# Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex)



## PeterF (Sep 27, 2010)

How to rear them. What they need (diapause, soil type, etc)

Is it too late in the year to get them?

Anyone know anything about anyone rearing them, maintaining them?


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## Peter Clausen (Nov 2, 2010)

I had a (related) shield-backed katydid from Florida, this summer. It buried eggs, but I don't necessarily expect them to hatch (unless I get lucky). I'm keeping them fairly warm under a water dragon's 90 degree tank. I've made no effort to research their ideal diapause, etc.

Too late to get them? Do you live in an area where they occur?

http://bugguide.net/node/view/150322/data


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## PeterF (Nov 2, 2010)

We have a related species from the south of the state collected this summer. Broadly speaking the mormon cricket is only in the west of the state on the other side of the mountains.

How big were the eggs?

I had given ours a small tub of dirt months ago. Then 2 weeks ago when she looked like she was trying to oviposit in the 1/2 inch of sand-substrate I also gave her a small tub of sand. She did seem to try to burrow into it (couldn't but tried) and then covered the hole. But I haven't seen any eggs. She was mature when collected, but it was pretty early (late june, early july).

I have read a few papers about control (pesticide and control) which have by necessity required maintaining a group of them. But no mention was made of breeding or if the specimen used were wild caught or reared. I have read no real useful information other than at high/cold locations eggs may take 2 years to hatch.


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## Peter Clausen (Nov 3, 2010)

The eggs are 5-6mm, rice-shaped and a pale brown. I'm not sure they are fertilized, but she was an adult when she was collected by a friend in Florida in July. She died a few weeks ago.

I had her on 4 inches of substrate. The eggs I've found were about 2 inches down (the length of her ovipositor + portion of abdomen). They were laid singly, not in oothecae/bunches as grasshoppers do. I took a photo of the eggs, but it will be few days before I upload them from my camera.

She was a nice pet for those few months. She ate dried dog food, fish food, apples and various other fruits or veggies. I think I offered her a few live feeder insects, but I didn't record/can't recall whether any were eaten.


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## PeterF (Nov 3, 2010)

I like ours quite a bit. It's very showy for out reach. Also, kind of bitey.



She eats just about everything. She really seemed to like the cantaloupe.

The trip we collected her on, she came back and was tanked with 8 or so Lubbers and a barber pole grass hopper. After about two weeks, I could not find the barber pole, but did not manage to connect it. The lubbers were dying off (my newer batch is doing better, but I can't seem to keep them going, down to 2 and probably not for long) and no one was eating the corpses (even the other lubbers).

After the lubbers died she was alone in the tank for a while. I started throwing large grass hoppers in there, because I didn't want them in the grasshopper cage because they were too big to feed to mantids.

I turned back to the grass hopper cage to get more, and then back to the M. Cricket tank to put them in, and she was sitting on top of one of the large grasshoppers, sort of had a front leg under and around it like a halfnelson and was eating it like an ear of corn.

It was pretty funny/amazing.

She never seemed that fond of the cabbage, but apple/zuchinni etc went well. The fish food seemed to only get eaten f it was on the produce. I never tried dog food.

I really would love to rear some, I can't see how it could be that hard to get mormon crickets, but I can't find anyone sharing them. I might have to plan next summer.


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## Peter Clausen (Nov 3, 2010)

That's all very interesting to read about and compare notes with.

I've never seen anybody offer Morman crickets online, or even mention them, for that matter. You're going to have to collect them and when you do, I'll hope to trade you some bugs for some!


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## PeterF (Nov 3, 2010)

Peter Clausen said:


> That's all very interesting to read about and compare notes with.
> 
> I've never seen anybody offer Morman crickets online, or even mention them, for that matter. You're going to have to collect them and when you do, I'll hope to trade you some bugs for some!


Mmmm...a month or so ago I was looking for people rearing them. I found one post on arachnoboards from some guy looking for them. It was a post from a few years ago, when I guess there was an outbreak, or march, or whatever their gregarious locust form is called.

Basically he said "I can't believe there's billions of them marching around and no one can get a dozen or so to sell me." Or something like that. Which is kind of the same feeling I have.

Attempting to contact him, I found a website through which he sells roaches. but I never heard back from him and do not know if he maintains the website or if it is a relic.

But, here's hoping I can come up with some next summer.


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## Peter Clausen (Feb 17, 2011)

New hatchling!


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## PeterF (Feb 17, 2011)

!

I might have some eggs.

That is, there were some eggs in her tank. And no foam, so I don't think they were from the lubbers or other grass hoppers.

What did you do to get them to hatch?


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## Peter Clausen (Feb 18, 2011)

Peter J F said:


> What did you do to get them to hatch?


That's a great question! I dug up two of the eggs and assumed there were many more because I found these two eggs in the first spoonful of substrate (four inches of compost soil). I then left the container at room temperature, about 70 degrees, all this time (since about the time this thread began). I dropped an AGB millipede in there at one point for consilidation's sake. Last week I nearly moved her into a smaller enclosure, but luckily remembered there were eggs in there "before I got around to it".

Now, a month or two ago my wife had found this unusual tiny "katydid" in the house. I realize now that it must have jumped out while I was maintaining the millipede enclosure, but at the time I just thought it was an odd occurrance. That was my first hatchling. When I opened the millipede enclosure the other day I saw one jump and then noticed another, realizing immediately what they were and what that one from a few months back was, after all.

So, to answer your question, I left them alone. Their temps. may have gone as high as 73 during part of the day and as cold as 65 for parts of the day, depending on what shelf they were on or whether the nearby reptile lights were on. They're in a double-size, plastic shoebox bin.

I hope they are feeding on blackberry leaves now and do seem to see some nibbles in the photo above.


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## PeterF (Mar 7, 2011)

Peter, any updates? I think I misplaced my eggs!


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## Peter Clausen (Mar 8, 2011)

I do have updates, but I don't think you're going to like them;-)

A couple days after I posted that I looked in the bin again. The two hatchlings I'd seen were gone. No additional nibble marks were seen on the foodplants. I suspect they probably starved and dried up and were consumed to a point of nonrecognition by various tiny detrivores in the tank.

The 3 hatchlings I've seen were probably from the two or three eggs I'd originally dug out of the substrate and left on top in a plastic milk jug lid. Hatchlings may be bursting forth soon from the buried depths. However, I recently introduced a pair of millipedes to that tank so the eggs may be disappearing. Truth be known, it's not a serious project for me. I'm just making casual observations because they are there to be made. I think we are the only two people interested in these on the planet at the moment. It's been fun sharing! If I see another nymph (or hundred) I will be offering some of same and different foodplant possibilities. If you have suggestions, I'm definitely open to them! I will probably also isolate future hatchlings into a different container since I've taken time to type this now and a third person may be leaning in on the conversation


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