1. BREEDING THE BLUE DEATH FEIGNING
BEETLE CRYPTOGLOSSA VERRUCOSA
Suzanne Rowe
Aquarist
The Deep

2. SPECIES OVERVIEW
 Originate South Western Deserts of the USA
 Found around areas of water
 Opportunistic feeders of vegetation and
animal matter
 Specially adapted to their environment
 Long lived species, approx. 10-20 years!
 No documented history of successful captive
rearing

3. OUR AIM AT THE DEEP
 Arrived within the collection in 2011
 Undertook basic husbandry – feeds and
mists
 Further research into the needs of the
species revealed insufficient data
 The Deep aims to identify species triggers
and lifecycle to produce an informative and
usable husbandry guide.

4. WHAT ARE WE DOING?
 Naturalistic Enclosure
 Mimicking Seasonality of the Sonoran Desert
 Captive Diet
 Identifying Triggers for copulation and
oviposition
 Hatch rate and larval development research
 Future Considerations

5. NATURALISTIC ENCLOSURE - DISPLAY
 Sand and
coco-fibre
substrate
at differing
depths
 Logs and
dry moss
for natural
shelter
 Provision
of a water
dish

6. NATURALISTIC ENCLOSURE - QUARANTINE
 Deep substrate bed of
coco-fibre and sand
 Cork bark shelter
 Rotten wood within
substrate
 Evidence of movement
and tunnelling apparent
 Lightly misted daily to
maintain humidity of
approximately 55%

7. MIMICKING SEASONALITY
 SPRING
 SUMMER
 AUTUMN
 WINTER
 FORE-SUMMER
DROUGHT
MONTH WEATHER DESCRIPTION TEMPERATURE
Max / Min ⁰C
HUMIDITY
%
JANUARY Winter Monsoon – sunny, cool
temperature, rain
16 / 0 59
FEBRUARY Winter Monsoon – sunny, cool
temperature, rain
20 / 4 57
MARCH Spring – mild temp, little rain 25 / 9 54
APRIL Spring – mild temp, little rain 28 / 13 53
MAY Fore-Summer Drought 31 / 17 57
JUNE Fore-Summer Drought 35 / 22 52
JULY Summer Monsoon – High Temp
and Humidity
35 / 23 56
AUGUST Summer Monsoon – High Temp
and Humidity
35 / 23 52
SEPTEMBER Summer Monsoon – High Temp
and Humidity
31 / 17 59
OCTOBER Autumn 27 / 12 59
NOVEMBER Autumn 22 / 5 58
DECEMBER Winter Monsoon – sunny, cool
temperature, rain
16 / 2 62
KEY:

8. WILD DIET VS. CAPTIVE DIET
Wild Diet Captive Diet
Live vegetation Leaf litter
Rotting vegetation Rotting logs
Carrion Carrot
Broccoli
Mushroom
Sweet corn
Seeds
Muesli
Lettuce (not iceberg)
Cat food or fish flake/pellet

9. IDENTIFYING TRIGGERS
Cryptoglossa is potentially a very seasonal
species in terms of breeding and development
so far we have identified the following:
July to September (summer
monsoon)
High occurrence of courting and
copulation. Burrowing also
observed, potential incubation
sites?
October and November (autumn) Oviposition (egg laying). Scattered
on substrate surface and possibly
buried.
March and April (Spring) Larvae hatch

10. COURTING, COPULATION AND OVIPOSITION
Courting involves the tactile
use of the males antennae to
identify if the female is
receptive. If successful they will
‘wrestle’ and the male will
mount. Evidence of burrow construction has
been witnessed, it is unclear as to
whether the use is for incubation or
shelter. Eggs have also been observed
scatter on the substrate.
Scattered
Egg
Burrows
construction
observed here.
Now been sealed.

11. LARVAL DEVELOPMENT
It is assumed that the larvae hatch in the spring, as it was
during these months following a wet period that the larvae
were first observed.
Regular measurements have been on-going to try and
track growth rates

12. LARVAL DEVELOPMENT
 Same diet offered to
larvae as adults
 Live predominantly
subterranean
 Possible max length of
5cm
 If disturbed will feign
death too!

13. METHOD OF PUPATION
It is unsure whether Cryptoglossa will
take on an external method of
pupation, as a pupa or an internal
method, within a pupal cell or
chamber.
Being part of the darkling beetle
family it is presumed external, as with
the mealworm (shown right)
However this cell was recently
discovered in our larval tank? (right)

14. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
 We are yet to observe any definitive
pupation, we need to establish its method
and conditions required.
 Length of larval stage and pupation??
 Feeds on plant matter in the wild, are there
any specific species it requires?
 Adults are very long lived, would a
husbandry document be beneficial to other
collections?