Draco 09 - Invertebrates in the terrarium

Draco 09 - Invertebrates in the terrarium

Content:

• 2 - Editorial
• 3 - Invertebrates, by Dieter Masberg
• 20 - The Landing Crab, by Harry Wölfel
• 27 - Phasmids (ghost insects, stick insects and walking leaves), by Sven Bradler and Christoph Seiler
• 33 - Phasmids as pets, by Christoph Seiler and Sven Bradler
• 38 - The Australian Pfeffermins stick insect Megacrania batesii - no simple fosterling, by Christoph Seiler and Sven Bradler
• 41 - essence of darkness - essence of light: The Mysterious Life of the Giant and Rose Beetles, by Arndt Löwenberg
• 55 - Exotic cord feet in the terrarium, by Timm Adam
• 67 - Safety in scorpion keeping: 10 golden rules, by Herbert Schiejok
• 70 - Own experiences with the keeping of Euscorpius carpaticus mauretanicus (THORELL, 1876), by Mario Schedel
• 74 - Pseudoscorpions in nature and in small terrariums, by Kriton Kunz
• 82 - Book case
• 94 - Magazine

The content at a glance:

Invertebrates - the large army of the animal world, fascinatingly multi-layered, mostly hardly researched and weathered by the otherness to the vertebrates and to us humans since ancient mystery. Dieter Mahsberg's introduction to this unusual DRACO fans out the entire prism of the invertebrates: What characterizes all invertebrates, what groups are there, how do they live? After this overview you will also find a list of all taxa with species numbers that are relevant for keeping - a huge potential of highly interesting animals that will certainly not leave your thirst for research cold!

Phasmids (ghost insects, stick insects and wandering leaves)
Phasmids are certainly among the stars of the invertebrate boom: Sven Bradler and Christoph Seiler present the basics of the systematics and biology of these interesting animals, which include the longest insect still living today. Learn everything you need to know about the way of life of the well camouflaged invertebrates, marvel at sophisticated protection and defence mechanisms or unusual reproductive strategies. By the way, an extra section of the richly illustrated article is dedicated to the European species: so why not keep your eyes open during your next holiday!

Phasmids as pets
And on we go with the phasmids, because Christoph Seiler and Sven Bradler naturally also explain to you the keeping and breeding of the insects, which are often quite easy to care for, and which as pure herbivores make the time-consuming breeding of feed animals superfluous. The authors name the most important food plants, describe the types of terrariums with which you can meet the different requirements of the animals, and give insider tips on how to reproduce the beautiful insects - and of course they also point out possible sources of error that should be avoided! For beginners in phasmid breeding as well as for old hands an absolute must!

The Australian peppermint stick insect Megacrania batesii - no simple fosterling
And to make sure that the absolute phasmid experts also get their money's worth, Seiler and Bradler go into detail about the keeping and breeding of this little kept and quite difficult to reproduce species in this article, in which especially the young animals captivate with their rich colors. The secret of the success in the reproduction of the Australian peppermint stick insect begins already with the suitable food, because the animals are very choosy. Seiler and Bradler will give you tips on how to get the plants you need to breed this very special stick insect without spending a lot of money. And, of course, the authors also give you insight into their successful breeding methods, so that after reading this article you have acquired all the prerequisites to try your hand at cultivating this Australian jewel yourself!

The hermit crab
They often appear in pet shops and on dealer lists, these cute crustaceans, but hardly anyone knows how to keep them successful. Harry Wölfel presents amazing facts from the biology of these crustaceans, which are not very species-rich but all the more interesting - or did you know that the largest species in this group can reach a range of up to 1 m? Our DRACO author will not only tell you where the land hermit crabs occur and how they "function", but will also explain what to look out for when keeping them, how to set up the terrarium adequately, and he will even give you hints on how to breed them, which is not easy. One of the very few articles in the relevant literature, and in addition so expert and detailed - it's your own fault who as a crab fan escapes this treat!

Beings of darkness - Beings of light. The mysterious life of the giant and rose beetles
These magnificent beetles are certainly among the most beautiful insects of all, and even people who otherwise have nothing to do with "crawling animals" cannot escape the aesthetics of the animals. Did you know why nature has endowed many species of rose beetles with such lavish splendour? Arndt Löwenberg will not only tell you this, but will also give you a comprehensive introduction to the biology of these increasingly cultivated animals. And he gives a practical description of where these pearls and giants of the beetle world come from, how they are kept and bred and what the key to success is!

Exotic cord feet in the terrarium
Unfortunately, there is almost nothing to be found in the literature about keeping and breeding the quaint string feet. Timm Adam is a competent remedy. What is a string foot, how do these bizarre animals live? The author does not only go into detail about the stars of his contribution, but also about their relatives, for example the Skolopender. But the focus is clearly on the string feet and the role they play in science and terraristics. Are string feet poisonous? How can I set up a suitable terrarium, what do I have to consider with the climatic conditions, how can I feed the animals? And how do you breed these interesting invertebrates? Timm Adam has all the answers ready and does not leave out any hints of problems with their breeding. In short: The ultimate string foot hit!

Own experiences with the keeping of Euscorpius carpaticus mauretanicus (Thorell, 1876)
If you are fascinated by scorpions, but don't want to bring the most poisonous ones into your house, you are well advised to use specimens of this small species. Their keeping and breeding are not particularly difficult and can therefore be recommended to beginners in scorpion keeping. To make sure that you do everything right from the start, Mario Schedel will show you what to look out for. From the suitable terrarium over aspects like socialization up to the successful offspring all important aspects are covered!

Safety in keeping scorpions
Topic number 1 in the keeping of these fascinating arachnids is, of course, always safety, which must be absolutely guaranteed. Scorpion expert Herbert Schiejok points out all the important parameters that have to be observed for a safe keeping, gives tips on which terrarium types are best suited, what has to be taken into account when setting up the tank and what has to be observed when handling the animals in the terrarium. How, for example, do you catch a scorpion safely, how do you move it, and what do I do if the animal has been stabbed in spite of all caution? A responsible terrarium keeper who cares about his own protection and that of his fellow human beings will certainly not miss this contribution!

Pseudoscorpions in nature and in the smallest terrarium
Do you find scorpions fascinating, but shy away from the risk of a poison sting? You would like to take care of really special animals? How about pseudoscorpions? These tiny creatures, which you can easily find in your garden, in the forest or perhaps even in your house, are very similar to their big relatives, but unlike them they do not have a "tail" with a poison sting. Kriton Kunz overhears with you the secret activities of the funny little guys, presents them fascinating details from the widely unknown biology of the unusual arachnids and gives you tips on where and how you can capture the dwarves. And anyone who has ever maintained or even recreated the bizarre "mini scorpions" in a neatly furnished mini-terrarium will certainly not be able to get rid of them in a hurry!