Gromphadorhina portentosa

Dark

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 15, 2003
Messages
538
Recently I bought six adult G. Portentosa (Madagascan Hissing Roaches), I have many Madagascan Hissing Roaches at home but the ones I got this time were different. The new G. Portentosa I think are a different color morph. The ones I got where in the same tank with the normal ones at the place I got them. Is this species just a color morph? Can I breed the six adults to make a colony of just this color version? Is two adult males and four adult females enough to start a colony? Here is a picture of the Normal Hissers compared to the other type.
 
Last edited:

IguanaMama

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 13, 2004
Messages
991
Boy, I'm glad you asked this question. From what I've read, what you feed them determines the color. However, only when they molt. So after they have their final adult molt, they don't change color again. Therefore colonies can shift color, depending on what you feed them. I have no idea, however, what food creates what colors. I would love to know.

Now what happened to me was one day I look in my tank and there is ONE black one. They all get feed the same thing so that shouldn't be, right? So, genetics must play some role, don't y'all think. I've been keeping an eye on that one black one. It's really pretty. Doesn't look anything like the Princisia vanwaerbeckis (Big Black Form), btw. It looks like yours. Is there any chance you can go back and ask the person you bought it from what they were fed??? I like the black ones A LOT!!!!!
 

bugmankeith

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
2,730
That is so cool, what happens if you fed them food dyed with food coloring for mostof their life, would they be red or blue if you used that color?
 

xelda

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
372
There actually is a black morph of hissers that are a shiny black color regardless of instar or diet. Occasionally I see black ones in my regular hisser colony as well, but they are a dull black and probably just darkening up before a molt.
 

Dark

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 15, 2003
Messages
538
The person who kept them said he fed them bananas, Though in the tank there were a lot more normal colored ones then the black ones. I actually asked speciffically for the few I bought. I don't think that food has that much of an influence on them when it comes to color morphs. I think that maybe that all Madagascan Hissing Roaches may carry a recessive gene that may cause the roach to be born with a lot more darker color then most.. You know when you see a bunch of snakes in a pet store or a group of frogs, you occasionally see one of them might be albino... Maybe Madagascan Roaches have something like that. When people keep a huge colony of roaches and the birth rate is really high there is a much greater chance of something like a mutation or color variation to happen. I have read a few things about why people think that there are some Madagascans being a lot darker then others and it seems that what they eat can't be really proven because there are color morphs and non color morphs being born in the same tank with same food source...

Oh and I am keeping the six that I bought in a nice warm cage and hoping they will breed and have babies that are the same color morph as there parents. :D

Thanks For all The Replies
Eric
 

xelda

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
372
I have read a few things about why people think that there are some Madagascans being a lot darker then others and it seems that what they eat can't be really proven because there are color morphs and non color morphs being born in the same tank with same food source...
Yup. Great point there.
 

dangerprone69

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 18, 2004
Messages
280
I've seen hissers that were fed mainly dry dog food that were a very deep, dark brown. When I had my colony I fed them a variety- anything from romaine lettuce to carrots to wet cat food to leftover steak and pork chop bones. I had some variety in the colony mostly with the size of the white lips on their abdomenal segments but the overall color was the traditional reddish brown.
 
Top