Proposals for breeding Asian Cetonidae:
Agestrata belitungana, wild caught female from the Cameron Highlands
5.1 Egg laying: For some species eggs are very easy obtained, even in non sufficient substrate. The problems start after hatching of the new larvae. Other species are quite picky about their egg laying areas. For those try out:
5.1.1 Different substrate height. Usually eight times the female’s length brings the best results according resulting egg numbers.
5.1.2 Different temperatures: A task normally not enough attention is paid to. It will be very difficult to breed Highland species in lowland temperatures. For example, Lucanus ssp. won’t lay eggs if kept in temperatures over 22 degrees Celsius. Same for Pseudochalcotea spatulifera from Mount Kinabalu, although the Imagos are very active at higher temperatures, everything above 23 degrees Celsius will keep the females from egg laying and kill eggs and larvae…
5.1.3 Different substrates. Some species like Glyciphana festiva will lay eggs only in or near pieces of rotten wood (structure still hard). Agestrata ssp. easily lay eggs, but larvae seem to develop in living roots (Pandanus ssp.). Dicranocephalus ssp. prefers fresh leaves that are pulled into the ground by the females and formed to packages, in each of which one egg is laid. Strategus anteus females are said to lay eggs only between layers of rotting grass mixed with sand. Thus we have to be creative and think of many factors when females deny egg laying.
5.1.4 Moisture level. Some species prefer drier conditions while others prefer more humidity. If drier species are kept too wet, eggs will easily mould and die.
5.1.5 Light. Unlike Dynastidae and Lucanidae, Cetonidae need at least 8 hours of light every day. Some species prefer real bright one and longer than 8 hours (Mecynorrhina ssp.), others do fine with a weaker light. Only then you will get eggs from them.
5.1.6 Sometimes it helps to have some pieces of wood (can – size) in the substrate (Bottom would be the best place). This sometimes stimulates the females to lay eggs, or more eggs (Odontolabis gazella)
5.2 Larval stages. Many Asian species die shortly after hatching from the egg. Reasons might be insufficient food source, wrong moisture and temperature levels and / or disease (mostly fungal diseases). For these we have to search the right food source. Adding:
2.1 Dung (Horse, Cow, and Elephant),
2.2 Vegetables (carrots, salad, leaves),
2.3 Moss (fresh from the forest)
2.4 Changing the pH worth of the substrate with clay or peat,
sometimes brings really astonishing results.
5.3 Pupation: It seems that many Asian species (almost all bigger ones) in captivity have the main problem of pupating. On the one hand they die shortly before pupation, because they cannot find the right pupation place, on the other hand, they die during pupation. It is not normal that some species stay very long inside the cocoon (Jumnos ruckeri ruckeri in some cases over 7 months!). Maybe they are waiting for some signal to pupate, something like a temperature change, a change in moisture, etc.
Helping the larvae finding the right pupation place includes:
5.3.1 Offering pieces of rotten wood in certain stages (Soft to almost hard). Some larvae prefer pupating on surfaces. Trichaulax macleayi makes cocoons inside of wood (still quite hard). Usually species that do not build hard cocoons, prefer building them on surfaces or inside wood (Glyciphana festiva).
5.3.2 Offering different material for pupation sometimes is the only chance to get imagos. So for example a layer of dry sand on the surface of the larvae's’ substrate (height about ten centimetres or more) will make larvae to build their cocoons (as Bricoptis variolisa from Madagascar). In other cases, a layer of clay (slightly wet) under the larvae’s’ substrate will have cocooning as a result (Dicranocephalus wallichi uenoi from Taiwan)
3.3 There are a few species pupating in moss, or on the surface of the substrate between layers of dry leaves (Amaurodes passerini linnei).
5.3.4 Some species maybe need a change of temperature (Warm to cold) or moisture (Humid to dry) to initiate cocooning.
5.3.5 After the larvae pupated and they seem to stay longer than normal inside their cocoons, we have to stimulate them somehow to become active. Spraying the cocoons sometimes helps, same as changing temperatures (Cold to warm).
3.3.6 Sometimes it seems that the density of larvae has a positive effect on the growth of the larvae as well as pupation. some species are better kept together, whereas others better are separated.
I hope I was able to give you some thoughts on this topic. I know it is very theoretical and for some species maybe no help. I just wrote down everything I knew.
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Stand: 06. November 2007 .