Collection for the Registration of all Coleoptera species in breeding

 

    

Torynorrhina flammea blue and red type

Short summary: This collection is to contain some examples of all species that are bred at the moment and thus become kind of a beetle breeding data bank with real specimen. Besides I want to take down exact notes about species, finding place (if known), generation ( P, F1, F2,...), breeder, peculiarities in breeding, and other data.

It is important that as many breeders as possible donate some of their dead specimen of their own breeding.  It is desirable that  same species are donated by many breeders, as there is a great variation in the beetles, for example  form and size of horns, body size and colouration, even from breeder to breeder. In future, I want to make some collections that contain every specimen of one breeding population from generation to generation, in order to show the whole variety of certain species, including aberrations. Donators will be named in the collection, if they wish to.

This collection is exhibited in the Museum of Natural History. It is non- commercial and made for scientific research only. 

All information that is given by the donator, like conditions of keeping and breeding, will be written down and put to the specimen. With a collection like this it will easily be possible to see under which conditions one can reach bigger imagos, or what kind of breeding  substrate every species prefers. This is especially interesting, as there isn't to much written about this in contemporary literature and in my opinion it is only the breeder, who knows best the conditions needed by the different species. If this knowledge is shared beginners´ mistakes could be avoided and maybe even the experienced breeder could learn something.

                       

Chalcosoma caucasus

About the specimen: It doesn't matter if the specimen is slightly damaged ( missing legs, scratches, etc.), as long as they are typical for the breeding  regarding size, colour, etc. I'm very grateful, if somebody donates aberrations from his breeding. If specimen are send to me I'll pay for the postage.

 

Aims: -      Kind of a registration of all species bred at the moment

-          Collection of hints regarding breeding and keeping conditions

-          Building of morphological collections to show the variability of several species

-          Building of morphological collections to see whether inbreed depression occurs and what it looks like

 

Purposes for everybody:

          -     Data is every time available, just ask me. Maybe I'm going to take it down on  this homepage                                           

         -          Specimen of every breeder would be exhibited in a museum, and thus the breeder will gain a little of  immortality

-          Breeder would have the possibility to compare their species and those of others

-          Maybe some more people would get interested in our awesome hobby

-          Greenhouses could avoid mistakes by getting information from breeders

-          Exchange of information

 

Idea: The Idea of building up a collection, that involves every breeder came up for the first time, when a bunch of Eudicella smithi males hatched out two years ago and every of them looked totally different from each other (Colour Thorax varying from green to orange); horn form and size ) although they were kept under same conditions. At that time I was very busy, so I didn't really thought to much about it. I was reminded of my idea a second time when I was wondering whether the colouration variants of Ranzania bertoloni are local subspecies or if it was possible to reach every form of colouration breeding these beetles. Nobody I asked was able to answer my question.

The final induction to set my plans into reality was me seeing some insect dealers holding back essential breeding

Information the customer needs to know. So for example only a few people know that some species need sand to

Pupate. Not knowing this customers are wondering, why their pets died spite to “perfect” conditions.

In addition to this it simply is interesting when species that disappeared from breeding, return back  and one is able to find the exact data one needs to breed it, without trying to find it by oneself. (That for example happened with Jumnos ruckeri)

 

Pachnoda sinuata flaviventris and Protaetia himmalayensis, P. sinuata flaviventris and Pachnoda marginata peregrina

I'm grateful for every help, like specimen, tips and hints or suggestions and will answer every email.

Thank you very much for reading

Benjamin Harink

 

I would be happy if there would be an interest for the same type of collection for mantis or phasmids

Species that are already in the collection and list of the species I'm breeding

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Copyright © B.Harink
Stand: 06. November 2007.