# P. affinis Eating Ladybug



## Mantibama (Nov 5, 2009)

Saying I don't have a great camera is an understatement, but I'm a poor college student and the parents don't appreciate photography so here's the picture.


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## sbugir (Nov 5, 2009)

Very cute. I always thought lady bugs were bitter in taste?

By the way, what instar is that beauty?


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 5, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Very cute. I always thought lady bugs were bitter in taste?........


You're right. Try serving them on a pilaf of couscous with a sweet sauce. A passionfruit coulis works well.


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## sbugir (Nov 5, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> You're right. Try serving them on a pilaf of couscous with a sweet sauce. A passionfruit coulis works well.


mmm...couscous.


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## Mantibama (Nov 6, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Very cute. I always thought lady bugs were bitter in taste?By the way, what instar is that beauty?


Yeah I actually searched the forums and saw that seemed to be the opinion. It even kind of smelled in the container after she attacked it, but she went right for it and finished it off. P. affinis is supposed to be pretty voracious though right? As far as the instar, I was thinking she might be a sub-adult or an adult. Do wing buds appear on the sub-adults? I haven't seen her lay any ooths yet though. She was an extra in my order from mantisplace with some P. paradoxa so I haven't considered it much. Anyway, thanks for the comments! I'm waiting for my buddy with a 30mm and macro lens to come down to visit this winter and hopefully I can post some better pics.


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 6, 2009)

Bryce said:


> Yeah I actually searched the forums and saw that seemed to be the opinion. It even kind of smelled in the container after she attacked it, but she went right for it and finished it off. P. affinis is supposed to be pretty voracious though right? As far as the instar, I was thinking she might be a sub-adult or an adult. Do wing buds appear on the sub-adults? I haven't seen her lay any ooths yet though. She was an extra in my order from mantisplace with some P. paradoxa so I haven't considered it much. Anyway, thanks for the comments! I'm waiting for my buddy with a 30mm and macro lens to come down to visit this winter and hopefully I can post some better pics.


Tell me again. Where does a mantis (or a ladybird for that matter) have the taste buds to detect bitterness? Your sub females will show wing buds, but they don't straighten the abdomen until reaching adulthood. What kind of a camera are you using now?


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## Rick (Nov 6, 2009)

Every time I have tried to feed a ladybug the mantis drops it. Interesting.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 6, 2009)

poor ladybird


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 6, 2009)

Rick said:


> Every time I have tried to feed a ladybug the mantis drops it. Interesting.


I don't know where my head was when I was saying that insects can't taste (though it's true that they don't have taste buds!). The ability to discriminate airborne molecules is smell, but if the molecules are dissolved in a liquid, they are detected by taste sensors. No doubt, when a mantis is presented with a headless cricket, the taste of the latter's hemolymph is enough to stimulate it to eat, and "bad" tastes do the opposite, just as they do in mammals. My thanks to those who caught this error and gave me a while to correct it myself!  

The taste certainly accounts for its warning coloring, doesn't it ?


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## Mantibama (Nov 6, 2009)

PhilinYuma said:


> Tell me again. Where does a mantis (or a ladybird for that matter) have the taste buds to detect bitterness? Your sub females will show wing buds, but they don't straighten the abdomen until reaching adulthood. What kind of a camera are you using now?


I'm using a 3.0 megapixel olympus digital camera D-550 zoom. Which, if you don't know what it is, neither do I but it's basically of the family vacation quality. So a sub-adult she is then! Thanks. As far as taste I'm glad you figured it out because I would of not been able to answer that for you!


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