# any truth to this?



## massaman (Aug 27, 2009)

the male will sit for long periods of time on the females back without connecting his abdomen to hers. Again, this is quite common when mating, and usually if the pair are left, they will eventually connect.

This does sound somewhat truthful but just double checking to be sure!


----------



## ismart (Aug 27, 2009)

Yes this is correct! Well at least most of the time.


----------



## Ntsees (Aug 27, 2009)

massaman said:


> the male will sit for long periods of time on the females back without connecting his abdomen to hers. Again, this is quite common when mating, and usually if the pair are left, they will eventually connect. This does sound somewhat truthful but just double checking to be sure!


For the mantids I keep and wild specimens, I rarely see it. The only time I've seen that was when my male was very old and slow (and as for wild males at this age, they would've been bird-food already). Fresh males mating for the first few times make the connection as fast as they can.


----------



## massaman (Aug 27, 2009)

well I did put a fresh male with my green european who allowed him on top but and he went off an on with his connection to her and he still was on top of her and so I decided to keep them together in hopes that he will make the one real connection that will hold and make the next generation!I have three youg male europeans and he was one of the three!


----------



## Rick (Aug 27, 2009)

Happens but in my experience is not the norm.


----------



## massaman (Aug 27, 2009)

well here is a new twist my male still is on the female and thought maybe neither was not interested and tried to separate them and the male wont let go of the female and so right now I am letting him stay on her till he wants to let go on his own to avoid harming either mantis!


----------



## ismart (Aug 27, 2009)

European males usally connect rather quickly. You also have to keep in mind different species copulatate at different speeds whether it is how quickly they connect to how long they stay connected.


----------



## massaman (Aug 27, 2009)

well thats good to know and one a good note he finally made the connection and its ongoing and so far so good and will keep a eye on them and hope that he can make it in one piece instead of falling to pieces!


----------



## MantidLord (Aug 28, 2009)

exact same thing with my Europeans. But the male never kept copulating for more than ten minutes. Though the female (a couple of days later) is very fat and voracious so I believe he may have got the job done and she will lay soon. Good luck.


----------



## ismart (Aug 28, 2009)

MantidLord said:


> exact same thing with my Europeans. But the male never kept copulating for more than ten minutes. Though the female (a couple of days later) is very fat and voracious so I believe he may have got the job done and she will lay soon. Good luck.


Don't get your hopes up to high. Europeans usally stay connected for about three hours before the male jumps off.


----------



## Ntsees (Aug 28, 2009)

ismart said:


> Don't get your hopes up to high. Europeans usally stay connected for about three hours before the male jumps off.


Yeap, in my opinion, they mate too long (I'm glad I never had to experience the species that may mate even longer). At the end of one hour, I just feel like breaking them up (but I don't).


----------



## massaman (Aug 28, 2009)

well i had some previous creobroter gemmatus that took 4 hours and some little less to mate


----------



## ismart (Aug 28, 2009)

Ntsees said:


> Yeap, in my opinion, they mate too long (I'm glad I never had to experience the species that may mate even longer). At the end of one hour, I just feel like breaking them up (but I don't).


Then may i suggest you never breed any _Stagmomantis sp._. :lol: These guys stay connected for a long time. I once had a male carolina stay connected for close to 24 hours!


----------



## Ntsees (Aug 28, 2009)

ismart said:


> Then may i suggest you never breed any _Stagmomantis sp._. :lol: These guys stay connected for a long time. I once had a male carolina stay connected for close to 24 hours!


So the Stagmomantis sp. take even longer? Maybe someday in the future, I'll have to try the species just to experience for once the copulation duration. Come to think of it, I know that I will have to try them someday because _Stagmomantis limbata _(Bordered mantid) are very common in the counties north of mines. In one visit to a park, I found about 3 female and 2 male adult limbatas but I just took 1 male for studying their behavior because I didn't want them to stall space for my own mantids. I'll try them out someday.


----------



## agent A (Aug 28, 2009)

I had gsefm pairs where the males mounted the females daily but never connected.


----------



## MantidLord (Aug 29, 2009)

ismart said:


> Don't get your hopes up to high. Europeans usally stay connected for about three hours before the male jumps off.


So even if I saw the spermatephore (sp?) and her appetite has increased dramatically (as a result so has her bulk), you don't think it was successful? I was told that duration didn't matter.


----------



## ismart (Aug 29, 2009)

MantidLord said:


> So even if I saw the spermatephore (sp?) and her appetite has increased dramatically (as a result so has her bulk), you don't think it was successful? I was told that duration didn't matter.


If you actully saw the spermatasphore then maybe it was a successful mating. I have breed this species a few times and have never whitnessed a such a fast deposite of a spemataphore. Increase in appetite is not a determining factor of her being pregnant. I guess only time will tell.


----------



## MantidLord (Aug 31, 2009)

Yeah you're right. Well I pray she is pregnant. And will hope for an ooth. Thanks.


----------

