A Guide for the Breeding of the Blue Death Feigning Beetle

Authors

Joe Maloney, University of Nebraska.-Lincoln

First Advisor

Erin Bauer

Date of this Version

Spring 2024

Document Type

Project

Citation

ENTO 888, MS project

Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2024

Comments

Copyright 2024, Joe Maloney. Used by permission

Abstract

Purpose

Asbolus verrucosus, often referred to as the Blue Death Feigning beetle (BDFB) is a species commonly exhibited by zoos, museums, and private individuals due to its beautiful blue color, long life, and fascinating death-feigning behavior. Despite being a very popular species, it is difficult to find specific information regarding breeding requirements and larval care. This is largely due to relatively little being known about the various stages of the BDFB life cycle. My intention in doing this project was to document verified information about the BDFB life cycle from reputable sources and use that information to develop a breeding and rearing guide for use with the colony of BDFB I manage at the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center. At various points in time, it has been considered impossible or at the least extremely difficult to get BDFB to pupate in human care. My goal for this project was to consistently get larvae to pupate, beetles to eclose, and then survive long-term following eclosion. I could then share the methods I used with the broader zoo community to help other facilities with their BDFB colonies. If multiple institutions could successfully breed BDFB, it could generate a sustainable, captive-bred population that would reduce the number of beetles removed from the wild. While this project is ongoing for me, this paper chronicles the work I conducted between July 30, 2023, and February 17, 2024. Below, I will describe the research I undertook to understand the current status of breeding efforts for the BDFB in a variety of settings (zoos, invertebrate suppliers, hobbyists). I will share the breeding and care guide I developed from this research, the breeding results I obtained, how I communicated this information with other zoos, and finally, future avenues of research for BDFB. All photos in this study provided by Joe Maloney of the Topeka Zoo.