila are awesome,kinda like mini manticoras
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i would love to get some of the larger dytiscus,verticalus,harrisi,marginalis and their larva are beasts.
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I've yet to see any Dytiscus here (KS), but I read they can be found in ponds in the northern part of the state. Cybister are the biggest Dytiscids in the country though, and they're easy to come by here. I've got a few in a tank in my office that will turn 3 years old this spring!

 
Orin: I'm sure I could wrangle up a couple pairs or so for you at some point - might be a couple months. Drop me a message and we'll discuss.

 
cybisters...yeah they can live a long time,i see them down here in fla.here and there,used to keep em aswell,but i'm on the lookout for the biggies
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i have a pasimachus going on 4years...not bad for a predatory beetle,still going strong and this 1 is not the large sp.it's a small sp.

 
This thread is making me very ready for warmer weather! It's really interesting to hear about these long-lived adult beetles.

 
me too. have you ever seen a backswimmer? 2 years ago I caught one at a local pool and it bit me. it didn't eat and eventually died, but it was cool regardless.

 
backswimmers are really interesting too,the way they move..pretty cool,i'm courious how long the larger predatory beetles live,like anthia,manticora(i want these bad
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)omus are awesome too....hint hint.

 
I have been keeping Pterostichus (unknown species) for a number of years. The longest lived was a round 1.5 years. I collect these each year when on vacation in Tenn. I find these to be most enjoyable. I find them both black and purple in color but prefer the purple.

On a side note I found a local predaceous ground beetle

(WI.) and placed in the enclosure with it's southern cousins and now after seven months they are still living happily.

 
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