Mature male Idolomantis diabolica

[papilio_]

Okay, everyone who earned their wings yesterday, raise your hands!

 

[Sticky]

He is most beautiful! Great picture taking too!

 

[Darkrai283]

Breathtaking photos mate. Congrats with the successful moult too!

 

[dmina]

He is beautiful congrats... the picture are perfect! It looks like you could touch the grooves in his antenna... Mine are beaerly L5... I am so excited, now I can look at mine and see the things I have seen in your photo's...

 

[papilio_]

He is most beautiful! Great picture taking too!

Thanks a lot Sticky! It was pretty exciting, I was able to begin watching the molt from about fifteen minutes before it began clear to seeing the wings fully inflate.

Breathtaking photos mate. Congrats with the successful moult too!

Thanks much Darkrai!

He is beautiful congrats... the picture are perfect! It looks like you could touch the grooves in his antenna... Mine are beaerly L5... I am so excited, now I can look at mine and see the things I have seen in your photo's...

Thanks dmina! I just checked, just so you'll have at least a rough idea, mine took exactly two months from its L5 molt to this adult.

 

[papilio_]

Did the wings dry correctly?

I don't think so, they have a few kinks in them and don't lie flat against the body. It seems unable to fly from what I've seen so far. The enclosure was 95F and about 60% humidity.

My only other mantis to have reached maturity so far, a Creobroter pictipennis, turned out fine at normal room conditions. Any tips or insights?

 

[Danny.]

I don't think so, they have a few kinks in them and don't lie flat against the body. It seems unable to fly from what I've seen so far. The enclosure was 95F and about 60% humidity.

My only other mantis to have reached maturity so far, a Creobroter pictipennis, turned out fine at normal room conditions. Any tips or insights?

Did he have plenty of branches to hold onto after molting?

 

[papilio_]

Yes, he was hanging on well with plenty of height and no obstacles touched or interfered with the wing expansion. I saw his entire molt, the filling of the wings with fluid appeared to have been phase 2 of the molt, beginning after he had exited the exuvia and repositioned himself into an upright position, shifting onto different footholds from time to time.

I've watched many Saturniids eclose and have always noticed that some fail to expand their wings perfectly, on a few occasions they in fact remain quite crumpled, and I've never been aware of any corresponding differences in environmental conditions between these cases and those whose eclosures conclude successfully.

 

[papilio_]

I just finished a bit more Googling. I'd taken the recommended temp and high humidity from the caresheet at http://www.keepinginsects.com/praying-mantis/species/devils-flower-mantis/ . But I just now read on another at http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/invert-care-sheets/381737-idolomantis-diabolica-caresheet-giant-devils.html that these mantids prefer it "bone dry". Excessive humidity may have been the problem ... opinions?

In any case, not meaning to seem cruel in disregarding this mantis' unfortunate handicap but I find the loose wispy appearance of the wings and the body's very light pale green coloration to be quite lovely ... rather angelic really, despite being a diablo.

 

[Termite48]

Congrats on getting this beatiful species to the final stage. The pics are awesome. Keep up the good work.

 

[Danny.]

I just finished a bit more Googling. I'd taken the recommended temp and high humidity from the caresheet at http://www.keepinginsects.com/praying-mantis/species/devils-flower-mantis/ . But I just now read on another at http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/invert-care-sheets/381737-idolomantis-diabolica-caresheet-giant-devils.html that these mantids prefer it "bone dry". Excessive humidity may have been the problem ... opinions?

In any case, not meaning to seem cruel in disregarding this mantis' unfortunate handicap but I find the loose wispy appearance of the wings and the body's very light pale green coloration to be quite lovely ... rather angelic really, despite being a diablo.

I kept mine bone dry. I never misted them either.

 

[papilio_]

I kept mine bone dry. I never misted them either.

I'm very inclined to believe that you're quite correct, and that you've been raising them as they're meant to be. Clearly I had followed a common but mistaken approach.

I really should have known better ... I've raised Ts for years and always keep them quite dry no matter what the native habitat with good success, but I suppose was more unsure of myself with these newer little friends.

 

[papilio_]

Congrats on getting this beatiful species to the final stage. The pics are awesome. Keep up the good work.

Thanks a lot!

I had read so much about the difficulty of raising these, yet they've been only my second mantis species to care for and with very little special consideration in housing or care they've done marvelously ... at least up to the point quite recently where I took to believing that more specialized environmental considerations would be best. In all likelihood I suspect that they would have continued doing splendidly, including this male having at this point properly formed wings, if I'd not taken such measures. But still, he is in overall good health, and I'm certainly still very much in learning mode when it comes to mantids!

[Edit] Okay I now have it from the words of my mentor ... keep the humidity high. Evidently that was not the problem after all.

 

[Precarious]

Great job! And great pics! Just wait till his colors come in. You're gonna go nuts!

 

[papilio_]

Great job! And great pics! Just wait till his colors come in. You're gonna go nuts!

Thanks a lot Precarious! Ha, I already went nuts just watching its maturing molt ... once the colors begin popping out I'll be running all up and down the street showing all the neighbors!!

 

[Danny.]

Now you need a female.

 

[dmina]

Thanks a lot Precarious! Ha, I already went nuts just watching its maturing molt ... once the colors begin popping out I'll be running all up and down the street showing all the neighbors!!

I don't think running up and down the street ... this time of year ... in Minnesota ... Would be very good for his colors or him!

But we are more then happy to take a look or two...

 

[papilio_]

Now you need a female.

I do have a beautiful female (L7), but it's a sibling and is unlikely to be mature and prepared to mate in time before losing the male. But I'm enormously interested in having a go at breeding these most wonderful of mantids!

I don't think running up and down the street ... this time of year ... in Minnesota ... Would be very good for his colors or him!

But we are more then happy to take a look or two...

hehe ... Good point!

 

[papilio_]

Here's one more from that photo shoot which I like, missed it when culling the first time. I can' get over those antennae!!

He's already got much more coloring and stronger markings than he did the day after the molt. I'll wait another week or so and shoot another set.