# Theopompa servillei



## tier (Dec 14, 2007)

I recieved some nymphs; they seem to do well so far.



























Best regards,

tier


----------



## Christian (Dec 14, 2007)

> I recieved *[SIZE=14pt]some[/SIZE]* nymphs


You're a joker, aren't you? :lol: :lol:


----------



## tier (Dec 14, 2007)

Haha!

Yes.

Well, it is not *one*, to define it more precise 

But I was told of an ootheca someone else has got. From a different female than my nymphs are from



regards


----------



## Christian (Dec 14, 2007)

Don't know what you're talking about... -_-


----------



## Mantida (Dec 14, 2007)

Aw, lucky. I really am interested and after this species. Where did you order from? Are they taking melanogaster or hydei currently?

If you get any ootheca you're willing to sell off in the future, please let me know.


----------



## tier (Dec 14, 2007)

Hi

Big Drosophila are no problem concerning their size, but I prefer other food than flies for this species.

No, I won't sell anything of this species in the next future. Maybe in half a year or so, or maybe not ;-)

The picture is showing a L3/4 nymph, by the way.

The last time Theopompa was in captive breed, it dissapeared as quick as it has arrived in the game.

Hundreds of Gongylus are waiting for a warmer climate, thats all I will sell in near future. But will guess I won't sell anything to USA as long as I'm not very sure for law and permission.

I got the Theopompa on a show over here, I do not think there is any chance for you to recieve them

:-(

Best regards and thank you for beeing interested,

tier


----------



## asdsdf (Dec 14, 2007)

Ya, I heard something about them not eating well or soemthing? That a cause of them to dissapear?

Anyways, lucky you, and nice!


----------



## Mantida (Dec 14, 2007)

Ah, I forgot you're in Germany.   



asdsdf said:


> Ya, I heard something about them not eating well or soemthing? That a cause of them to dissapear? Anyways, lucky you, and nice!


I think Yen said that they were really skittish and some required handfeeding... which is quite a task for him since he as many mantids.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Dec 15, 2007)

They are really skiddish, I have some too. They are a beautiful blue molted color, and stay hunched down all the time, I really like the way they look and their faces look kind of mean. I am down to just one the other died this week due to a bad molt I think. I think Luke has females and I have the males. Really nice mantis though, they really grab their food when hungry, but if not hungry they will not even look at the food. I did notice that they will stay on the lid like the other mantis, and I was surprised because they look more like ground dwellers. They will eat their food on the lid sitting on the table like other mantis when hungry and do not run and hide unless u scare them. I would tell u I will post pic tomorrow, but I never seem to get around to it. But we will see.!


----------



## Christian (Dec 15, 2007)

These ones are bark dwellers, inhabiting medium to very large tree trunks.


----------



## spawn (Dec 15, 2007)

Do they run fast? Side-to-side like crabs? What's a full size specimen length?


----------



## Morpheus uk (Dec 15, 2007)

Adults reach suprislingly large, around 8cm im told


----------



## tier (Dec 15, 2007)

Hi

servillei is not too tall, let's say about 5-6 cm for adult females (and males as well, as far as I realized from pictures).

Yes, as it was already pointed out, they like to hang upside down on net-meshes. Sometimes they hang on the net-mesh, sometimes on a piece o bark, sometimes on the ground.

There isn't any cannibalism yet, sometimes they all hang directly next to each other, sometimes they quickly run away from each other.

If my L1-nymphs are disturbed by my hand, they all run very fast, almost like crabs, yes, this is right.

And yes, they don not eat a lot.

regards,

tier


----------



## Christian (Dec 16, 2007)

_Theopompa _are not fast-running "barkies" which pursue up and down the trunk in search for prey. They rest relatively still with the head downwards. However, when threatened, they become lightning-fast and turn to the other side of the trunk, out of sight of the disturber. There, they run jerkily up the trunk until out of reach. All barkies do it like this. So, they can be fast if necessary, but usually _Theopompa_ do not behave very hectically. This species reaches 4,5-5 cm, other species may be slightly larger.


----------



## tier (Jan 30, 2008)

Hi

The first larvs are L6 and L7 now, maybe L7 is Subsub. However, they are just about 2cm as L7 now, with every moulting they grew about 1-2mm!

The two larvs on the pictures are L6, not as old as the biggest yet. It's both females:











regards


----------



## tier (Feb 27, 2008)

Here are some subadult females of Theopompa servillei











Here is a bright one and a darker one:






regards


----------



## Christian (Feb 27, 2008)

Photographed in their natural habitat...


----------



## tier (Feb 27, 2008)

Christian said:


> Photographed in their natural habitat...


That's why they are blue: Bigger carnivorous fish like sharks cannot see them while climbing through the corral-reefs. Yes, exactly!

:lol:


----------



## Morpheus uk (Feb 27, 2008)

Sadly ive had no experiance with bark mantids (yet, what im i saying, probaly will never find any  )

Anyway, those wing buds arent overlapping or even touching, with average mantids, not sure about these doesnt taht mean its not sub?


----------



## tier (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi

That is possible, I have no adult female yet. Maybe they are not subadult yet. Well, the wingbuds are much bigger than one molting ago, but you are right, they are not as big as they maybe should supposed to be.


----------



## Mantida (Feb 27, 2008)

Absolutely beautiful, I am envious!

How many of these do you have currently, and do you have breeding stock?

Love the turquoise blue color on them.


----------



## Gurd (Feb 27, 2008)

Stunning little mantis

Good luck with them mate


----------



## tier (Feb 27, 2008)

Hi

Yes, the colour is great, thanks.

I just hope that they are subadult, they are L9 (!!!) now!!!

Well, I have some, I will give away some and just keep about 15 breeding pairs I guess (But I'm sorry, a friend of mine is already waiting for the overplus pairs ). It is my first time with them and in fact it is no real breeding stock in the moment, but I hope it will become a breeding stock in soon future. My first aim now are adults who will mate each other &lt;_&lt; 

regards,

Stefan


----------



## Christian (Feb 27, 2008)

I have a good bunch of these, too, so the stock should be safe for the moment. The next generation should reveal more.


----------



## tier (Feb 27, 2008)

Ahh, great to hear this!

So I can sell all! :lol: 

little joke  

regards


----------



## Mantida (Feb 27, 2008)

My, 15 breeding pairs!  That's a lot.

Hopefully we see more circulation with this species in a few months - I haven't seen any theompompa offered since Yen kept them.


----------



## ABbuggin (Mar 6, 2008)

I used to have some of these a while ago. They didn't do so well, like mentioned earlier, they dont really like to eat.  

But they are very marvelous and are my second favorite bark species, (second to Tarachodes, sp.).


----------



## hibiscusmile (Mar 6, 2008)

I love their faces, they look like little monkeys  The ones I had did ok until the final molt. I lost the one and the other just died of old age, they are really neat but skiddish when it came to eating, they were really leary of the food, did not seem to mind me though.


----------



## tier (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi

Yes, they are really strange with food like it was pointed out before: They aren't attended to food most time. They don't eat it, dont catch and kill it, don't run away and don't scare it off. They don't even look at it. They're just "too cool" for food most time. But once a week or so they eat. They even walk towards food a little when hungry. They eat bluebottles with an age of L6 or so.

And another special is that they always moult in hidden, shadowed places like under big pieces of bark. You can watch them moulting nearly never, just the old shed and the 2mm more in size are prooving the moultings.

I like this species most when it comes to barkies, but I think Tarachodes or Metallyticus are as fine as them.

But this is the only bark-inhabiting species I've ever kept. Tarachodes is perfectly camouflaged, but Th. servillei and especially Metallyticus splendidus can make a lot of points through their colour, I think. I do not know any other mantids with these colours M.splendidus or Th. servillei show.

regards

tier


----------



## tier (Mar 17, 2008)

Hi

Morpheus uk, you are right: One of the larvae which was L9 (I'm not 100% sure I counted the stages correctly) moulted again - but is no adult yet. It's L10 now, I guess. Looking at the wingbuds NOW it should be subadult. It is no blue but a greyish colour-morph:







regards


----------



## hibiscusmile (Mar 17, 2008)

That last pic almost makes it look like some kind of spider or something other than a mantis!


----------

