New York Ectobius pallidus

Hydrophilus

Hydrophilus

Second Instar
Forum Supporter
Hello all,

I didn't want to hijack Kyle's thread so I'm posting this separately. I recently had the good fortune of collecting several Ectobius pallidus nymphs a couple of weeks ago here in Syracuse, New York. I understand this is a tricky species to breed, so this is an open invitation to all to share your experiences with this or other small, cold temperate Ectobiids to hopefully gain a better understanding of their captive requirements.

My five nymphs are currently being housed in an 18qt gasketed sterilite bin with leaf litter from the area where they were collected. I offered them fish flakes, dog food kibbles, and a small piece of apple as food for now. They do not seem to have touched the dog food or fish flakes before they went moldy, but I did observe at least one nibbling at the apple. I will likely move them to a smaller tub with better ventilation before too long. My plan is to give them a curved piece of cork bark which is kept over a permanently damp spot of coir or topsoil/well-aged compost, and a similar setup on the other side of the tub which is kept drier. Maple and oak leaf litter will be provided in addition to whatever food sources folks here recommend. I currently have a huge assortment of fish foods, dog kibbles, roach chow, bug burger, and access to fresh fruits and veggies. It's a bit difficult estimating the nutritional needs of five very tiny cockroaches, however.

Thanks all for your input!

-Eric

 
I would keep the oothecae in semi moist substrate and keep mold from growing. I have not had this genus before though there are likely a few people that had success with these. Have you seen any of the other species of Ecotobius so far west into NY state?

 
happy1892, thanks for your reply. I'm not sure why I didn't see it sooner. I haven't seen any other Ectobius in the area, in fact this outing was the first (and to date, only) time I have ever seen a member of this genus in the wild. Supposedly Ectobius lucidus can now be found southwest of Rochester, however.

I don't currently have any oothecae to incubate, just these five nymphs, none of which appear to have molted yet. I am not sure if/what they are eating. I am still keeping them on the floor of my basement, so maybe the cool temperatures are preventing them from growing more quickly.

-Eric

 
I've been doing a lot of bug hunting all over the state the last few months, but forest cockroaches don't seem to be very common here in New York. The only ones I've seen were one Parcoblatta in the eastern Adirondacks, and a dozen or so nymphs of Ectobius pallidus at the site I collected these individuals from. I found all of the Ectobius on or in very close proximity to a patch of what looked like periwinkle. According to that link, it seems this species may have some affinity for this plant, as the authors found them for several summers among its leaves and stems. E. pallidus is still considered an adventive species here, so I don't think it currently occupies all of its potential habitats in the state, which may explain its relatively patchy distribution so far.

 
Hydrophilus said:
I've been doing a lot of bug hunting all over the state the last few months, but forest cockroaches don't seem to be very common here in New York. The only ones I've seen were one Parcoblatta in the eastern Adirondacks,
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The Parcoblatta virginica I thought would be very common. You may not be looking in the right spots (the best leaf litter.).
Hydrophilus said:
I found all of the Ectobius on or in very close proximity to a patch of what looked like periwinkle. According to that link, it seems this species may have some affinity for this plant, as the authors found them for several summers among its leaves and stems.
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Oh, I thought it was just that the Ectobius pallidus were so numerous that they were found commonly a little away from forested areas. The Parcoblatta species around here in NC I mostly just find them moving around in leaf litter in forests and uncommonly away from forests (except males of P. uhleriana and another species I commonly see around lights during around July.), but that is during the day of course because I do not go into forests during nights (They would be more active during the night.).
Hydrophilus said:
E. pallidus is still considered an adventive species here, so I don't think it currently occupies all of its potential habitats in the state, which may explain its relatively patchy distribution so far.
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I agree with that. I guess they have not spread across all of NY state yet.
 
Hydrophilus said:
I've been doing a lot of bug hunting all over the state the last few months, but forest cockroaches don't seem to be very common here in New York. The only ones I've seen were one Parcoblatta in the eastern Adirondacks, and a dozen or so nymphs of Ectobius pallidus at the site I collected these individuals from. I found all of the Ectobius on or in very close proximity to a patch of what looked like periwinkle. According to that link, it seems this species may have some affinity for this plant, as the authors found them for several summers among its leaves and stems. E. pallidus is still considered an adventive species here, so I don't think it currently occupies all of its potential habitats in the state, which may explain its relatively patchy distribution so far.
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On Long Island I find nymphs that are orange and black are they wood roaches? The other roach you have I don't find but in Massachusetts they were plentiful nymphs were found in pinecones

 
Keith said:
On Long Island I find nymphs that are orange and black are they wood roaches?
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Do you mean that the roaches are black and orange mixed in color or that some are just orange in color and some are just black? If they are all light orange in color then they are probably Parcoblatta males.
 
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happy1892 said:
Do you mean that the roaches are black and orange mixed in color or that some are just orange in color and some are just black? If they are all light orange in color then they are probably Parcoblatta males.
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They are mixed colored bodies.

 
Keith said:
They are mixed colored bodies.
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Strange. Are they dull colored? Are they small or large? Do the adult females have short wings (brachypterous)? Are they not Blatta orientalis or Periplaneta species?I was told by Alan Jeon that if there 10th tergum is split then it is a Blattidae but if it is not it is a Blattelidae (Ectobiidae) I think. So if it is split then it is a Periplaneta or Blatta orientalis or maybe some other species but if it is not split then it is a Parcoblatta or maybe another similar species (that is if there are any other roaches up in Long Island, NY).

You can see in this photo the thing circles I think is the 10th tergum which is split (Blatta orientalis adult female.):

10801933_1583248861897404_4439649571115322161_n.jpg


You can maybe see from this photo the 10th tergum is not split.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/VznsLwdtCXmLzDbw_hfl02oY8B2q63ReoNzFDNUUXjSFEN_86ms0ziaY3kwngTWE-EviekNSxSBbCDcO6Oe9Sw

 
Ah, they are probably all P. virginica. I would change the ID. :) To make even more certain did you find them in a dry pine tree stump or underneath moist pine logs or leaf litter?

 
happy1892 said:
Ah, they are probably all P. virginica. I would change the ID. :) To make even more certain did you find them in a dry pine tree stump or underneath moist pine logs or leaf litter?
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There is oak and maple here they live under rotting trees

 
Yeah, updates? I would love to try to keep these one day, I hope someone will be able to successfully breed them soon! :)

 
Hi all,

I'm glad to see there's continued interest in Ectobius! Unfortunately all my nymphs slowly died over the 2014-15 winter. I believe part of the problem was a humidity issue, it's just so damned dry in my basement I couldn't keep up with their moisture needs.

Last summer I also found a site that was overrun with Ectobius lucidus, with a few E. pallidus mixed in there. They did okay for a couple weeks but I eventually overwatered them and their poorly-ventilated jar did them in. I will hopefully be able to go back this summer to collect more and get good photos, I didn't have my camera at the time.

Cheers,

Eric

 
Hydrophilus said:
Hi all,

I'm glad to see there's continued interest in Ectobius! Unfortunately all my nymphs slowly died over the 2014-15 winter. I believe part of the problem was a humidity issue, it's just so damned dry in my basement I couldn't keep up with their moisture needs.

Last summer I also found a site that was overrun with Ectobius lucidus, with a few E. pallidus mixed in there. They did okay for a couple weeks but I eventually overwatered them and their poorly-ventilated jar did them in. I will hopefully be able to go back this summer to collect more and get good photos, I didn't have my camera at the time.

Cheers,

Eric
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Ooh, E.lucidus is high up on my wish list! I really hope you find more this year and successfully breed them, if you find a bunch I may be interested, in E.lucidus especially. ;)

 
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