Japanese name: Metallifer narrow red stag beetle, Sura Island subspecies (Isogai)
Scientific name: Cyclommatus metallifer isogaii Mizunuma et Magai, 1991
Distribution: Sura Islands (Taliabu Island, Mangore Island)
Wild rarity: Rare ★★★★☆☆
Size: Male 67.0mm Female 23.9mm
Breeding record: 81.9mm (2006) *As of 2021, BE-KUWA reference
Wild record: 77.0mm *As of 2021, BE-KUWA reference
Difficulty of rearing: Normal★★★☆☆☆☆
Rearing temperature: 18-25℃
Adult lifespan: About 6 months?
Larva period: About 3-8 months?
remarks
The Sula Islands subspecies of Metalliferous. This subspecies is said to be the most difficult to obtain, and recently we received a live specimen for the first time in a long time (rumor has it that it's been 13 years).
The characteristics of this subspecies are that males are slightly shinier and have a slightly protruding head shield. There is also a small protrusion on the shoulder of the forewing. Personally, males seem to be more slender than any other subspecies. The thickness of the side edge of the jaw seems to be more noticeable than in other subspecies, and they tend to have a border that maintains a certain thickness all the way to the tip of the jaw. Females have the shiniest forewings of this species. The underside does not seem to be as shiny.
In terms of breeding, there doesn't seem to be any major differences from other subspecies, but I feel like males are more aggressive. This is just my personal impression, but I think the most aggressive subspecies is Aenomicans, followed by this Isogai. For now, I'm afraid of killing the female, so I'll try chin binding as a safety measure.
For reference when raising large specimens, the record specimen raised in 2006 was in a 430ml pre-made container → 800ml container → 1500ml container, and had a larval period of approximately 8 months at temperatures below 20°C.
As for the island where it is sourced, Taliabu Island, it is similar in location to Peleng Island in terms of temperature and altitude, so we have our eye on possibly catching large fish by controlling the temperature in a manner similar to that of the Peleng subspecies, but we can't say for sure until we try it.
2023/2/10 Obtained a pair of adults
I purchased a pair of WF1 adults on Yahoo! Auctions from someone I've traded with in the past.
Metalliferous Stag Beetle, Subspecies Isogai, Produced in Taliabu, WF1,
Hatched in December 2022, Male 66mm, Female Free
They will likely start eating after meals in early February, so I'd like to wait and see how things go before trying to pair them together.
2023/3/9 Egg laying set introduced
Cohabitation pairing began in mid-February, and mate guarding was confirmed many times, so an egg-laying set was put together and only the female was put in. When pairing, the male's jaw was fixed with wire just in case. The egg-laying set was packed in the hardest egg-laying pack as usual, and the container was a small Kobasha. Water moss was laid down to prevent tipping, and plenty of jelly was added. The temperature was kept at around 22°C. All that was left to do was pray that the eggs would be laid. For more details,
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