Stenopelmatus gets thrown out

 

Not literally thrown, though. Its abdomen is very gelatinous and that would kill it.

Anyways, I took this pic and then released it in my front yard because it seemed stressed in captivity (it spent a worryingly large portion of its time in my cage aboveground, where it ran in panicked circles day and night). I assume the dirt in its cage was unsuitable for some reason. Fortunately it seems healthy now so it should likely survive in the urban wilds.

I was also wryly amused to find its missing sixth leg floating in the swimming pool today. For some reason insects occasionally lose limbs when drowning; perhaps surface tension twists the legs into unnatural postures and thus sprains enough muscles to amputate them.

I fed the leg to a captive hen. The hen was pleased.

EDIT: US Stenopelmatus are now all Ammopelmatus! Taxonomy sure changes fast!

I become an orthopteran hospital

Today I have acquired a Stenopelmatus specimen from my swimming pool! It has only five legs and seems somewhat unhealthy so I guess I am keeping it for a while. I released my Porcellio laevis male into the front yard to make room. The isopod was too secretive to be visible anyways, and invisible specimens always make me a bit nervous.

So far the cricket has chewed up an algal wafer and scattered crumbs everywhere. I will have to clean up the mess soon. It also vibrated, which means it is likely an adult (nymphs may sometimes vibrate too).