Ralph
Panchlora
I was struck by a heavenly vision yesterday. Went out behind American Electronics, caught a bunch of these grasshoppers, and set them up in a big Sterilite tub with an inch of off-road trail-dust and some hardy grasses and forbs.
All my previous attempts at breeding this species have failed, and I learned that it was because of the space required for their hovering mating displays. My procedure for this setup is to watch them for about an hour in the sun with the lid off, so the males can fly up over the tub to attract the females. So far, it's going fairly well. About half of them have mostly adjusted to captivity, and are eating and communicating with waves of the back legs. The others are still pacing around the sides and trying to climb.
A few of the males have already attempted mating displays, but haven't figured out to do it away from the walls or that will impede their flapping! One male tried to impress the largest female with leg movements, head bows, and other gestures, but she kicked and flew away from him (I think she's already gravid)!
All my previous attempts at breeding this species have failed, and I learned that it was because of the space required for their hovering mating displays. My procedure for this setup is to watch them for about an hour in the sun with the lid off, so the males can fly up over the tub to attract the females. So far, it's going fairly well. About half of them have mostly adjusted to captivity, and are eating and communicating with waves of the back legs. The others are still pacing around the sides and trying to climb.
A few of the males have already attempted mating displays, but haven't figured out to do it away from the walls or that will impede their flapping! One male tried to impress the largest female with leg movements, head bows, and other gestures, but she kicked and flew away from him (I think she's already gravid)!
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