Perisphaerus spp.

This caresheet should be applicable to all other Perisphaerus species.

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Housing:

Small containers less than a gallon work best for starter cultures, you can move them to larger enclosures as the colony grows, (which will take a while...). They can climb well, so a container with a tight fitting lid is a must. A thin layer of coconut fiber works well for the substrate.

High ventilation and airflow is critical to their well being, (cross ventilation being more important than lid ventilation), as well as high air humidity, (but swampy, stagnant air greatly slows reproduction). Most species prefer a humid substrate, so at least two thirds, if not all of the substrate should be kept moist, but not soggy. Allowing the very top layer of the substrate and hides to dry out a bit in between waterings is fine, and keeping the setup semi-humid may even be preferable especially for arboreal species like P.punctatus, but keep in mind, if kept bone dry the younger nymphs can desiccate rapidly.

Vertically slanted curved bark pieces, corkboard/wood "roach huts", and sturdy leaf litter can all make great hides for most species. Some of the less arboreal species like P.pygmaeus like to have small hole-ridden rotten logs/large chunks of rotten wood in the enclosure, since females and nymphs in particular seem partial to boring into rotten wood and hiding within it. It should be noted that they don't seem to EAT the rotten wood, as they leave piles of chewed up wood outside of their tunnels. Gravid females of this P.pygmaeus and some related Perisphaerinae seem to prefer giving birth within these tunnels. Whereas female P.punctatus and other arboreal species prefer to give birth under their vertical bark hides.

Diet:

In captivity, a diet of fresh fruits, (particularly apple pieces), dog/cat/chick feed, and pollen/artificial pollen works nicely.

Temperature:

75-85F° seems to be best for breeding and rapid growth.

Breeding/Life cycle:

Male nymphs seem to mature a few weeks to several months before the females, depending on the species and temperatures. Adult males are usually shorter lived than females, with P.pygmaeus males living a mere month or two, while male P.punctatus can go on for 6-8 months. Females of most species can live for one or two years.

Because of the short male lifespans of some Perisphaerus spp. and their fast growth compared to the females, when you have your starter colony you may need to sex them as nymphs, and keep the males relatively cool, while the females are kept much warmer, to help sync them up. Once you have overlapping generations in your colony, this is no longer a problem.

The gestation period for females seems to be approximately 3-4 months under optimal conditions, (really high airflow and air humidity, good heat with proper hides and low pest/springtail numbers), but females can withhold broods for 6-12 months if kept in substandard conditions. P.pygmaeus have small litters of 6-12 nymphs, whereas P.punctatus have larger broods of 15-20 nymphs. P.sp. "Kota Kinabalu" tend to have litters of 10 or so nymphs.

Nymphs take around 5-8 months to mature under optimal conditions, and can be kept with the adults safely. Colonies can become stressed by extremely large populations of prolific springtails, grain mites, nematodes, and large amounts of mold growth. Isopods of any type are not recommended as a cleaner crew, as most would outcompete these roaches. If pest populations get too high, you can try drying out half the substrate, but be sure the other half is moist at all times, and keep air humidity high.

Old degraded bark hides also seem to stress them out, especially if covered in springtail frass/sheds, and/or if the bark has reached a crumbly level of decay.

This species does not eat their sheds or dead bodies, and springtails do a poor job of eating both. The sheds and empty shells of dead Perisphaerus are really thick and do not seem to decompose quickly at all, so you will need to remove and replace the top layer of substrate in their enclosure every now and then to keep things hygienic.

When sufficiently disturbed or startled, nymphs and adult females that aren't gravid can curl up into balls, similar to "Roly-Poly" isopods, (like the commonly encountered Armadillidium spp.). Adult males lack this ability. It has yet to be seen whether the adult females of this genus produce any bodily fluids for their nymphs to feed off of in their first few instars or not. 

Pseudophyllodromiinae spp.

This caresheet is designed for the smaller, more finicky Ectobiids commonly cultures in the subfamily Pseudophyllodromiinae. My basic setup for all of them is rather similar, so instead of having several different caresheets for the multiple species I've cultured, I figured I'd condense it into one, with species specific notes on exact preferences each one has.

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Housing:

These types of diminutive roaches should be started out in a fairly small enclosures preferably higher than it is wide, nothing bigger than a gallon jar. 16 oz delis and half gallon containers from the Dollar Tree are my personal favorites. Once their numbers rise you can house them in something larger, but don't overdo it, as smaller nymphs can have a hard time finding food in a very spacious enclosure. Since all life stages of these species climb very well, and are small enough to slip through tiny cracks, their lid will need to be airtight, and ventilation should be provided in the form of microscreen, or a LOT of pinholes.

A very thin layer of silicone oil also works wonders to keep them from getting out of their enclosure, but definitely only use it around the upper rim of the enclosure, and don't over do it. Small nymphs can easily drown in a thick layer of silicone oil or other similar barriers.

The substrate should be a thin layer of coconut fiber or something similar, and plenty of hides in the form of leaf litter, vertically slanted bark pieces, corrugated cardboard, and maybe small "roach-huts" should be provided. These species prefer a bit of height to their setup, while they will hide in ground level leaf litter, they prefer resting in between vertically slanted bark hides, or even on the lid and upper walls of the enclosure.

Many (but not all) of these species prefer high humidity, but all of them need at least a moderate level of ventilation, as stuffy, humid air can make colonies of even the most humidity living species sickly, and greatly shorten adult lifespans. Additionally, small nymphs can drown in condensation. So moderate to high amounts of lid and cross ventilation are highly recommended. Be careful though, as you don't want them drying out too much in between waterings, that can prove to be a fatal mistake for certain species. Also make sure your ventilation holes aren't big enough for tiny hatchlings to escape from, some of these species have first instars only a millimeter long!

Since these roaches spend a lot of time near the lid, can often fly as adults and in general are fairly skittish, it may prove useful to have a hole or two cut out in the sides of their enclosure for maintenance, preferably big enough to remove old food and such with tongs. These holes can be plugged up with a sponge or something similar, and can prove quite useful for feeding and watering your colony, as well as removing uneaten food without the need to open up the lid.


Diet:

Dog/cat/chick feed, fruits, veggies, and pollen/artificial pollen work great for their staple diet, most species aren't very picky when it comes to food. Just be sure to remove leftovers every few days, as tiny nymphs can get tangled up in mold strands from uneaten food, and these tiny Ectobiids can be very sensitive to mite infestations and large springtail populations too.

I suggest using small milk or juice caps as food bowls for these species, and if your enclosure is pretty large, you may need more than one food bowl, to make sure the small nymphs can find food when they need to. Place food alongside corners of the enclosure, or other high traffic areas of the setup for optimal results.


Temperature:

Most species seem to breed best at temperatures from 74-85F°, but many will breed at slightly lower temps as well.


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults are normally short lived, only living a few months in general, but ooths hatch fast and nymphs are often very fast growing too. Adults of most species are quite prolific, and if set up properly a lot of these species do have feeder potential for small, climbing predatory species.

Many species are very sensitive to grain mite and some soil mite infestations, and can be sensitive to large numbers of certain springtails like Coecobrya, Entomobrya and Willowsia spp. (however, healthy colonies of most Ectobiids can usually outcompete springtails). Isopods and cleaner beetles would likely wipe them out even faster. The only microfauna that seem very compatible with these Ectobiids are certain predatory mites, small silver springtails and some other tiny, inconspicuous springtail species, all of which will help keep nasty mite species at bay and help keep fungal growth to a minimum.

Most Pseudophyllodromiinae are very sensitive to lapses in care, overly filthy enclosures, pests, fungal pathogens, drying out, and stuffy/stagnant air. As such I recommend them to dedicated enthusiasts that are willing to pay close attention to these tiny little roaches. They aren't incredibly hard to keep, but the margin for error on some species is practically nonexistent, and culture crashes can be a common occurrence even for the easier ones (though they'll usually bounce back just fine with a bit of babying).
That being said, if kept properly they can be prolific enough to use as occasional feeders for tiny predators, and the ornate patterning on the nymphs and adults of many species in this subfamily are criminally underrated IMO!

Species accounts:

Aglaopteryx gemma:

A pretty hardy and easy to keep species, a good introduction into Pseudophyllodromiinae. Does best kept fairly humid, though letting the upper layers of the enclosure dry out between waterings is fine. In fact, drying out the ooths for a couple weeks and then wetting them again can cause them to hatch faster, though they'll hatch in 3-4 months kept humid consistently. Adults live 4-5 months, and attach their ooths to bark and leaf litter. Nymphs take 4-6 months to mature depending on the temperature.

Balta notulata & B.vilis:

Prefers at least half the enclosure be kept humid, can take higher humidity if well ventilated. Adults of both species live around 3-4 months, and females produce many oothecae, which only seem to take 1-2 months to hatch and are usually adhered to bark/leaf litter. Nymphs of both species can mature within 4 months under optimal conditions. Both seem to be pretty easy to breed in my experience, and could potentially be used as occasional feeders under the right conditions!

Cariblatta lutea & C.minima:

Prefer high humidity. Adults of both species live for approximately 3-4 months, with males dying first. Females lay tiny ooths which they either adhere to dead leaves and bark, or bury in the substrate. The oothecae only take about two months to hatch, and the resulting nymphs are TINY!!! They take around 3-4 months to mature if kept warm enough. Quite sensitive to pests and filth buildups.

Chorisoneura parishi:

Prefers a mostly dry setup with, with a quarter to a third of the setup kept humid. High ventilation levels very important, and high heat is appreciated. Adults live 3-4 months, ooths hatch in 1-2 months, and nymphs mature in 4-5 months under optimal conditions. Ooths are usually adhered to leaf litter, bark, or on the sides/lid of the enclosure. Extremely prolific if set up correctly.

Chorisoneura texensis:

Prefers semi-humid setup with half the enclosure kept humid, and it's important that they're given lots of ventilation. Adults live for approximately 2-3 months, with males dying first. Females lay tiny ooths which they either adhere to their hides, or directly onto the enclosure walls, (as such they may be confused with Phorid fly pupae). The oothecae only take about 1 month to hatch, and the resulting nymphs are TINY!!! They take around 4-5 months to mature. VERY sensitive to lapses in care, stuffy air, and large numbers of springtails, mites and other microfauna.

Euthlastoblatta diaphana:

Prefers humid to semi-humid conditions. A very pretty and prolific species, though small nymphs are super fragile. Adults live 4-5 months on average with males dying first. Ooths are buried and sometimes adhered to hides, and hatch after around 2 months. Nymphs take 3-4 months to mature under optimal conditions.

Latiblattella rehni:

Prefers humid conditions, good ventilation important. An extremely skittish, arboreal species that runs upwards at the slightest disturbance. Adults live for approximately 3-4 months, with males dying first. Females lay very thin oothecae which they usually adhere to bark or dead leaves. The oothecae only take about 2-3 months to hatch, and the resulting nymphs take around 4-5 months to mature if kept warm enough, though there can be some staggered growth rates in this species. Quite sensitive to filth buildups, as well as prolific springtails and/or mites.

Latiblattella lucifrons:

Prefers semi-humid to dry conditions, with only a quarter to a third of the setup kept humid. Lots of ventilation is a must. Adults live for approximately 3-5 months, with males dying first. Females lay thin oothecae which they usually adhere to bark or dead leaves. The oothecae only take about 2-3 months to hatch, and the resulting nymphs take around 4-6 months to mature if kept warm enough.

Margattea nimbata:

Prefers humid conditions but doesn't appear especially picky. Adults seem to live 4-5 months on average, with ooths taking 1-2 months to hatch. Ooths seem to be mostly buried. A pretty prolific species that seems hardy enough, though probably doesn't like lapses in care or large numbers of pests. Not terribly skittish.

cf. Margattea sp. "Macao":

Prefers semi-humid conditions, and high airflow is a must. Adults live 4-5 months on average, their ooths are adhered to bark and leaf litter and hatch in 1-2 months. Nymphs take 3-5 months to mature depending on the temperature. A very arboreal species that seems to get along well with some larger roach species. Pretty sensitive to stuffy air, but also doesn't like bone dry conditions.

Neoblattella detersa:

Prefers humid to semi-humid conditions. Adults live 3-4 months on average with males dying first. Ooths hatch after around 1-2 months, and nymphs take 3-4 months to mature under optimal conditions.

Plectoptera poeyi:

Prefers humid to semi-humid conditions, but high airflow is a must. Adults live 3-5 months, with males dying first. Females lay lots of ooths and adhere them to bark and leaf litter, which dry out quite easily. If kept humid and warm, they will hatch after 1 month or so. Nymphs mature in 3-4 months under optimal conditions. Leaf litter, especially oak leaf litter seems to be a favorite hide, and fruits seem to be among their favorite foods. All life stages are incredibly sensitive to large numbers of springtails, as well as other microfauna.

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Hopefully this caresheet proves useful for those who aim to culture these fragile, but beautiful little roaches!

Triorophus sp.

Housing:

Any container at least 20 oz in size, with more width than depth, (but still with at least 1-2 inches of depth) will work well for a starter colony, and you can upgrade the enclosure size a bit as their population grows. None of the life stages can climb, so a tight fitting lid is not necessary.

For the substrate, a layer of fine sand 3-4 inches deep should be provided, you can mix in a small amount of coconut fiber if you want, but that's not necessary. On top of the substrate I like to offer a thin layer of dead hardwood leaf litter, which larvae will slowly nibble on. Hides in the form of small curved bark pieces, cardboard rolls and/or eggcrates should be provided for the adults.

Most of the main enclosure should be kept very dry, with a third or so of the substrate being kept moist at all times. You can go with a horizontal humidity gradient, or, if you have enough substrate depth, a vertical humidity gradient, (which would probably allow for more larvae to pupate in the communal enclosure successfully). They should be given a very high amount of ventilation, as per usual for desert dwelling Tenebrionids, in fact you could probably get away with keeping them in a lidless enclosure, provided the substrate is an inch or two below the top of the container.

Diet:

Dog/cat/chick feed serves as the staple diet, leaf little will also slowly be nibbled on by the larvae (but seems entirely unnecessary). Fruits and veggies usually go ignored.

Temperature:

They breed best at temps from 75-85F°, though they may still breed at slightly lower temps, albeit at a reduced rate.

Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults can live for at least a year, which is pretty good for such a small Tenebrionid. Females lay dozens of eggs during their lifespan, and seem to lay mostly in the warmer months of Spring and Summer. The eggs take less than a month to hatch, the resulting larvae take 2-4 months to mature, and then they spend a couple weeks or so as a pupa, before molting into a soft, teneral adult. Adults seem to take a very long time to completely darken, maybe a month or so, but they harden up very quickly. So in total, the time it takes to get from egg to adult is around 4-5 months under optimal conditions.

Ideally, in a large enough enclosure with a proper humidity gradient, larvae will successfully pupate and mature in a communal setup. However, if for some reason there are too many individuals in the enclosure, or the enclosure is too small, has an improper humidity gradient, etc., you may need to isolate larvae yourself to induce successful pupation. 

To do so, remove fully grown larvae (which will be almost an inch in length) from the main enclosure and isolate them in 2 oz deli cups with minimal to moderate ventilation, and an inch or two of moist, compressed sand, or sand and a tiny bit of coconut fiber, (the coconut fiber helps to retain moisture, and keeps the substrate just a little fluffy, which helps prevent pupal cells from collapsing if you overwater them). Leave them be and don't feed them, just make sure the substrate stays moist, but not wet.
It may take a while for the larvae to decide to pupate, and some may die before doing so, however the survival rate during this period and of the pupae is pretty high in my experience.

After the adult beetles eclose and darken up a bit in color, they usually dig their way to the surface. They should immediately be removed from their humid deli cups, and can either be isolated in a "hardening" container with mostly dry sand substrate and a moist corner, or they can just be placed back into the main colony right away. The benefit of keeping them isolated while hardening is that they are less likely to be stepped on by their tankmates in their teneral state, causing permanent dents and such in their soft exoskeletons.
However, the adults of this genus have rather thick and sturdy exoskeletons even when teneral, so as long as they've been mature for a couple days, it's usually safe to place teneral individuals right into the main colony after they've turned a dark orange color.

These little beetles are quite interesting little US natives, and I hope they become more popular in culture as time goes on!

Alaus spp.

This caresheet should cover all US Alaus species, and may also be applicable to species found outside the US. 

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Housing:

Adults can be kept in any kind of tank or plastic container, just make sure they aren't very crowded, for the US species a half a gallon container would be the smallest I'd house a pair of adults in, whilst a starter group of half a dozen adults or so should have at least a gallon or two of space. They should be provided with a substrate of fine coconut fiber, sphagnum peat, or flake soil, at least a centimeter or two deep. They will appreciate hardwood bark hides and such to cling to and rest under. The enclosure should be moderately to highly ventilated, and the substrate kept moist at all times.

Small larvae can be kept in 2 oz deli cups filled with a substrate of somewhat compressed, moist substrate, until they reach almost an inch in length. After that they will need something bigger, 16 oz deli cups or something of a similar size will work well, again filled nearly to the top with substrate. Once the larvae reach 1.5 to 2 inches in length they should be moved to a 32 oz deli or larger. Then they should be set for the rest of their larval stage and will pupate comfortably in such a container.

Unlike a lot of other click beetles, at no life stage do Alaus seem to require rotten wood in their diet or to induce oviposition, so the substrate can consist of any fine soft substrate, such as coconut fiber, sphagnum peat, or if you have some to spare, flake soil. However, the pupae of A.melanops refuse to pupate unless they have wood to bore into to construct a pupal cell (the wood doesn't even have to be that rotten, just soft enough for them to bore into). It seems like most other Alaus species will create their pupal cells in moist, compressed substrate though, but sometimes only after a while of wandering around the substrate looking for a chunk of wood to bore into.

Perhaps most importantly, ALL live stages require consistent and high humidity, dryness is the only thing that kills larvae of these beetles easily, and yet it seems to be a fairly common problem that people have, as they tend to forget to feed and water their larvae... While larvae (especially larger ones) can go quite a while in between feedings, if their substrate is allowed to dry out completely they will die.

Diet:

The peaceful adults feed on fresh fruits like apple and banana, beetle jellies work fine for them as well.

The larvae on the other hand, are completely carnivorous from the moment they hatch, and only consume living or pre-killed invertebrate prey.

For live prey, beetle larvae such as mealworms are recommended, they can not catch fast moving, non burrowing prey and specialize on eating other beetle larvae in the wild.

For pre-killed prey you can use beetle larvae, roaches, crickets, etc., as long as it's soft bodied and meaty they'll love it. Large larvae have even been fed dead pinky mice in captivity, though insects are probably healthier for them.

It should go without saying that because of their nature, the larvae are quite cannibalistic from the moment they hatch, and therefore the desired amount should be isolated from the breeding container as soon as you notice hatchlings.

Larvae should be fed every couple days for optimal growth, but can go quite a while in between feedings. Watch out for grain mites and remove any uneaten food a couple days after feeding, mites and dryness are really the only things that can easily overwhelm and kill the larvae of this species, they are very hardy otherwise.
Also, be sure to use relatively small prey items for smaller larvae, especially when using pre-killed, because if the prey item is big enough small larvae may bore into it when feeding, and you may accidentally throw them out with the prey when it comes time to replace it. 

Temperature:

A temperature range from 72-75F° seems work best for all immature life stages of most species, but the adults of most species seem to like it a bit warmer for optimal breeding/oviposition, more like 75-80F°. All life stages can likely take warmer temps, up to 90F° or so, and while this may even make the larvae grow faster, that excessive warmth could potentially lead to them maturing into rather small adults.

Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults live for 4-6 months, depending on the species and temps. Females lay at least 50-80 eggs each, which are quite large for Elaterid eggs and perfectly spherical. Larvae typically start hatching out after less than month, and are TINY, around 3 mm long.

As I mentioned before, they are fully predatory and cannibalistic from the first instar, so the desired amount should be separate from the breeding container asap. Thankfully due to how prolific female Alaus spp. are, the cannibalism shouldn't be too much of a problem, and it's still pretty easy to keep multiple generations going and have plenty of excess larvae.

Most larvae usually take about a year or two to complete development under optimal conditions, all depending on the species, feeding frequency and ambient temps.

After they are fully grown, the larvae of most species will construct a pupation chamber towards the bottom of their enclosure in the same manner as most Tenebrionid larvae, they just push substrate up and away from themselves until a little chamber has been cleared out (one exception being A.melanops, which make chew out their chambers in solid wood). Their cells lack the thick saliva/frass reinforced walls that scarab beetles make, so be sure not to dig them up or anything. Leave them alone during this stage, just make sure they don't dry out. The larvae sit in the pupal cell for a few weeks, then molt into a pupa, which will then take about 1-2 months to develop into an adult, depending on species and temps.

Once the adult ecloses, it will typically take another week or two for it to dig it's way up to the surface, let it do it's thing, no need to try to dig it up by yourself in an attempt to help it, (though it's not particularly harmful to do so, as long as the beetle isn't very freshly teneral). Once it rises to the surface, you may remove it from the deli cup and put it in a breeding enclosure with other adults. Then the cycle begins anew. 😊

Nocticola sp. "Malaysia"

This caresheet may or may not be applicable to other species of Nocticola. Some species are true troglophiles that may not handle as warm temps as these sp. "Malaysia" though.

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Housing:

Since this is the smallest roach species in the hobby right now, I'd recommend starting cultures off in a small deli cup so they can easily locate food. Something about 24 oz or so would more than spacious enough for a starter culture, with a gallon container being big enough to house many hundreds of Nocticola. This species likes having lots of surface area and hides, particularly hides that go into the substrate, like tunnels and such, (which makes sense since Nocticola like these are often found inside termite and ant nests). So having a super chunky substrate, especially one with moss, curved bark and corkboard hides partially buried in it works great for this species.

I personally use a base substrate of coconut fiber a cm deep at the bottom of their enclosure, with small pieces of bark, cardboard, eggcrate, corkboard, and long fibered sphagnum moss on top of that, topped with another cm of coco fiber, but leaving some patches of the hides still exposed so they can get down there. There are even more corkboard hides and sphagnum moss on top for them to hide in, as well as a couple small chunks of rotten wood. This sorta simulates the kinds of tunnels and invert burrows they'd be hiding inside in their native habitat. However they aren't super picky, and some people just use coco fiber and coco chunks as their base substrate, with lots of bark and leaf litter on top, which seems to work just as well. As long as they have lots of dark nooks and crannies to get into, they'll be fine.

This species needs high humidity, and does well with minimal to moderate ventilation levels. No life stages can climb smooth surfaces, but they can easily scale dirt and dried water stains that accumulate on the sides of enclosures, so a tight fitting lid with micro mesh or pinhole ventilation is recommended.

Diet:

Dog/cat/fish food or some alternative works as the staple diet. Fruits and veggies are nibbled on as well, though not as much in my experience as the protein based foods.
Some have said that this species requires rotten wood in their diet to do well, but this is false, as me and one of my friends have confirmed that they breed just fine without any rotten wood available to them whatsoever.

Temperature:

Temperatures from 74F° to 85F° seem to work well for breeding, but they may breed at even lower temps, and seem to tolerate warmer ones just fine too. The warmer they are, the faster they'll breed.

Breeding/Life Cycle:

Adults seem to live at least several months, sadly I haven't documented exactly how long. Oothecae take around a month to hatch depending on temps, with nymphs maturing in 3-4 months or so. Oddly, all adults I've ever seem to be female, and this strain may actually be parthenogenetic, (I am testing this theory out now, will edit this caresheet if I can confirm parthenogenesis).

I can see certain large, very prolific springtails like Sinella curviseta potentially outcompeting these roaches, as well as other pests. Oribatid mites and small silver springtails, as well as predatory mites seem not to bother this species though, at least not in moderate numbers. This species doesn't create a lot of filth nor do they seem to mind frass buildups, and they seemingly eat their own dead readily. Overcrowding has never been an issue for me either, all in all they seem quite easy and forgiving so long as they are not allowed to dry out.

This species has great potential as a microfeeder, and even possibly as a cleaner crew for other roaches and misc inverts/herps. Overall I consider it a great addition to any roach enthusiast's collection, and they might have great use beyond the scope of Blatticulture alone as well!

Apsena, Blapstinus, Conibius, & Other Micro-Tenebs

This caresheet is probably at least in part applicable to all Apsena, Blapstinus & Conibius species, as well as other desert dwelling micro-tenebs. At the very least it should work nicely as a guideline sheet for rearing these kinds of darklings.

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Housing:

A small tupperware, prefferably at least 16 oz will work as a starter enclosure, colonies can later be moved to larger containers as needed, honestly a 1-2 gallon container could probably maintain a large colony indefinitely. Adults nor larvae can climb smooth surfaces, so a tight fitting lid is not necessary unless the species in question can fly, (Blapstinus can fly I believe, though I've never seen them do so in person). Just make sure any hides or decor don't reach or touch the top sides of the enclosure, or else some adventurous individuals may escape.
The main enclosure should be very well ventilated seeing as these are desert Tenebrionids, and high air humidity levels can kill adults prematurely.

A layer of substrate at least an inch deep should be provided, and can consist of coconut fiber, sphagnum peat, or a mix of one of those and sand. Whatever you choose should be at least relatively fine in texture, if the substrate is too course they may not feel comfortable ovipositing in said substrate. Sterilized rotten wood and leaves can be mixed in for them to nibble on as a backup food, but are entirely unnecessary in their diet or to induce oviposition.
Most of the substrate should be bone dry, with a third or so kept moist at all times. Alternatively if your substrate is several inches deep, you can go with a vertical humidity gradient, with the bottom inch or two kept moist, and the upper layers kept bone dry. The latter method should allow for larvae to pupate safely within the enclosure, though you'll need a lot of ventilation to negate the higher air humidity levels for adults.

On top of the substrate you should provide hides and decor for adults, while they do burrow a lot in loose substrate, they also spend quite a bit of time roaming around the enclosure and climbing on decor. Eggcarton pieces work great for hides in my experience, and you could also use hardwood bark, cholla wood, paper towel rolls, etc., they aren't very picky.


Diet:

A typical Teneb diet of dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies works well for these, with their favorite foods being the protein/grain based ones.
As I mentioned before, they'll probably nibble on rotten hardwood or leaf litter, but it's entirely unnecessary in their diet, more of a treat than anything.


Temperature:

These species should breed fine at room temperature, (68-74F°), but will breed and likely grow even faster at higher temps, 75-85F°. Temps much above 85F° may be harmful to larvae/pupae.
For southern strains, diapauses are generally not needed. Unfortunately for northern strains though, a winter diapause seems to be necessary for consistent breeding, though only a mild one should suffice. Keeping them in the 65-67F° range and dark during winter works just fine, then when Spring comes just warm them up ten or so degrees (in F°) and extend the photoperiod, seems to get them breeding just fine.


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults of Apsena and Conibius seem to live around a year, possibly longer, however seeing as they are very small, (3-7 mm depending on the species), plus so fast growing and breeding, it's probable that they aren't quite as long lived as other desert Tenebrionids, like Eleodes, Asbolus, etc., at least that's been my general experience with desert dwelling micro-Tenebs. Blapstinus are even shorter lived in my experience, around 6-8 months at the most.

Females typically lay at least a couple dozen eggs each, usually quite deep in the substrate. At 75-85F°, eggs take only 1-2 weeks to hatch depending on the species, and the resulting larvae mature in 1-2 months under optimal conditions, (with Conibius larvae often maturing within a month).

Once larvae have stopped growing and start actively wandering the surface or rising to the surface as immobile "J" shaped pre-pupal larvae (assuming you're not using a vertical humidity gradient), they will need to be removed and placed in a minimally to moderately ventilated container with an inch or two of moist, compressed substrate. I recommend setting up a 16 oz container like this and placing a dozen or two larvae in at a time.
Active larvae should burrow down and pupate within 2-3 days, pre-pupal larvae will need to be placed on smoothed out, stable substrate to pupate though as they can't burrow much. Pupae only take around 6-8 days to develop, then the adults eclose and dig their way to the surface, sometimes taking as much as 2-3 days to darken up completely, (probably takes another day or two for them to harden up completely).

Adults can be removed from the pupation enclosure as soon as they are spotted, if left in a humid setup too long adults will die, and as long as they aren't still white it doesn't seem to hurt to add them to the main enclosure. If they are still a little teneral they'll just burrow underground for a couple days before coming back up to the surface. Then the cycle starts anew.

So all in all, it seems the time spent from egg to adult is only around 1-3 months, which is pretty short for desert dwelling Tenebrionids. Survival rates of the larvae and pupae seem to be very high, so overall these can be pretty hardy, prolific species that could easily be used as occasional micro-feeders! (Blapstinus excluded, they are too slow breeding IMO). I hope more people learn to love our native micro-tenebs, and that some of them become firmly established in the beetle keeping hobby for years to come!

Ceuthophilus gracilipes

This caresheet should also be applicable to other arboreal Ceuthophilus species, at least the more communal, scavenger species that is. Obviously smaller species can be housed in smaller enclosures, but I think that goes without saying.
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Housing:

This species is the largest of the US camel crickets, and they are huge, so for a starter culture you'll want something like a 3 gallon bin, with a larger colony needing a 5 gallon enclosure or even larger. While this species appreciates a good amount of floor space, good height is very important as well, seeing as they are arboreal, and larger individuals can jump several feet away when disturbed. These crickets can not climb smooth surfaces, but on account of their jumping skills, a relatively tight fitting lid is recommended.

About an inch or two of substrate in the form of coconut fiber, potting soil, peat moss, etc. works well for this species. Lots of hides in the form of vertically slanted bark pieces should be provided, and small/medium sized nymphs will hide in leaf litter, eggcrates and even paper towel rolls as well. Verticality is important for this species, as they hang down from their back legs and need the aid of gravity to molt properly, especially as they age.
Camel crickets are usually pretty territorial and protein hungry, so having lots of surface area is very important for them, and if this species gets too crowded they can knock each other down while molting or outright cannibalize each other.

This species likes a pretty humid enclosure, with a moderate to high amount of ventilation, Just make sure not to let them dry out, and that the ventilation holes aren't big enough for the nymphs to escape from.


Diet:

Dog/cat/chick feed, fruits and veggies work well as their staple diet, and they will scavenge on pre-killed invertebrates as well. They are rather protein hungry, so if they go a while without food or are mostly fed fruits and veggies, they'll start cannibalizing each other pretty quickly.

Food bowls such as plastic milk or juice caps are recommended, however camel crickets are such messy eaters that you'll likely have lots of leftover crumb scattered around the enclosure that you'll need to spot clean every now and then.


Temperature:

They appear able to breed at temps from 68-80F°, and seem to do best in the middle of that temperature range. If temps rise much above 75F° and the enclosure is poorly ventilated, that can kill cultures (or at least large nymphs and adults) quickly.


Breeding/Life cycle:

Adults seem to live for around 6-8 months, and are easy to sex, as females have a rather long ovipositor that males lack. Females lay at least a few dozen eggs throughout their adult lifespan, which only seem to take 1-2 months to hatch depending on the temperature. The resulting nymphs take 6-9 months to mature under optimal conditions. Southern strains of this species do not need a diapause, but northern strains probably do.

Cannibalism rates can be rather high in camel crickets compared to some true crickets, especially amongst the territorial males, but keeping them in a spacious enclosure, providing plenty of hides and surface area, and consistently feeding them protein rich foods will help greatly to keep cannibalism to a minimum. Making sure that there's a lot of little crevices for the small nymphs to hide in by adding leaf litter or smaller bark hides to the enclosure also helps keep the adults from snacking on them.

Camel crickets can be sensitive to overcrowding, and often either knock each other down while molting or just cannibalize on each other until the numbers are to their liking. However, this species in particular seems to be especially tolerant of crowding, and I've had no issues keeping them pretty crowded, other than the adults maturing at a smaller size due to space constraints and more food competition.

Also worth noting, small colonies of this species can be pretty sensitive to large numbers of big, fast breeding springtails like Sinella curviseta.

Overall these weird little orthopterans are very interesting to watch, aren't noisy or smelly at all, and are rather easy to provide for. Even if neglected for a week or two, colonies usually don't die off completely, so they are relatively forgiving compared to other cave crickets. Definitely one of the more interesting species I've had the pleasure of keeping!