Half An Ooth

[jameslongo]

Heyo Forum,

my Pseudomantis albifimbrata has laid 3 ooths now. So i realise she's becoming an old dame, however the last one was somewhat of a pitiful effort. It was only a third of the size of a regular ooth.

I'm not really alarmed but i would appreciate some feedback so that, maybe next time, she can commence her old ways of laying decent ooths.

P.S. will the nymphs be affected?

Sincerely,

James.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Did you catch her in the wild as an adult, James? I wonder if she hadn't laid more ooths before you got her.

Ooth sizes from one female can vary tremendously in some species, and I have seen a starving mantis after just being caught lay a "normal" size ooth and a well fed one lay a small one for no apparent reason. Sometimes, a female will lay a normal sized ooth and then a small one within a few days. If you caught her wild, then there is always a chance that the ooths aren't fertile, though the odds are in your favor. If she is fertile, the small ooth should be fine, just fewer nymphs!

Ah the trials and joys of fatherhood!

P.S. I hope that you noticed that I resisted the urge to say, "Half an ooth is better than no eggs."

 

[hibiscusmile]

I think the ooth will hatch, given Half a chance :lol:

 

[Rick]

Treat it like a normal ooth, you may be surprised. It won't hatch as many as a normal ooth obviously. Old females sometimes do this but even younger females will lay a messed up ooth every now and then.