Jump to content

Cannibalistic larvae


Recommended Posts

So I've been wondering for quite some time now..what species tend to have cannibalistic tendencies? I've heard Lucanus may at times when they become larger L3's but does it solely happen with Stag larvae or does it happen with Dynastes as well?

 

Really intrigued to finding out why and how? Also personal experiences with this? Personally I've never had this issue before..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

im keeping bunch of rugose larvae together and some oregon stag beetle larvae... so far i had only few larvae eating each other...... im also keeping bunch of granti L1 together so ill see how many got eaten or what...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a cannibalistic problem while I was keeping some Chalcosoma atlas larvae back in South Korea. The L3 larva I had ate the L2 larva. Similar thing happened to my Strategus aloeus as my L2 larva munched in my L1 larva right in front of my eyes (they were against the wall of the container so I could see it). Also, there are reports of S. antaeus larvae feeding on their siblings at L1 stage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wicked! I've never had this issue before are the atlas aggressive at all??? I believe there was one case in which someone kept two megasoma elephas together as L3 but put them in a poor space and did not give them enough room to develop thus one killed the other..it's surprising because I read that actaeon and elephas typically enjoy the company of other larvae.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Keeping larvae together is one of those things that is rarely beneficial, but when it is some of the benefits are difficult to prove. Even the species that are not cannibalistic for some people prove that way for others (for example the big Megasoma). Larvae often cause each other to not get enough food for maximum growth. They can be much easier to rear in a group.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...