# Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii or Ocellata?



## Giosan (Jan 3, 2008)

Hello,

we recently got a new mantis, it's most likely a Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii but looking on the internet, the Pseudocreobotra Ocellata looks alot like it as well (or the pictures on the net might be wrong).

Can anyone shed a light on this case?

Here are the pics:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Thanks!

(ps. if you need some more/different pics just ask).


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## darkspeed (Jan 3, 2008)

Through all I have read, I havent been able to figure out what the differenc is apart from some scientists out in a jungle somewhere refusing to give eachother credit for its discovery....

Walibergii is the #9 mantis and Ocellata is the #6 mantis.

Now it is settled.

As for what you have, it just depends on which way you look at it.


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## macro junkie (Jan 3, 2008)

i know yen has a pic of both species next to each either..i couldnt find it but i sure he will post it later on.

here is Pseudocreobotra ocellata


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## Mantida (Jan 3, 2008)

Yen and Christian probably can identify it easiest at this stage, but really the only time you can be sure is when they mature into adults. Ocellata have a less complete "9" on their wings than the wahlbergii do.






Using Yen's picture as an example, the left mantis is ocellata and the right is wahlbergii. You can see that ocellata has a less complete pattern in the swirl.


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## idolomantis (Jan 3, 2008)

whalbergii to me bud you dont need me to make it sure


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## macro junkie (Jan 3, 2008)

get a pic of a birds eye veiw of its shield.


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## Christian (Jan 3, 2008)

Sorry mates, but the shape of the "target" has absolutely no ID value. Please make a photo of the pronotum from above. If it's slightly longer than large, it's _ocellata_, if it's slightly larger than long it's _wahlbergii_. _Wahlbergii_ also has longer lobes on the abdomen. The wing color is very variable, depending on origin and genetic variability.


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## asdsdf (Jan 4, 2008)

It's Wahlbergii.


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## spawn (Jan 4, 2008)

I know this has been beaten to death, but any idea why these are classifieds as separate species? Are there any taxonomy differences that couldn't occur through individual variation, like the longer lobes Christian spoke of? Husbandry or behavior differences? Country of origin? Ooths appearance/size?


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## Christian (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi.

There are more differences than the ones stated above, but due to variability the value of those differences is not as good as the pronotum shape and the width of the costal field of the tegmina. There exists an additional species (_Ps. amarae_) from NE Africa, but it is not in stock and has never been. _Ps. ocellata_ is distributed in W and C Africa, _Ps. wahlbergii_ in E and S Africa. There are some large countries like Tanzania where both species occur. However, _Ps. ocellata_ inhabits usually more humid savannas as _Ps. wahlbergii_ does. They usually do not co-occur in the same habitat or region, respectively.

A few first interbreeding experiments also produced hybrids, but no viable offspring resulted. All in all, the differences are expressed enough to separate the two species. Hobbyists overweigh the color or the size of species, in fact these characters are of low ID value.


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## yen_saw (Jan 4, 2008)

Looks like a subadult female PW. The shield usually gives the clue.


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