Friday, November 13, 2015

Pterostichus larva update

So far the larva are doing great, only one has died so far. The rest are healthy and are eating well. Here are a couple of (poor) pictures of a 4th instar.



These guys hate being photographed, they refuse to sit still and if they have any substrate they will immediately burrow into it. Oh well, what can you do? I hope you guys enjoyed this post, I will see you guys next time! :)

3 comments:

  1. If you ever come across them I think you should try and breed Harpalus sp. next. They come in a number of colors, they're active during the day, they interestingly have an omnivorous diet consisting of insects and seeds, and I've never seen what their larvae look like. Also they have strange asymmetrical mouthparts used for cracking seeds, very interesting for such a common and seemingly mundane insect.

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    1. Actually I have bred Harpalus pensylvanicus, I even got one to pupate, but alas I was not able to get it to enclose. I have a thread about it on the Beetleforum, here's the link: http://beetleforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2399&hl=harpalus

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    2. I also tried to breed H.affinis, unfortunately they never laid eggs for me.

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