2/25/2023: Sexy legs success

Would you laugh if someone tried to keep a fish alive out of water and wondered why they failed? While it seems like common sense, this is a common pitfall invertebrate keepers.

Through different lenses, we may perceive different facets of an invertebrate’s husbandry to be more or less important than others. Ideally, this is influenced by knowledge of the organism’s wild habitat (macro and micro) as well as trial and error in captivity. Sometimes these shortcuts make husbandry much easier than one would expect given the bug’s wild conditions. Tafalisca eleuthera, for example, primarily feeds on mangrove leaves in nature but will scavenge other foods when available. In captivity cultures can be maintained entirely on fish flakes and jellies or fruits.

Ischnoptera deropeltiformis is quite the opposite and is the fish in our scenario. Wild sexy legs roaches are found at their greatest densities in forests with seas of leaf litter. Many roaches can be found in this sort of habitat, and not all need leaf litter in their diets. However, it seems some component of the rotting leaves is important for long-term health in the species, and cultures will fail to thrive or outright crash if they don’t have sufficient rotting leaves.

This explains my initial successes with the species: I have always included leaf litter in my substrate mixes but have begun to shy away from it for many roaches as it hasn’t been as necessary for those cultures as it has been for others as well as my isopod collection. The sexy legs roaches would do fine initially, eating the small component of leaf litter in the enclosure, but quickly exhausting their favorite parts. Without attentiveness to the remaining leaf quantity, the cultures would gradually die off before producing an F2.

Seeing the species again in the wilds at Auburn and equipped with more experience, I have finally produced an F2 of the species. Surprisingly, no diapause was required despite my prior suspicions.

Despite needing leaf litter, the sexy legs roaches aren’t averse to other foods. If anything their appetite is even larger with more leaf litter in their diet, perhaps the vigor boost from this important dietary component encourages them to feed more ravenously and frequently. It’s also possible there is a link between their gut flora and general health, and leaves may be important for maintaining this. Maybe the fiber from the material improves their digestive activity/regularity. I’m unsure about any one of these things being the answer, but surely the organic matter is the key here.

I look forward to making this species consistently available after over a decade of spotty or sketchy availability. “Auburn” will be released first and should everything go well with the original, larger “Briceville” stock, those will be up for grabs as well.

-Kyle