you won't believe how long i'm searching for a picture of a MOMBO
question:
a Mombo isn't just a hybrid between red and whitespotted assassins right?
is a Mombo a differnt species then the other two platymeris species?
They look like Platymerus species but not a cross breed. They get about one shed larger. I bought three nymths from Orin McMonigle. They run $20.00 or so each. I think Golden Phoenix is now selling them on their web site. I will ship some ova maybe in a few months....maybe to Steve!!
I don't know the hatch rate, they are still new to me.
I could not find much info but I think they come from the Mombo region in Tanzania Africa. I keep all three together, just be sure to have crickets in the cage at all times. But I think they are the best looking of the assasins.
i've already seen hybrid white-redspotted beeing sold on a fair. they had also orange spots like mombo do but didn't had those red legs,.. the hybrids legs are somewhat orange-red,... but def. not reddish as that mombo one you've got.
and indeed,... these have the best of both worlds,... those beautiful red leggs and those shiny spots on the back,... and if they are even a bit larger,... really nice :} =D
One of mine is missing the orange leg gene. They are white. I was told they sometimes hatch out this way. I sent you a private email Steven. I hope to start getting eggs in a few weeks. I really don't know where Orin got them in the first place.
The leggs are white or maybe even light gray. I noticed the adult shed had white banding on the legs even on the orange banded adult. Anyway I hope to get a large colony going this year. Roachman in NY (see Petbugs.com) is also raising these. Pretty rare. I am also doing Pyllium species leaf insects. REALLY COOL!!
I will post photos of both color variations as soon as the molt out to adult. I just looked at my records. I guess these only took four months to reach adult. Not bad after doing Tarantulas!!
I believe they are not a hybrid for a few reasons (strongest to weakest):
1. The eggs are twice the mass of P.rhadamanthus or P.biguttata. The egg size difference across the three species is identical and consistent. Anyone whose kept insects long notices the females of most species (especially Hemiptera) lay relatively uniform eggs independent of adult size. Egg size may vary across isolated geographical groups but not the same bloodline. Smaller females simply contain less eggs. While hybrid vigor could account for a large adult size (the animal in that photograph is a male, females are much larger than males) it wouldn't account for the eggs.
2. I had isolated subadult females and attempted numerous times (male-female and female-male) to cross white spots and red spots over the years without a single fertile egg. Zero success. I am not a fan of hybrids but considered the extreme lack of available assassins.
3. It is likely the "hybrids" at the European shows are labeled that because hybrids sell better. Consider the parrot fish tauted as a 3-way hybrid for years which turned out to be just an abberant mutation and not a hybrid.
4. It is a highly variable species but the variations follow a pattern and none match the red spots or white spots (only the recessive white looks similar but the nymphs are gray/white/black not red/yellow/black and the adult banding is tan rather than yellow).
5. I was told it was a new species at the time I purchased it.
Though highly doubtful, were it a hybrid I would cheer the 'Jurassic park' scientists who created such a beautful animal.
Unfortunately there is very little information available on Platymeris. Who knows? Maybe all 3 are the same species from isolated geographical areas and unable to mate
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