mantis change color?

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I raise iris oratoria mantids and I have to say I am amazed at the way they can change color. I had a mantid turn from bright green to bronze 2 hours after she cannibalized another green mantid.

I also tried putting one in with bright pink roses. It took 2 molts, and she turned brown with a pink stripe! I don't think they can totally turn pink.

I also had some on my red rose bush. They were green with dark reddish necks and their proximal limbs were reddish as well.

However, some are randomly turning color. I have not observed any pattern except that my clones are all white like their mother. Interesting subject!

 

[Ntsees]

I also had some on my red rose bush. They were green with dark reddish necks and their proximal limbs were reddish as well.

I'm surprised you took notice of these colors. I've had similar experience too (in the past) except mines were raised on a shrubby plum tree and the colors are more enhanced. These combination of colors (green with the darkish reddish) is my favorite in the Iris oratoria compared to solid colored individuals.

 

[piroxi]

Sounds cool... Keep us updated

The red one has molted.

Decide by your own

Before

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac227/piroxi/Bild009.jpg

After molting

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac227/piroxi/Bild019.jpg

The only thing I have changed was the surrounding. From red into green- white with a dark ground. No change in temperature or humidity.

 

[minomantis]

Someone just needs to do some serious research on this and share it with us! lol

 

[soundspawn]

Europeans (Mantis Religiosa) have been known to do full spectrum* color changes in a single molt. I'll throw up some pictures of my Euro's where we controlled the conditions and got dark brown, brown, blue, and neon green (with purple legs) in all cases to match their environment.

*By full spectrum I mean going from one extreme to the other within their available color range. For Euros that's brown to green.

 

[dmina]

That really sounds cool...I would love to see your pictures...

Piroxi - Your photo's were awesome, and how they are different color..

This is so interesting...

 

[soundspawn]

http://soundspawn.com/browser.php?p=euro_colors

The first picture was taken with a slightly lower aperature (very subtle), the rest all were with the exact same settings. I didn't mess with lighting or anything between these shots. They are all from the same ooth.

 

[mantisboxer]

its possible my sub-adult male tenodera sinensis tommy turned from lime green to yellow this morning i thought he was about to molt but then he just started running around his cage exploring as usual has this happened to anyone else with a tenodera sinensis

 

[soundspawn]

To me it sounds like he's about to molt and is trying to find a perch... I've never heard of a mantis changing colors outside of a molting event; except for the obvious (mold, infection, exuviae forming, spray paint, etc). When was his last molt, and how is he eating?

 

[Crazy4mantis]

any scientists want to do an experiment for us?

 

[mantisboxer]

To me it sounds like he's about to molt and is trying to find a perch... I've never heard of a mantis changing colors outside of a molting event; except for the obvious (mold, infection, exuviae forming, spray paint, etc). When was his last molt, and how is he eating?

he molted on the 10th of this month and has been eating very well on a consistent diet of grasshoppers which where captive bred by my cousin my mantis was almost fully yellow yesterday but now his green is starting to come back don't know why