New kind of Heros?

[Greenjewls]

I was shocked when I found this, what looks like an arizonensis but it has narrow black bands. Found in central AZ at about 3000'. I haven't been able to find any info or images on this color variant. Hoping someone on here has some information, also kinda hoping that nobody does and that this is something unique!



vid:


Thanks!

- Silas

[stingray]

I believe there are banded heros morphs and unbanded heros. Galapoheros could help you out alot more on info. Here is a video of a hero that is just awesome to watch.

[AzJohn]

I've seen both color morphs. Their is one from the central part of the state and one for farther south.

[Galapoheros]

Nice young specimen you have there! I have a male like that one. lol I was trying to get that pede to chase that roach but it was just too fast for me.

[Greenjewls]

I believe there are banded heros morphs and unbanded heros.

Thanks Stingray!! Just to clarify, I am aware of the solid-orange-backed arizonensis and the banded one from extreme SE AZ, sometimes called para-arizonensis. The banded one that people are familiar with has broad black bands, and the segment behind the head is orange. The one I found has narrow "tiger" stripes, and the segment behind the head is black, as in a standard arizonensis. My contention is that this is neither of these known morphs!

---------- Post added 03-21-2012 at 08:18 AM ----------

Nice young specimen you have there! I have a male like that one. lol I was trying to get that pede to chase that roach but it was just too fast for me.

I love that video!! I watch it all the time on youtube. I can't believe how fast that thing is, what temp do you keep it at? So i think my specimen is a third color morph. One sec I am going to put an image together in photoshop.

[Greenjewls]

I've seen both color morphs. Their is one from the central part of the state and one for farther south.

Third color morph??

[Galapoheros]

Oh I see now, a disjunct distribution with two banded forms(?) Cool, I didn't know that was the case but I have seen the form you have there posted on the internet, not very many though, only 2 or 3 that I remember.. I also had one somebody gave me that had a head that wasn't very dark at all, kind of like the head of the pic in the middle you have there, but it had no banding. You can send me some whenever you get time HA!.

[stingray]

Wow great comparison chart. You learn something new everyday. Thanks for posting it!

[zonbonzovi]

I'd like to see what changes, if any, occur as it grows.

Warning: pure speculation ahead...that entire region is a perfect opportunity for isolated forms of different inverts to emerge, as evidenced by the Sky Islands. It would be interesting to see how closely related genetically the different isolated forms are. Thanks to Gala, we know that disparate forms of heros can create viable offspring. It very well could be that the bandeds were, at one time, much more widespread that is seen now.

Thanks for the side by side comparisons.

[Greenjewls]

I'd like to see what changes, if any, occur as it grows.

Warning: pure speculation ahead...that entire region is a perfect opportunity for isolated forms of different inverts to emerge, as evidenced by the Sky Islands. It would be interesting to see how closely related genetically the different isolated forms are. Thanks to Gala, we know that disparate forms of heros can create viable offspring. It very well could be that the bandeds were, at one time, much more widespread that is seen now.

Thanks for the side by side comparisons.

OK, so this could easily be the offspring of the "regular" color morph and the banded. If the banded exists in that area these days, I'm not sure. I've spent 100 hours out there searching, and this is the only heros I have found, but I've seen photos of the "regular" colorform taken in that area. I have only ever found the regular ones in the Sky Islands... but I haven't checked all the islands yet!

[zonbonzovi]

I would not be surprised if there's a pocket of bandeds or even an intergrade population near where you found this. No idea how far heros disperse from where they're hatched, but it can't be incredibly far. I'd be willing to bet you find more after rains. Maybe add a county record for bugguide? That area in general is full of invert weirdness and I'd love to see what else you fine around there

[cacoseraph]

very cool stuff. my brother and i live in tucson and have only seen the normal arizonensis morphs. we're planning on some collecting trips as bugs start coming out and i think we are going to try to hit up some national forests on the edge of the SE AZ at some point this spring or summer. there are some other critters we are trying to see or collect that are in/near that area, too

[zonbonzovi]

I hope you have a lot of luck with finding some. If anything, these should be more widespread in the miniscule American 'pede hobby. If you get a female banded, I have boyfriend waiting in the wings

I'm kinda curious to see if any but the typical coloration of polymorpha show up in AZ, as well?

[Galapoheros]

OK, so this could easily be the offspring of the "regular" color morph and the banded. If the banded exists in that area these days, I'm not sure. I've spent 100 hours out there searching, and this is the only heros I have found, but I've seen photos of the "regular" colorform taken in that area. I have only ever found the regular ones in the Sky Islands... but I haven't checked all the islands yet!

I don't think so, not directly anyway. The whole heros complex may have all the coloration genes in common, probably so don't people think so? The 2nd herosXcastaneiceps I have, well a couple of them have dark coloration on the head, that's kind of strange since heros heros and castaneiceps don't have dark heads. So I think the banding on that one is not directly associated with the form in SE AZ, not in this century anyway haha. I have seen a couple of pics of that form you have there, I remember commenting on a pic I saw at least once. The problem with not finding pics has to do with discriptive words associated with images. The pics I saw did not have any words associated with the thin banding, so they won't show up in google.
btw, here in Texas, there are areas where heros heros has a lot of dark coloring on the tergites. The most obvious thing that might be the cause of that is that they are mostly found on darker metamorphic rock, maybe? I suspect the banding showing up may also have something to do with the type of predators in the area. It's really strange!, sup with that!

[Galapoheros]

btw by chance I came across this pic of another one, I remember seeing it before. http://azbugco.com/bugs/giant-centipede