Time for the Maritime

Heeeyyy!

     Earlier this week I was able to acquire a very impressive shoredweller and one that was high atop my arthropod target list for the year; this post will unveil that species and all of it's awesomeness. Without further ado, let's get into things! 😀

     I would say about two weeks ago now, I was randomly contacted on Facebook by isopod rancher Bill Yannone for an I.D request. The text read "Do you have any idea what species these are?" and below it lay two snapshots of these large, black, glossy earwigs. At first I just shrugged them off as the rather easily acquired Euborellia arcanum, a species which most of you guys probably know I had already kept before. However, as I looked closer, I couldn't believe my eyes. The antennae on the pictured individuals did not contain the white band trademark to Euborellia species and this could have only meant one thing...………..they were Anisolabis maritima!!! 😮 I was so excited that I misspelled the scientific name while identifying them to quickly correct it and ask how many he had found. He said that he found around 25 and was going to put some up for auction in the U.S Invertebrate Auction Group. I simply knew that I needed to get ahold of some and so I said that he could also offer me some if he wanted. He actually said that he could send me some for only the price of shipping, but wanting to give him some sort of reward for putting one of my dream earwigs in my hands, I offered to trade for them and he accepted! Fast forward to the Thursday before last, they were shipped out and unfortunately they didn't make it here on Saturday as planned, but did come two days later on Monday. I admit I was a bit worried, but all 15 mixed-size individuals except for one adult female ended up arriving fine. 🙂 Let's dive into said stars of the post now!

     To explain my previously expressed exhilaration upon receiving the pictures of and ultimately acquiring this species you must know these things. Anisolabis maritima, commonly spoken of as the Maritime Earwig, is on average the second largest earwig in length and surely the most bulky among species within the U.S. It is reportedly from Asia originally, but has spread around the entire U.S and Southern Canada were it can be found in coastal habitats under rocks and debris. The males are known for having odd, curved cerci; the individuals with more asymmetrical ones apparently have an advantage in battling with other males. The cerci of the females are thinner and straight. Speaking of the females, they are supposed to actually care for their young for a short period after they hatch (something I didn't witness with E.arcanum), but they also are supposed to kill off a portion of them in a behavior called filial cannibalism. ☹️ Besides that tragic attribute, hopefully you understand why I'm so infatuated with them. 😛 Out of the 14 living specimens I received, there seems to be 3 adult females with the rest being variously-sized nymphs. Being that they are wild-caught, the girls should be pregnant, but I'm hoping that one of the nymphs matures into an adult male to keep their fertility going. I'm keeping them in a 16 qt. container with 12 1/4" holes poked in each end for ventilation. They have a moist coconut fiber/sand mix for substrate, which I have at a depth of about 3 inches. Aside from that, I have 3 pieces of bark in there along with a sprinkling of cypress mulch on the substrate that the bark doesn't cover and toping that off is a chunk of dead sea grass. One of my most naturalistic enclosures if I do say so myself. 😛

Enough of that, pics below!

Medium-Large A.maritima nymphs

Very small A.maritima nymph

A.maritima adult female(s)

Antisocial adult female A.maritima hiding under dead sea grass alone

A.maritima adult females sparring

A.maritima enclosure

     I know that there are many people who absolutely despise earwigs and so I hope my enthusiasm and info could help change your mind and maybe even get you geared up for breeding these little guys if you are one of these people. 😊 Although there is not much to choose from with only about 10 species in the states, I definitely think this neat group of arthropods deserves a firm spot in the hobby. Whelp, that's about all I have to say; I hope you guys enjoyed this post and until next time, goodbye!