9/22/2021: Secrets of the roach vault
Despite the chaotic summer there are many projects I began when bug work was still at a full-time pace that are starting to come to fruition. Although I love sharing new projects, I try not to be too brazen with things I may fail with, just so I don’t get too many hopes up and end up with egg on my face (which often happens anyways).
One of these projects that seems to be on the cusp of establishing is a familiar roach to some but hasn’t quite taken a good foothold in culture despite 7 or so years of attempts in the US. That roach is Hemithyrsocera vittata. Sometimes referred to as the clown roach, I’m going to be moving towards more standardized, procedural common names for new species. Quirky adjectives are fine and help to inject new species into the cultural zeitgeist, but I much prefer Latin names and I’m partially hoping verbose, standardized common names will continue to force people onto the Latin. Therefore I will probably be listing them as striped (from vittata) sun (referring to the diurnal habits of this and related species but not derived from the genus name) roaches when ready.
I have almost established a colony of this species two previous times; once around 2016 and again around 2018. The problem has always been the nymphs; the newborns are fast ant mimics that are not only escape artists but also prefer specific humidity conditions. Now, this is something I’ve been able to deal with easily in my new, spacious, carefully managed tank set-ups, but a luxury I could not afford space or lifestyle wise in the past. Thus, after a boom of newborns I would inevitably end up with exponential death as nymphs escaped and desiccated or succumbed to the humidity and its numerous confounding effects in their enclosure.
The current group has been thriving by every standard; the adults I’ve produced are the largest and healthiest I have ever seen and despite a staggered maturity I’ve confirmed several pairings and unusually longevous adult males. Now, the only thing left to do is wait for a gush of babies and cling to my trust in the new set-up! Fingers crossed as always!
-Kyle