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Trying an experiment in that I am putting yellow/slightly dried leaves in the bottom of my leaf species enclosures to see if that will affect their color. Updates to follow! Hope everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!
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ausar318 changed their profile photo
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Panalagin joined the community
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Major joined the community
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Mantid Z. changed their profile photo
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My male H. majuscula came in the mail today. He's an L5 and my female has been an adult for 6 weeks...Wish me luck to see if I can speed him up a little.
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Rtpb5642 joined the community
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So much happening! Chinese mantids mating like crazy. I found another male and swapped the two males with the female. Also I received a P. perpulchra pair from Mantis101 and I am blown away by this species! Such aggressive feeders! Pictures to follow soon!
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ninjalife11@yahoo.com joined the community
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Does anyone have some good information on keeping Plistospilota guineensis aka "Mega mantis"? I ordered 3 and sadly one arrived dead...but I know it will be replaced. Just curious to know if there is anything specific on these. I am hoping to get a breeding pair out of them.
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Prayingmantisqueen changed their profile photo
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Just received my Peruvian Leaf Mantis pair from Mantis101! So excited to grow this beautiful mantis species! Wish me luck!
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I have two different Chinese mantis pairs breeding. They did it by themselves. Called in their own males and everything.
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BugLdy changed their profile photo
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Found a wild mantis outside today in my marigold patch. One of her arms isn't there, probably due to an injury. She's skinny so I will fatten her up soon!
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Put my female Chinese mantis outside and within a couple hours, she managed to pull in a male and they started mating. Man those pheromones are strong!
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Fattening my dubia roaches up tonight to feed to the mantids tomorrow. Leafy greens and some honey! The mantids should be happy!
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mantidmomma changed their profile photo
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Introduction Galanthias amoena, African flower mantis This small species nearly reaches 3cm long. It has a very long, skinny thorax. It is dull green with a whitish abdomen. Halfway down the back of the abdomen is a black stripe, not unlike Pseudoharpax virescens. The wings are a light green. Males are skinnier than females. Found in central Africa Difficulty level: beginner Development Nymphs take a while (up to 3 weeks) to molt to L2, however subsequent instars seem shorter (8-10 days). Feeding frequency is more of a factor than temperature. Adulthood can be reached 8-9 weeks after hatching. Males live about 5 weeks after becoming adult, while females live for about 3 months. Both sexes are subadult at L6. Behavior/temperament These insects are active. They run and jump a lot, and young nymphs readily escape. These insects are somewhat shy, particularly in early instars. They seem fairly communal and don't attack particularly large prey (though mated females become more brazen with food size). As long as food is plentiful, aggression is low. I seem to notice later instar nymphs go missing in group housing on occassion, so if you have only a few, it may benefit you to separate them at L5. Generally, though, enough nymphs in a group cage make it to maturity to allow for breeding. Captive Environment Room temperature (64-78F) suffices for these insects. They appreciate twice weekly misting when young, though high humidity isn't needed. They seem fine with paper towel on the bottom of the container, and I usually offer fake plants for climbing. They don't mind heavily planted containers. Since they are small, food storage sized containers with ventilated lids suffice. I usually house adults in 32oz deli cups and groups of young nymphs in 32oz cube containers used for human food. Net cages or tall 5 gallon containers work well for groups of L4 or older nymphs. I use pop-up round butterfly cages for groups of older nymphs. I trim live ragweed and goldenrod, shake off the spiders, and place it within the cages. Nymphs appreciate the perches, and it is not necessary to replenish foliage when it dries out. If you wish to house these individually, 16oz deli cups are large enough for the final molt. Feeding Feeding response: These insects enthusiastically chase prey items. Even tiny adult males eat a few times per week, although I suspect that much like Creobroter, overfed males may have trouble connecting during mating. Type and size of prey used and/or refused for various instars: L1 and L2 can handle D. hydei. I usually feed them hydei through L3 before switching to houseflies or various small syrphid flies and halictid/andrenid bees, depending on the season. I live near a blueberry patch surrounded by netting that traps a banquet of insects between June and October. Syrphid flies are particularly attracted to hydrangea and yarrow flowers. L4 seem a bit small for bottleflies, though subadults eat them without issue. Small bees also work for L4/5 nymphs. Quantity and frequency of feedings: I usually just keep food plentiful. 4 or 5 insects per nymph is good, and when prey disappears I add more. These insects eat quite a bit for their size. Mated females love wild moths and such and eat nonstop. Breeding Sexing/sexual dimorphism: the bottom of the abdomen of males has a few small, blunt segments. The female has a large pointy segment at the end. Depending on your eyesight, this is appearant at L4 onward. As adults, males are narrower and the abdomen is completely concealed by the wings when viewed from above. Time needed from last molt to copulation: 5 or 6 days for males, 8-10 for females Pairing is easy to achieve, particularly when the female is well fed. Simply have the mature male in a good sized cage and add the female near him. The female isn't particularly aggressive and mating usually takes around 3 hours. I mate mine a few times. Mated females need only a few small pieces of fake foliage and a good flow of food to oviposit. Females lay ooths around 3 weeks of age and will deposit one every 5-12 days, depending on how often she is fed. I usually just fatten up females with a variety of moths, flies, and bees. Oothecae: The ooth of this mantis is fairly about the size of a watermelon seed. It is roughly cubical in shape, with ribs down the sides. It is a dark brown color, although fresh ooths are tan. Incubation at room temp with regular (2-3 times weekly) misting suffices. About 6 weeks later, 10-15 nymphs will hatch. Text and photo submitted by mantisloverguy6000
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God! - MantisGirl13 -
The Mantis Menagerie changed their profile photo
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Synapze changed their profile photo
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It sucks living in a suburban area because I all want to do is catch moths and katydids, but they are so hard to find. *deep sigh*
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idodia changed their profile photo
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Turned on the back porch light! Hopefully we can get some moths or katydids tonight. Feeling lucky!
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beautiful flowers, beautiful mantis 👍 what more is needed in life 😁
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Adult female Hierodula majuscula 2018
minomantis added images to a gallery album in Members' Gallery
Such a beautiful species! Enjoy some pictures of her in my flower patch! -
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Here are two links with some information about Humbertiella care: Caresheet 1 Caresheet 2
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Anyone able to do a care sheet for Humbertiella Ceylonica? I could give some input into critical care of new nymphs. But I could really use some info on juveniles and adults. I am finding nothing. This is a species we plan to keep permanently, but I am lost on telling when they even hit adulthood as my mommas have no wings.
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Im interested in the Giant African Millipedes!
Shoot me an email at jsenn10@yahoo.com if you still have some available!
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Been a while since I've been around! Sorry about that. Been busy with other types of pets and haven't had many mantids for a while, just Tenodera sinensis. But I'm looking to get back into this hobby... What's everyone been up to?
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Dang it! When I walked in to visit first thing this morning my Chinese was molting and hanging by one leg. He still has one leg still stuck in the old shed. I backed away very slowly hoping not to disturb and make things worse. I zoomed in on him later using my phone from across the room and he is now on the bottom of the enclosure and I don't know if he fell or not. If that is the case, his fall would have been from a height of 3-4 inches which I have been told is usually fatal.
Is there anything I can do to help or is it best to stay out of the room and hope for the best. I haven't had a mantis die on me before... so wish the little guy luck.
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He no longer has use of his hind legs. He has been moving around and I gave him a fly this morning and he was able to catch and devour. I hope I don't lose him at next molt. I have read that once the hooks on the hind legs are lost the mantis usually dies at the next molt.
The bright side... my H. membranacea molted successfully last night.
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My Chinese mantis is still hanging in there. Notice his hind legs. He still hasn't managed to remove the shed skin. It seems the equivalent of trying to take off the tightest pair of jeans possible while wearing sneakers. I think his left hind leg is a lost cause, but he had been using the right and I've even seen him hanging from it to stabilize. Unfortunately, I believe the hook he's relying on (tarsus?) is part of the old skin. He seems to have better mobility today than yesterday. He's sociable and curious today. I hope this is something that will improve in the next couple of molts. I think he is L4/L5... not sure because I wasn't tracking as well as I should.
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I have updated my mantis collection! I just got two new L2-L3 Brunneria borealis (Brunner's mantis!), and ten budwings, all from Patty. That makes my current collection a whole lot bigger! I am getting ready to spend my summer in a campground in Northeast, Maryland. The mantids will have their own tent, and all the luxuries and freshly caught food that a mantis could want. I am hoping to get orchid mantids this summer, too! I am looking forward to the summer, and all of the fun I will be having, freaking people out when I walk into a public place with a mantis on my shirt. (Cause who doesn't love to do that?) - MantisGirl13
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Mating Pair Majangella moultoni
MantisGirl13 commented on mantiseater's gallery image in Members' Gallery
Very nice! They are a pretty rare species. Do you still have any?
Is there anything I can do to help or is it best to stay out of the room and hope for the best. I haven't had a mantis die on me before... so wish the little guy luck.
