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African Assassin bugs
Intro-
The species of assassin that I will be addressing here are from the Platymeris genus. With a focus on some of the more common species to the hobby: Platymeris ?Mombo? the Orange spot assassin, Platymeris rhadamanthus the Red spot assassin and Platymeris biguttata the White spot assassin. All of these assassins are indigenous to Africa, the Platymeris ?Mombo? having not been described is found in the Mombo region near the Usumbara Mountains,Platymeris biguttata comes from the Togo regions and Platymeris rhadamanthus comes from Kenya. Reaching adult sizes of 1-1/2 inch in body length or nearly 4 cm, they are quite robust. Most specimens are known to reach adult sizes in a period of 6 to 9 months and can live for up to two years after that.
Housing-
Adult assassins prefer dry warm climates of 78-80 degrees fahrenheight or 24 degrees Celsius. Water is normally attained from food items but take care to provide a dish full of moist substrate for egg deposition. Any escape proof container will do, I use clear 11x14x8 inch sterlite containers for my groups, with a dry mix of peat and sand being sufficient bedding. I usually provide a few vertically oriented pieces of cork as for opportunistic hiding areas. Ample heating can be achieved with Mylar heat tape or a low wattage nocturnal heat lamp.
Feeding-
Platymeris ?Mombo? is a voracious feeder, taking down prey items many times its adult size. I feed my adult specimens a variety of Cicada, locust, crickets, mealworms and waxworms, and small roaches and feed nymphs on pinhead to 1/8 of an inch crickets. These aren?t as studious cleaners as tarantulas and will often leave the discarded, somewhat juicy husks of their victims lying where they drop. It is a good idea to remove these whenever spotted.
Aggression-
All Assassins feed via a spear point mouthpart or ?rostrum?. Though they aren?t generally aggressive they will bite if restrained or startled in any manner. Some species are also known to spit digestive enzymes when agitated. I have heard of temporary blindness and occasional tissue breakdown as a direct effect of the bite; more commonly though, one can note an intense pain and swelling similar to a hornet or scorpion sting. Most of these seem relatively passive however; though I don?t recommend handling, I have had a couple instances of one skittering up my tongs and on to my skin during cage transfers. They definitely seem more aware than most arachnids that they are not actually standing on ground though.
Breeding-
Breeding seems to be relatively simple with these three species as long as adequate housing conditions are met. As these species are quite communal, one can keep groups of up to a couple dozen Platymeris sp. Together as long as ample food and space are available. In sexing an adult specimen size is no indicator. One should look for a round protrusion on the abdomen of male, Thanks Vincent. Luckily Platymeris ?Mombo? is known to be parthenogenic. Eggs are usually deposited in a moist site and eggs hatch in a period of three weeks. The nymphs are usually housed in small dram vials or solo containers and fed on pinhead to 1/8?? crickets. Care should also be taken that young are not aloud to dehydrate, water can be provided by keeping soil moderately moist.
Jamison D. Madson
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This post has been edited by Brigebane: 26 February 2006 - 09:19 AM
