# Joe's Mantis Updates



## JoeCapricorn

I am so excited, I just had to post about this! 3 out of 4 of my baby Sphodromantises have molted successfully to L3! Keep in mind, these 4 babies are the first 4 mantises I have ever owned that were shipped and captive bred. All others were Chinese except for one which was a European and all were wild and born in Pennsylvania.

The only thing is, Fortune molted successfully but one of his antennae is mostly missing and the remaining piece is a near circular curl. Angel molted, previously had shorter left antenna, now it seems he has both complete antennae (both have that distinctive curve at the end) but one is still shorter than the other (I understand that it may take more than one molt to heal a damaged antennae) - my question is, will Fortune's curled and shortened antennae be able to grow back in successive molts? Anything I can do to help (if at all)?

Kit is the third to molt to L3, he is virtually perfect. Meek is the only one in L2, when he arrived he was still L1, and he molted a couple days later.

I'll probably post replies to this thread with further updates on my mantises, if that's okie... :3


----------



## sufistic

JoeCapricorn said:


> I am so excited, I just had to post about this! 3 out of 4 of my baby Sphodromantises have molted successfully to L3! Keep in mind, these 4 babies are the first 4 mantises I have ever owned that were shipped and captive bred. All others were Chinese except for one which was a European and all were wild and born in Pennsylvania. The only thing is, Fortune molted successfully but one of his antennae is mostly missing and the remaining piece is a near circular curl. Angel molted, previously had shorter left antenna, now it seems he has both complete antennae (both have that distinctive curve at the end) but one is still shorter than the other (I understand that it may take more than one molt to heal a damaged antennae) - my question is, will Fortune's curled and shortened antennae be able to grow back in successive molts? Anything I can do to help (if at all)?
> 
> Kit is the third to molt to L3, he is virtually perfect. Meek is the only one in L2, when he arrived he was still L1, and he molted a couple days later.
> 
> I'll probably post replies to this thread with further updates on my mantises, if that's okie... :3


Congrats! A little bit of mismolt here and there is perfectly normal but can usually be avoided.


----------



## Katnapper

sufistic said:


> Congrats! A little bit of mismolt here and there is perfectly normal but can usually be avoided.


+1, Joe. Maybe a little more misting/humidity might help. And updating this thread with future happenings is a great idea!


----------



## sufistic

Katnapper said:


> +1, Joe. Maybe a little more misting/humidity might help. And updating this thread with future happenings is a great idea!


This. More misting/humidity/ventilation/space. Sharing experiences are great for learning from one another.


----------



## revmdn

Where in Pa are you?


----------



## Ntsees

JoeCapricorn said:


> ...will Fortune's curled and shortened antennae be able to grow back in successive molts?


Yes. Since it's still in the early instar stage, if it makes it to adulthood, both antennae should be the same length in the end.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

revmdn said:


> Where in Pa are you?


Berks County


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Meek molted to L3 today, he was sort of the "runt" of the 4 because of being a few days behind the rest in molting times, but he is perfectly healthy and doing well!

How long do Monarch butterflies typically live? I have had a pet Monarch since 4 weeks ago when I found her in a parking lot missing a wing. Her name is Valentine because her other forewing fell off soon after I took her home. She's still doing well, which is remarkable, considering I did not expect her to live past a week... and it's been 4 weeks since I found her as of tomorrow (I found her on a Monday).

I finally figured out names for my grasshoppers. The melanoplus differentialis grasshopper that I found in my yard and decided to keep as a pet has been named Apple. The two male Eastern Lubbers are OJ (for Orange Juice) and Pear. The two females are Nectarine and Apricot. I know, it's a little fruity, but these names have stuck! ^_^ 

OJ is the brightest colored of the lubbers, Pear has a greenish tint, Nectarine (who, because I am an avid player of Elder Scrolls games, I have already mistakenly referred to as Nerevarine... if you played Morrowind you'll get the reference) is the largest of the lubbers and Apricot is somewhat of a misfit - her middle left and hind left feet are the only two feet she really has... so she can't climb very well. She's also darker colored and seems to be older than the others.

The lubbers are in couples... it's Pear and Apricot and OJ and Nectarine.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Some sad news and some happy news today.

First the sad, OJ, one of the male lubbers was found dead today. Cause is presumed to be old age, males live shorter than females, right? Pear, his tankmate is doing well and doesn't seem to have any sort of afflictions. Apricot and Nectarine (the females) are also in good health.

Happy news...

Fortune molted successfully to L4 today. His left antenna which was shortened and curled is now straight although still significantly shorter than his right antenna. However, the end has the same curl at the end as his right antenna. His true gender is still unknown, but I think I counted 8 segments to his abdomen. Is it still possible that he might still turn out to be a she?

Going by how the others molted, Kit and Angel should follow suit soon with Meek molting a few days later.

The funny thing is, I fed all of the mantises today and noticed that Fortune completely ignored his fruit fly, so I took the fruit fly out knowing about the fasting before molting. I've been sitting at my desk all day with the mantises right next to my keyboard and he molted and not once did I notice! Hah, I was so busy with school work.


----------



## sbugir

Congrats  

BTW, I love the names of the lubbers. Hee, fruit


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Angel joined the L4 party! He molted successfully just right now. This time I could watch the process unfold. He is still pale white and just finished... everything looks A OK!


----------



## Katnapper

Glad to hear it, Joe.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Kit molted the day after Angel and Fortune did. Meek molted today. Meek just now caught his first fruit fly as an L4

I've started feeding the 4th instars two D. hydei a day and giving them extra when I go away. Now, I'm in a little bit of a tricky situation...

All of the mantises will probably be alright in their current containers at least through L5. However, I am concerned for Meek. Meek's container that he came in is about half the volume and 3/4ths the width of the other containers. He came as a smaller 1st instar baby and was the runt of the bunch (He's grown strong, not a bent antennae or broken foot to be found)

What I may do is I may upgrade one of the other mantids to a larger container when they hit L5. Kit, Fortune and Angel will be L5 days before Meek molts to L5. What I can do is I can swap one of the large mantises with a slightly bigger container, say a 32 oz jar. I might even wash out the D. melanogaster culture which at this point is still producing flies, but only about 5 or so a week and I hardly use them any more since at this point they are bite sized and may even be too small for the mantises to grab... actually, let's test that theory! Nope, not too small to grab, but 3 bites and they are gone! It's a 32 ounce jar, has a metal screen on the top and would be a perfect Mantis house. Then I can move Meek to one of the medium sized containers.

I can see at around L5 or L6 I'll start feeding the mantises small crickets. I have plenty of Kritter Keepers (I got a bunch of new ones for them in the first place not knowing how small they really would be ^_^ ).

Also, in related news... My mom and I, along with my mantises and my lubbly lubbers are all taking a trip down to Alabama. I'm going to pack my buddies in a box with a heat pack to prevent them from getting too cold during the trip. Where do I get heat packs and how hot do they get?


----------



## batsofchaos

Heat packs can be ordered online or picked up from most pet shops that sell herps (my local Petco has them). They get to something like 100-130 F on their surface, so they can safely warm a box for the 40 hours they last, and you can carry extras if needed for a longer trip.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Angel beat everyone else to the L5 stage, molted perfectly.

It appears Angel is indeed a male. How many molts will a male S. centralis go through before becoming an adult?

I suspect the other three may also all be male. This is ok, I didn't plan on breeding them in the first place.

I am also currently in Alabama. A few weeks ago, my male lubber grasshopper OJ died. Yesterday, the other male Pear died. I now only have the two girls Apricot and Nectarine.

Everyone arrived in Alabama safe and cozy. I got body-warmer packs that kept the grasshoppers' cages at 75 degrees even though outside it was as low as 28, with a small box containing all of the mantises and fruit flies underneath Pear's cage. The trip back to Pennsylvania will be this Saturday morning.

Apricot and Nectarine are doing well. They are both strong and active and have good reflexes, which I test every so often to see how they are doing. I've kept them hidden in the hotel room (the hotel has a No Pets policy, they don't even know about them!) where they've been kept at 65-73 degrees, lately 65 because my mom complains a lot when the room gets too warm.

The mantises are doing great. I had to switch back to D. melanogaster because I didn't have time to get to PetSmart... just PetCo (which has D. melanogaster, but PetSmart has D. hydei) - this was no problem since this time their fruit fly cultures were in great condition and the flies themselves were almost as large as the D. hydei. The mantises' bellies have been full for the entire trip! It took Angel about 20 days to reach L5, so Fortune and Kit aren't too far behind. I am concerned about Meek, because he is always a few days behind and may molt in transit to Pennsylvania. I have them packed sitting upright and packed tight, so this may not be too much of a problem... if Meek still doesn't molt by the time we leave, I'll check him every once in a while during the first leg of the trip, and just hold my breath during the later half (which will be in a colder area).


----------



## JoeCapricorn

I arrived home safely from Alabama, along with all of my mantises. Kit and Fortune still haven't molted, neither has Meek. Angel beat them all to L5 by a few days now. At least now, I won't have to worry about them molting in transit ^_^


----------



## JoeCapricorn

I got new containers, the small round Ziploc twist top containers. I was kinda desperate for something better for my babies since they were outgrowing their current containers (Angel out grew his, which was originally Meek's container since I switched the two of them to give Meek more room to molt to L5)

They love them! Also, I upgraded their food... to small crickets. Fortune had one, finished nearly the entire thing and is as plump as Santa Claus. I never saw a mantis so fat before, except for gravid female Chinese mantises... they were huge, but geeze, Fortune really would anger Jenny Craig at this point!

I actually tried to keep him from overeating because the cricket might've been a bit too much (it wasn't)... and he did NOT want to let go... he was like "MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!" so I let him have the rest of the cricket.

Angel and Kit are on their first crickets as well. Kit grabbed his cricket and started eating it from the hind legs and the cricket just clung to the paper towel as if nothing was happening. It tried hopping, but just ended up making Kit "rock out" if you know what I mean.

Also, I'm getting new babies! 3 baby Giant Asians from Peter. I thought about getting some sub-adults from Massaman (I really want to see how big these fellas get!) but I have enjoyed raising the African mantises so much I wanted to see how Giant Asians grow up as well.

And if I happen to receive a male and female pair of the Giant Asians, I might even try my hand at breeding them. Who knows? :3

And right now, Fortune is sitting on my computer screen chasing my mouse cursor. I swear, I am never going to tire of this!


----------



## MantidLord

JoeCapricorn said:


> And right now, Fortune is sitting on my computer screen chasing my mouse cursor. I swear, I am never going to tire of this!


Hahaha :lol: I love it when I finally get to upgrade a mantid's food to crix. It's like a big event when they can finally take a cricket and stop feasting on ffs. Good job and best of luck.


----------



## Katnapper

Sounds like you are doing good with them, Joe! Good luck with your Giant Asians too.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Thanks!  

Meek had his first cricket today. I had to rip its back legs off because it was moving too fast and kept startling Meek. It seems Meek has developed a personality suited to his name, the shy one. He's just about finished with it, and is getting pretty chubby! The others are doing great as well! I'm currently thinking of names for the new mantises when they come too.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

My new baby Giant Asian mantises arrived today!

Their names are Baphomet, Nereid, Jasper and Dio. Dio will be renamed Dione if it turns out to be a female. I cannot tell their genders at this time. I think they are all L3, but I'm not fully sure. They all seem about the same size. Jasper is the latest gemstone mantis, after Emerald, Peridot, Jade, Topaz and Amber. Nereid is a reference to a type of nymph and also a moon of Neptune. I considered Naiad, but that term is also often used to describe dragonfly, damselfly and other aquatic insect nymphs. Baphomet is an androgynous figure of the occult, appearing as a humanoid goat with both male and female characteristics. Dio is a reference to Ronnie James Dio, Dione is a moon of Saturn and a Greek goddess.

Trying to count their abdominal segments is tricky. I don't see any that is noticably different from the others, they don't sit still very often and move quite quickly, the ones I did count were like... "One, two, three, four, five... six... and seven? eight? wut? Are those segments? lolwut? *counts again* One... two... three... I give up!"

On some, it looks like there are 8 segments, the last two being two very tiny segments after the 6th segment.

So I had a look at Kit, a very close look. Kit recently ate a large meal, so his abdomen is nice and fat, allowing the segments to be counted easier - Kit's also twice the size of the baby Giant Asians. The first segment narrows toward the thorax, widens toward the second segment, the fourth segment is the widest and the 5th segment starts to narrow away from the thorax. The sixth segment is about half the width of the 5th segment and there appears to be a seventh and eighth segment that are very thin in dimension. There also appears what looks like a small bulbous 9th segment at the very tip of his abdomen somewhat jutting between the two tails. Same deal with Fortune, although Fortune's abdomen seems to be slightly longer. The separation between the 7th and 8th segment is very slight and the separation between the 8th and "9th" segment is also very slight, but not less noticeable than the previous separation. Same deal with Meek and Angel as well. But, do mantises even have a 9th segment? Or is it my eyes that are deceiving me?

Is it possible that all mantises have the same amount of segments when very young and later molts the distinction between male and female becomes clearer? I know this is the case with grasshoppers, I don't know of any abdominal segment differences in those. I even had a look at OJ's remains (haven't buried him still, waiting for snow to melt!) and compared him with Nectarine. OJ has 8 segments when viewed from the top and viewed from the bottom. Nectarine also has 8 segments, but from the bottom appears to have only 7.

I'm confused about the abdominal segments. Is it really universal among all mantids?


----------



## MantidLord

JoeCapricorn said:


> My new baby Giant Asian mantises arrived today! Their names are Baphomet, Nereid, Jasper and Dio. Dio will be renamed Dione if it turns out to be a female. I cannot tell their genders at this time. I think they are all L3, but I'm not fully sure. They all seem about the same size. Jasper is the latest gemstone mantis, after Emerald, Peridot, Jade, Topaz and Amber. Nereid is a reference to a type of nymph and also a moon of Neptune. I considered Naiad, but that term is also often used to describe dragonfly, damselfly and other aquatic insect nymphs. Baphomet is an androgynous figure of the occult, appearing as a humanoid goat with both male and female characteristics. Dio is a reference to Ronnie James Dio, Dione is a moon of Saturn and a Greek goddess.
> 
> Trying to count their abdominal segments is tricky. I don't see any that is noticably different from the others, they don't sit still very often and move quite quickly, the ones I did count were like... "One, two, three, four, five... six... and seven? eight? wut? Are those segments? lolwut? *counts again* One... two... three... I give up!"
> 
> On some, it looks like there are 8 segments, the last two being two very tiny segments after the 6th segment.
> 
> So I had a look at Kit, a very close look. Kit recently ate a large meal, so his abdomen is nice and fat, allowing the segments to be counted easier - Kit's also twice the size of the baby Giant Asians. The first segment narrows toward the thorax, widens toward the second segment, the fourth segment is the widest and the 5th segment starts to narrow away from the thorax. The sixth segment is about half the width of the 5th segment and there appears to be a seventh and eighth segment that are very thin in dimension. There also appears what looks like a small bulbous 9th segment at the very tip of his abdomen somewhat jutting between the two tails. Same deal with Fortune, although Fortune's abdomen seems to be slightly longer. The separation between the 7th and 8th segment is very slight and the separation between the 8th and "9th" segment is also very slight, but not less noticeable than the previous separation. Same deal with Meek and Angel as well. But, do mantises even have a 9th segment? Or is it my eyes that are deceiving me?
> 
> Is it possible that all mantises have the same amount of segments when very young and later molts the distinction between male and female becomes clearer? I know this is the case with grasshoppers, I don't know of any abdominal segment differences in those. I even had a look at OJ's remains (haven't buried him still, waiting for snow to melt!) and compared him with Nectarine. OJ has 8 segments when viewed from the top and viewed from the bottom. Nectarine also has 8 segments, but from the bottom appears to have only 7.
> 
> I'm confused about the abdominal segments. Is it really universal among all mantids?


Yes, if memory serves. All nymphs have the eight or nine segments when first born. Then as they mature, the last two segments fuse together if it is a female. Making it easy to sex them. So sexing them at this point is useless for two reasons 1) it's extremely hard and 2) it's impossible because they all have the same segments. Congrats on getting them by the way.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

MantidLord said:


> Yes, if memory serves. All nymphs have the eight or nine segments when first born. Then as they mature, the last two segments fuse together if it is a female. Making it easy to sex them. So sexing them at this point is useless for two reasons 1) it's extremely hard and 2) it's impossible because they all have the same segments. Congrats on getting them by the way.


So it may even be possible that one or more of my African mantises are female after all? They are L5 right now...

When it comes down to it, gender doesn't really matter. I've had a huge amount of fun with my African mantises and that fun just doubled with Dio, Baphomet, Nereid and Jasper! It's been so fun watching Kit, Meek, Fortune and Angel grow up. I have come to identify with each of their personalities and what to expect when I open their containers up - Kit and Angel stay put, Meek likes to look at me and reach for my finger, Fortune doesn't like to go back in to the container and prefers to bolt right for my hand...

The Giant Asians will be just as fun, I know it!


----------



## MantidLord

JoeCapricorn said:


> So it may even be possible that one or more of my African mantises are female after all? They are L5 right now... When it comes down to it, gender doesn't really matter. I've had a huge amount of fun with my African mantises and that fun just doubled with Dio, Baphomet, Nereid and Jasper! It's been so fun watching Kit, Meek, Fortune and Angel grow up. I have come to identify with each of their personalities and what to expect when I open their containers up - Kit and Angel stay put, Meek likes to look at me and reach for my finger, Fortune doesn't like to go back in to the container and prefers to bolt right for my hand...
> 
> The Giant Asians will be just as fun, I know it!


Well I don't know about L5. That's pretty old. It may differ upon mantis, but my experience is that you should be able to sex at L4 onwards. Good luck nonetheless, and glad you're having fun.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Jasper is the first of the Giant Asians to molt. I think he (or maybe she) molted to L4, if they are all indeed L3. Gosh, Giant Asians are tiny at this stage!

The other three look smaller compared to Jasper now, the size difference is clearer. Dio is the only one that seems to be a bit larger, but it's extremely subtle and s/he is still smaller than Jasper.

Jasper is probably 3/4ths the length and 1/4th the mass of the L5 African mantises.

Do Giant Asians go through more molts? How many molts do they have before adulthood?


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Angel once again beat the others to the punch and has molted perfectly to L6! Angel had some bent antennae when he molted to L5, but everything is perfect! He's a flawless little gem!

Although, I can't really call him little anymore. Fruit flies are devoured in two bites. Angel can catch one, and immediately catch another and by the time I have picked out a third both would be eaten. He has no problem catching the tiny flies (D. melanogaster)

So, to feed him fruit flies I just constantly drop one in front and he snatches, om nom and that's it.

Looks like I'll be going out for some crickets and D. hydei tomorrow! It's kind of good to know that the African mantises can still have fruit flies at L6, since I want to vary their diet. Now, they are more like fruit snacks!

It is also possible that Angel might be female after all. This still is an uncertainty, since even though I have good eye sight I can't quite figure out the segments (and Angel is distracted by my typing cursor even though s/he is a foot away *giggle*)

From the top side, Angel looks like he has 7 clearly differentiated segments. From the bottom, looks like only 6. The lines between the last three segments (which I can actually differentiate better in Fortune, Meek and Kit in L5) seem to be blurred.

Is it possible that they are fusing and Angel is pulling a gender swap on me? By L7 will he be a she?


----------



## Katnapper

JoeCapricorn said:


> From the top side, Angel looks like he has 7 clearly differentiated segments. From the bottom, looks like only 6. The lines between the last three segments (which I can actually differentiate better in Fortune, Meek and Kit in L5) seem to be blurred. Is it possible that they are fusing and Angel is pulling a gender swap on me? By L7 will he be a she?


Joe, count the segments from the bottom; the top will do you no good. At younger instars both sexes look like they have more segments than they will eventually end up with. As the females get nearer to molting to adult, the third to last segment will "overtake" the last two small ones, becoming one large end segment. In males the segments will be of a more even proportion and 7 or 8 at count. Females end up with 5 or 6.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Katnapper said:


> Joe, count the segments from the bottom; the top will do you no good. At younger instars both sexes look like they have more segments than they will eventually end up with. As the females get nearer to molting to adult, the third to last segment will "overtake" the last two small ones, becoming one large end segment. In males the segments will be of a more even proportion and 7 or 8 at count. Females end up with 5 or 6.


So at this point the last two segments will either telescope outward, or be engulfed by the sixth segment? I can clearly see the boundaries of the 7th and 8th segments from the top and side, but from the bottom there is no distinguishing boundary between these segments, so it looks like there is a single sixth segment. I wish I could reliably photograph this but even my macro on my cellphone isn't good enough to resolve the tiny details.

Angel is L6. If Angel is a male, he would be Adult at L8? and if Angel is a female, she would be adult at L9? 

I guess, in the end, I'll just have to wait and see ^_^


----------



## Katnapper

JoeCapricorn said:


> So at this point the last two segments will either telescope outward, or be engulfed by the sixth segment? I can clearly see the boundaries of the 7th and 8th segments from the top and side, but from the bottom there is no distinguishing boundary between these segments, so it looks like there is a single sixth segment. I wish I could reliably photograph this but even my macro on my cellphone isn't good enough to resolve the tiny details. Angel is L6. If Angel is a male, he would be Adult at L8? and if Angel is a female, she would be adult at L9?
> 
> I guess, in the end, I'll just have to wait and see ^_^


She sounds female, but of course a pic would greatly help, lol. You're right... you'll likely just have to wait and see. I wouldn't worry about it too much, as she/he is what it is... and you'll eventually find out for sure.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Katnapper said:


> She sounds female, but of course a pic would greatly help, lol. You're right... you'll likely just have to wait and see. I wouldn't worry about it too much, as she/he is what it is... and you'll eventually find out for sure.


And now matter if he is a he or a she I still love him or her no matter what since they are all so adorable!

Nereid molted perfectly to L4 today! It seems Dio and Baphomet are still L3. Jasper is also L4.

Edit: A day later, Dio joins the party! Baphomet... what are you waiting for? Molt! *giggles*


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Baphomet still hasn't molted to L4.... lazy little bug...  The other Giant Asians are doing fine ^_^ 

Fortune molted two days ago to L6. I expected Kit to be the one to molt next, but SURPRISE! Meek has beaten Kit to L6. He is currently in the process of molting. Almost done though! I'm keeping a close eye on him for a bit before I leave for my first day of school of the Spring semester.

It seems all is going well. I've really wondered one thing though... sometimes when in the African mantises they eat a lot that their abdomens bulge, and such in the case of right now while Meek is molting, between the segments there is a black line with a red dot in the middle. What exactly is that? 

Just judging on how big Meek looks compared to Angel and Fortune (the other Sixers)... Meek is bigger. By far. Maybe this might finally be the sign that Meek is a she?


----------



## ZoeRipper

JoeCapricorn said:


> Baphomet still hasn't molted to L4.... lazy little bug...  The other Giant Asians are doing fine ^_^ Fortune molted two days ago to L6. I expected Kit to be the one to molt next, but SURPRISE! Meek has beaten Kit to L6. He is currently in the process of molting. Almost done though! I'm keeping a close eye on him for a bit before I leave for my first day of school of the Spring semester.
> 
> It seems all is going well. I've really wondered one thing though... sometimes when in the African mantises they eat a lot that their abdomens bulge, and such in the case of right now while Meek is molting, *between the segments there is a black line with a red dot in the middle. What exactly is that? *
> 
> Just judging on how big Meek looks compared to Angel and Fortune (the other Sixers)... Meek is bigger. By far. Maybe this might finally be the sign that Meek is a she?


I retract my statement, as I thought it was something completely different. My mistake.


----------



## idolomantis

" between the segments there is a black line with a red dot in the middle. What exactly is that? "

You mean like this:







If so that's normal.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

idolomantis said:


> " between the segments there is a black line with a red dot in the middle. What exactly is that? "You mean like this:
> 
> *PICTURE*
> 
> If so that's normal.


Yup. Exactly like that. I was just wondering because at first it didn't have the red dot and I wasn't sure if it was something more unusual. This is a relief ^_^ 

Kit molted successfully yesterday as well. All of my African mantises are L6. Baphomet finally molted to L4, all of my Giant Asians are L4. Squeeee! ^_^


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Jasper molted to L5 a few days ago. However, seems kinda small for an L5, smaller than what my African mantises were at L5, and Giant Asians are supposed to be bigger... hmmm... so if I get like, "too many Ls" later on (like L11, or L93), perhaps they might all be L3 except for Jasper who is L4? Although I'm pretty sure they were L3 when they arrived, and subsequently molted to L4 starting with Jasper.

Now, Angel molted to L7. He is stunningly beautiful! If he is a he, does this mean he is now sub-adult? Or is that L8? From the top I can clearly distinguish 8 segments and from the bottom I can clearly distinguish 7 segments, but at some angles only 6 segments. I think more than likely he is a he, but I'm also stunningly bad at telling their gender even at this stage. I do see small cute wing buds, but they are quite small, but wingbuds appear on all the other African mantises too.

----

Let's see, Angel molted to L7 yesterday February 1. For L6, Angel was first, then followed by Fortune 5 days later and Meek later that same day, and Kit a day later.

Jasper molted to L5 3 days ago, for L4 Jasper was first, then followed by Nereid 5 days later, Dio 6 days later and Baphomet 10 days later. Let's see how this sequence plays out.

----

I'm going to chart the general molting progress of all of my nymphs to this point. First, the African mantises:

Upon arrival, Kit, Angel and Fortune were L2, Meek was L1. Fortune molted to L2 in transit, he was the only one with exoskeleton remnant. All 4 arrived around 12:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

Meek molted a day later on November 5, catching up to L2.

On November 19 and possibly 18, Kit, Angel and Fortune molted to L3 all very close to one another. November 22 Meek molts to L3 3 days later (although could've happened night of November 21)

So for Kit, Angel and Fortune the time between L2 and L3 was generally 15 days and for Meek the time was 17 days.

Fortune molted to L4 December 10, 21 days after L3. Angel molted December 11 to L4, 22 days after L3, Kit molted December 12, 23 days after L3. Meek molted Dec. 15, 23 days after L3.

Angel molted to L5 Dec. 31 - 21 days after L4. I did not mark the exact date that Kit and Fortune molted but it was after January 3rd, probably January 5. This would be about 24 and 25 days after L4 for each. Meek probably molted either January 8 or 9, since when he molted to L5 I really felt the urgency to get new containers for my buddies. This would be 24 or 25 days after L4.

This is where it starts to get a little strange. Angel molts to L6 on January 19. This is 19 or 20 (if Angel molted the night of December 30) days after L5. Fortune molted to L6 January 23, between 18 and 19 days after L5. Meek molted to L6 on January 25, which is either 16 or 17 days after L5. Kit molted January 25 as well, in the evening, probably 20 days after L5.

So now, Angel molted to L7 on February 1, which is only 13 days after L6... this is strange. It seems they started off growing slowly, but now are maturing much faster... My room has been kept a bit warmer since I got back, and there has been a definite change in diet - first small crickets, later some house flies sent with the Giant Asians, along with D. melanogaster and hydei. All the African mantises are now at the point of eating crickets on a regular basis, although I still give them the fruit flies - even if the melanogaster are bite sized. I haven't tried giving melanogasters to Angel yet, but he is able to catch D. hydei, and the others can catch both Hydei and melanogaster, although they are more supplementary rather than staple at this point (if I run out of crickets, I will sit with them and feed them melanogasters one by one until their abdomens show some noticeable bulge... this can mean up to about 25 of the melanogasters per mantis and about 12 of the Hydei and 2 of the smallest crickets (which often times end up molting as well and get bigger)

----

The Giant Asians arrived Jan 13 all as L3. If they weren't L3 at the time, I might make a retroactive note of this, but for now I'm assuming all of them were L3. 2 days after arrival Jasper molts to L4. Nereid molted Jan 20 to L4, 7 days after arrival and Dio molted January 21, 8 days after arrival. Baphomet molted January 26, 13 days after arrival.

Jasper molted to L5 on January 31, 16 days after L4. Extrapolating this, I predict that Nereid will molt on Feb 5, Dio on Feb 6 and Baphomet on Feb 11. Could be shorter since I have a surplus of fruit flies that I've been feeding to the Giant Asians.

My prediction for Nereid did not come true - but instead was short by two days. Nereid molted successfully to L5 today on February 7. This was nearly a mismolt, he probably fell and was on the bottom of his enclosure looking all twisted - I slowly flipped the vial upside down, sprayed some moisture and kept an eye on him - he molted quickly (and I got some cool pictures of him doing so) - the only thing that was affected was his antennae, which are all wonky but still intact. Dio will probably molt tomorrow. I'll keep a close eye on him to make sure he molts without a hitch. Edit: Dio molted perfectly February 8th to L5.

Angel spends time out of his enclosure a lot, always sits on the center speaker and munches on crickets or fruit flies. I'll keep him nearby when feeding the other mantises, since sometimes a fruit fly will escape and Angel usually picks them off.

Edit: Fortune molted to L7 late Feb 10/early Feb 11 (Still in the process at this point) - raises a concern... Molting from L6 to L7 has Fortune stretching from the top of his container to the very bottom. I should find taller containers before Angel molts to L8 - I planned to anyway. It is 19 days after Fortune molted to L6.

Edit: Meek molted to L7 early Feb 11, perfect molt. Fortune's turned out to be a perfect molt. It is 17 days after Meek's molt to L6.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Okay, new post...

Kit molted to L7 early 2/12, perfect molt. Kit seems to have some abdominal deformities (I'll take pics tomorrow), but I doubt they are any cause for concern. Kit is a healthy mantis ^_^ 

Kit might be a female. From the top the last two segments are very short, from the bottom there is no distinguishable border between any segments after the 6th, and from the side it seems the border between the 6th segment and the other two segments angles toward the tip - with Angel, Fortune and Meek, this border wraps around and the 7th and 8th segments are clearly distinguishable. So, those three are male. Kit? Not sure, but nothing to concern myself over.

I got Angel a new container. It's a 2 pound deli container that is about 8 inches high. This will do for when Angel molts to L8, since with his old container he would not have enough room. Based on various stuff (could I be more vague?), L8 would likely be his sub-adult stage, and L9 is imago.

As for Nectarine, she has shown signs of significant aging and slowing down as of Monday. I thought she would be gone by Wednesday but has hung on. I must say, I never saw a grasshopper age as gracefully as Nectarine, as despite everything she still is herself. She still slowly wiggles her antennae, and still likes to munch on tango. I haven't had her on my keyboard as much, since I spray her food heavily to get her to eat and provide her with water - this water might drip into the keyboard and break it. Also my room is dry, her cage is humid.

Also, somewhat unrelated, I am elated to find that the supposed "dead" D. hydei fruit fly culture I got last week now has maggots in it, and two three flies roaming around. I got a new one as well, and intended on seeding the old one with these new flies but forgot, but it seems I might not have to... My younger bunch depend on these fellas for food and my older bunch eats them as snacks for supplementary nutrition in case crickets don't provide everything - basically I feed my younger bunch what they need, then the rest of the fruit flies I extracted from the culture I feed to the older bunch.


----------



## Katnapper

JoeCapricorn said:


> Also, somewhat unrelated, I am elated to find that the supposed "dead" D. hydei fruit fly culture I got last week now has maggots in it, and two three flies roaming around. I got a new one as well, and intended on seeding the old one with these new flies but forgot, but it seems I might not have to... My younger bunch depend on these fellas for food and my older bunch eats them as snacks for supplementary nutrition in case crickets don't provide everything - basically I feed my younger bunch what they need, then the rest of the fruit flies I extracted from the culture I feed to the older bunch.


If you want to keep your ff cultures going, without having to buy new ones each time (ends up being very expensive, and unpredictable at what you'll get), you'll need to make another_ *new*_ culture or two and seed it with some of the existing flies. I suggest making two (one as a backup); or if you don't have enough flies (around 50-100), then at least make one with what you do have.

Reseach the forum on tips for making new cultures (there are oodles of threads about it). And you can find an especially long and helpful thread on how to make your own ff culture media that should help immensely too. Just do a search or browse the Feeding section. Good luck!  

PS.... *Don't put off making a new culture; do it now*. The turnaround time to produce new flies basically takes about 2 weeks for _mels_ and 3 for _D. hydei_. When making and using ff's as a food source, planning ahead and making the new ones in advance of when you'll need them is essential.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Quick update: Baphomet molted today, February 15, to L5.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Some happy news, some sad news.

First, the happy news... Angel has molted successfully to L8! He is hanging out right now and I got some good pictures of him in this pose. I'm glad I decided to find a deli container when I did, I knew his molt would be soon. It has been about 16 days after his last molt. He is definitely the fastest growing of the bunch. The next in line to molt is Jasper, where upon molting Jasper will get an upgraded container - Angel's old Ziploc container. I will now begin my quest for a suitable container for adult housing to house Angel in, as well as Fortune, Meek and Kit before their next molting.

Now, the sad news. Images speak louder than words:


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Jasper molted perfectly today to L6 on February 17. Also, Jasper is undeniably a female. I can clearly see only 6 segments. The only other possible female of the group is Kit. Also, it is possible that I am ahead 1 on the instars of the second group, since I assumed they arrived as L3. They might have been L2 upon arrival. For now I'll keep assuming they arrived as L3, but if they end up all having one more instar than the first group, this would be the case.

Jasper will get a larger container today, Angel's old Ziploc container. I'm also going to go out questing for large enough containers to hold adults. I don't want Angel in his cramped up deli container for too long, even if it is a 32 oz. He might be able to stay there until he molts to L9, though. But once I get perfect sized containers for adults, I can move Kit, Fortune and Meek to them, and give the old Ziploc containers of Angel, Kit, Fortune and Meek to Jasper, Dio, Nereid and Baphomet.

----

Update: I found the perfect container for my mantises! Sterilite 2.5 quart or 2.4 liter containers. The only thing is, the lid is a bit hard to punch through. I used a screw driver and basically went all psychotic serial killer on the thing. Same basic set up as the smaller containers - a few holes on the top for ventilation, paper towel covering the entire lid for upside-down-ness, paper towel on bottom to catch poo and cricket guts. I also added some fake plants I got way back in November, or October in preparation for my new arrivals. I even got new Kritter Keepers, but I've since used them for other uses such as holding crickets and lizards that I caught in Alabama. One of them also held Apple, the last Differential grasshopper of the year that lived until after the first snow storm in December.

So now Fortune, Kit, Meek and Angel are in the containers they will live out the rest of their lives in. Baphomet, Nereid, Dio and Jasper got the old Ziploc containers the other four were in. The 32 oz deli container Angel was in for his molt to L8 is now where I house crickets, since it is nice and tall and less likely for them to escape, I can just reach my forceps in, pick up a piece of cardboard containing some crickets and pull it out and immediately place them in a vial. The vials are each portioned according to the mantis' needs, usually just one cricket at a time, and I just dump the vial into their cage and let them have at it!

---

Still keeping an eye on Nereid, who is still eating, but lately my mantises would eat and still surprise me with a molt later on. Also, it is very likely that my L numbers for Jasper, Nereid, Baphomet and Dio are one ahead... which means Jasper is L5, Nereid, Dio and Baphomet are L4 and they all arrived at L2.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Dio and Nereid both molted today perfectly. Nereid's antennae is a bit straighter and both are doing very well ^_^ - I am "downgrading" the "official" status of the second bunch minus one, so Nereid, Dio and Jasper are L5 and Baphomet is L4.

Next to molt is anticipated to be Fortune, to L8. After that Meek and Kit to L8. After that Angel(to L9) and Baphomet(to L5). Maybe because of my relative new-ness to the hobby, but I'm going to use L numbers straight through to Imago even though they are technically terms for "larva stages". I still don't know for sure when adult-hood is, but I'm guessing L10.

I am making a new post because I kinda have a question... is it smart to take decorations out of a cage of a mantis about to molt to ensure they molt on the top with plenty of height to the bottom? I do have some fake plants in the cages of Angel, Fortune, Meek and Kit. I say this is kinda a question, just because I might end up doing so anyway. There are a few days to go before Fortune molts, but it will most likely be next week - today is 16 days after his molt to L7. I am very intrigued about how big he will be at L8, since when everyone caught up to Angel at L7 they made Angel look noticably smaller! Angel had a very short time period between L6 and L7 (or was it L5 to L6, I forget), but one of those was 13 days long and another 16 days. I think this shorter time period may translate into a generally smaller size later on and while Angel will constantly surpass the sizes of the rest while they are still nymphs, this won't be the case when everyone catches up to adulthood... which is so excitingly near! I predict by April Angel will be an adult and by mid-April the rest will be adults. Sometime around mid-April, Dio, Jasper, Baphomet and Nereid will be about where the first bunch are right now. I think they will be adults definitely by June but possibly by mid-May - after all they are about 2 months growth behind and came from a completely different egg case than the first bunch. I am also going to go out on a limb to say that the largest (mass wise) of all 8 of them (when all are adults) may very well be Jasper, who is definitely a female. Kit is a possible female but has some distortions in her abdomen... but I do not see any signs of a 7th or 8th segment on her underside. At all.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Fortune has molted to L8! He is still in the process, but all of his legs are done and he is just hanging out until he is ready to start climbing up and letting his exoskeleton harden.

My goodness, he is gorgeous! He easily surpasses Angel in length, I think he might be about 3 inches long. I am also wondering if he is indeed Sub-Adult, his wings are also larger than Angel's wings. However, at most he has two molts to go. I took Meek and Kit out to spray their container for extra insurance moisture. Meek's wing buds are definitely bulged out and he will likely molt within the next 12 hours. Kit is likely to molt within the next 36 hours. Angel is likely to molt within the next 128 hours. Baphomet is likely to molt to L5 somewhere along the line as well. After that, it is Jasper to L6.

Still, Fortune's molt is the first one I got to see from the very start. I saw him as he started ecdysis, his skin seperated from his body and then the actual split down the middle of his back and the eventual molt itself. What a wondrous and fascinating process! So beautiful!

Meek is in the process of molting as I type. Again, I got to see him molt from the start and everything is going smoothly so far. *knocks on wood*

Fortune is active and I have him sitting on my desk with me. I will likely try to feed him but if he doesn't want to eat he does not have to. I don't intend on feeding him anything substantial either, likely a headless cricket (so that the cricket doesn't have a chance to harm Fortune). Meek will have to wait until tomorrow to be fed, there won't be any time tonight.

For Fortune it is 22 days after last molt and for Meek it is about 21 days after last molt. Kit is next, definitely. Also it appears that at 8th instar both Meek and Fortune have larger wing buds than Angel, who is also at 8th instar. This deepens the mystery of Angel (who had a molt that was 13 days apart, mind you, and has been growing faster than the rest since he beat the other three to L5 by almost a week and to L8 by about 16 days!) - I wonder now what Angel will look like at L9. Perhaps sub-adult, but now I wonder if L8 is sub-adult, and that maybe Angel might end up having "short wings"... I guess we'll see.

Meek's molt went perfectly and he is now sitting on my hand, all curious and active and adorable ^_^ 

Baphomet molted early this morning (while I slept) to L5. Perfect molt. Jasper and Kit are the next to molt - both of them are female.

Jasper molted late 3/5 to L6. Perfect molt. She must have finished not too long before I got home from seeing Otep. I am keeping a close eye on Kit (soon to L8) and Angel (soon to L9), they are next to molt. After that, Nereid and Dio to L6, then way into the future the cycle will likely start again with Baphomet to L6, Fortune and Meek to L9 sometime close together. This is so exciting!

Kit successfully molted to L8 late 3/6. There is now a much more dramatic difference between her appearance and that of Fortune and Meek. Angel is sort of enigmatic but probably a "dwarf" male or something. Not quite sure what size Angel will be, but I am sure that Kit might actually have an extra molt. Her wing buds are much smaller than that of Fortune, Meek and Angel (although Angel's wing buds are smaller than Fortune and Meek's) and she definitely has six segments. The only other female is Jasper that I know of, but I have not checked Baphomet, Nereid and Dio in detail. Also, Kit appeared to be a male until L7, when it became more obvious that she was a she.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Angel is in the beginning stages of molting! This would mean he will become 9th instar. There are now several mysteries yet to be solved about the 9th Instar. Will Fortune and Meek have a tenth instar? Or is their 9th instar adulthood? What if Angel is an adult? What will he look like? Updates will be posted as this molting unfolds...

Angel is mysterious because he is 8th instar, yet his wingbuds are small like Kit's. He has also had short time periods between molts. However, when Fortune and Meek molted to 8th instar, their wingbuds are significantly larger, which may mean that 9th instar for them is adulthood. Kit has molted to 8th instar and has small wingbuds in comparison to those of Fortune and Meek. Kit is a female and this difference is now more dramatic.

So three possibilities:

Angel becomes an adult with short wings

Angel is a female-male hermaphrodite? 

Angel becomes a sub-adult and just has short wing buds, and Fortune and Meek's 9th instars are similar but larger and with larger wingbuds. ;

I don't know... but this molting is sooo exciting!


----------



## Katnapper

JoeCapricorn said:


> I don't know... but this molting is sooo exciting!


It never gets old to me, Joe!


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Sometime on 3/12 I discovered Nereid had molted to L6 successfully! His (or her) antennae are no longer curled, but his right antennae is shorter than his left. By the time he is adult, this difference will be negligible or null as it is in Fortune (who completely lost an antennae when molting from L1 to L2)

I got 30 adult crickets and have started a cricket breeding colony. None of the adult females will be fed off to the mantises, even the adult males are too big, but what I hope is to have several generations of crickets and a supply of much smaller crickets at hand. Plus, it's just fun watching the crickets scurry around and hearing them sing. Also, one of the females molted to adult today, which I could tell since she was kinda albino like.

And I cleaned my room. I worked from 4 in the afternoon until 6 minutes ago (12:50 AM) - my mom went on a bus-trip to a hockey game in Johnstown, I wanted her to come home to something awesome.

Dio molted perfectly to L6 very early on March 16. I had been up late last night, went to bed around 4:00 AM, when I saw Dio hanging out soon after molting. Also, it is possible that Dio is a female.

Baphomet molted perfectly to L6 on March 20, a day before spring :3


----------



## JoeCapricorn

Over the next few weeks, from now until April 8, I predict that all 8 of my mantises will molt sooner or later. The second bunch to L7, Kit to L9, and Meek, Fortune and Angel possibly to adulthood (L9/L10)

Jasper molted perfectly to L7 today, March 25. The very next molt may be Fortune to adult. I'm keeping an eye on him, but last night he did eat and was eager to do so. I subjected him to a hunting response test - When he faces the computer screen, I bring up MS Paint, I start with a large brush size, move it around, zoom in (enlarges the dot) and move it around. I had zoomed all the way in and still no hunting response. Also, Fortune's wingbuds are spreading out a bit. I predict his molt within the next 24 hours.

Kit immediately responded to the hunting test. She may molt within the next 96 hours. Her wingbuds are slightly bulging and the boundaries between her abdominal segments are raised a bit.

Meek's wingbuds are bulged dramatically, but he responded immediately to the hunting test. Based on last molt, he may molt within the next 72 hours, not too long after Fortune.

Last time, Angel molted to L9 a few days after Kit molted to L8. This time around, he might actually molt to L10 while the others molt to L9... his wingbuds aren't too swollen but are spread out a bit. He did not respond to the hunting test. He responded later when I tried again after he calmed down a bit, but it was still delayed.

All four have a light-green band on the side of their abdomens, this is something I noticed appearing when they are close to molting. If Angel were to molt today, it would be 16 days past his molt to L9. Fortune and Meek are 21 days after their molt to L8 and Kit is 19 days after her molt to L8.

I made a chart of days each of my mantises molted. Strangely enough, I have a couple quick-period molts among the younger fellas. Baphomet had a molt 15 days post L5 and Nereid had one 13 days post L5. Angel had a molt 13 days post L7 when he molted to L8. Nereid and Dio are the next to molt in that group, followed by Baphomet, all to L7. I don't expect any more molts aside from Nereid until April, but again, I might be surprised. I have been before.... several times


----------



## JoeCapricorn

R.I.P. Fortune... October ? 2009 - April 3 2010.

His molt was not successful, I am weighing my options, I will probably do the freezer, but if there are quicker, humane alternatives, I'd rather not have my mom find him if I leave him in there or something.

Kit also fell when she molted, but she fell after she was done, and only her antennae were affected. She is fine, otherwise. In fact, she is beautiful, I think even her antennae straightened out. I am keeping a close eye on Meek for the next 12 hours, will stay up as long as possible. If I saw Fortune fall, I would have been able to save him.

First mismolt is hard (my mom is taking it hard too :/), but I do realize this occurs often.

I decided to give him a shot at life. His head and mouth parts are intact. Everything else, well, not so much. He is shaped like the letter C. I made a cape of sorts with paper towel, put a hole in it for his head and gently wrapped him in it. I can change this every so often and moisten it. Tomorrow, I will try to feed him. Food will be held by the paper towel itself, and he'll have to use his mouthparts to maneuver it into his jaws. This is day one of this experiment, to see how long a disfigured mismolt mantis can survive.

Edit: R.I.P. Fortune... October ? 2009 - April 3 2010. He got some mold growth on his body, as well as hardened blood - his injuries were worse than I thought. I did what I had to do.

For Meek I am taking the suggestions of bark. Dio molted today, perfect molt. He's nice and big too, and likely has two molts to go (so, he'll be like Fortune and Meek, with 9th instar being adult)


----------



## JoeCapricorn

And I woke up upon this bright, lovely easter morning to behold my eyes upon a sight I hoped to see - Meek molting to adult! My worries and fears welled up as I watched with anticipation and anxiety, but he kept going strong! Even the foot that I was worried of was uncoupled from the old and looks fresh as new! And how he is hanging inverted, awaiting the spreading of his wings!

And now I am going to eat A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT OF EASTER CANDY! ^________^


----------



## JoeCapricorn

7 new mantises arrived today! Thank you Peter!

4 Psuedocreobotra wahlbergii, 2 Budwings and an adult female Ghost mantis.

First off, photographs never accurately depict how small and precious these mantises are. The Ghost mantis is not even two inches long, she is absolutely adorable! ^_^ 

The P. walhbergii are so tiny, and the Budwings are just about twice their length.

Names are still being worked out, but they are all in their new homes. The six babies went directly to the ziploc-sized cups (which, compared to the small deli cups they came in, is a castle!), except for two of them, one is in the large cup 3 of the P. wahlbergiis are in, and one is in the large cup the Ghost mantis came in. The Ghost is in a larger container.

No health problems, all are comfortable, in fact all seem quite chubby! They look like they were well fed moments before shipping out.

As for the first 7, other than Meek and Angel, all of them are sub-adult. Their next molt will be to adult-hood.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

So I had an ooth hatch in my room a few weeks ago, lots of T. sinensis, I separated them into their own containers today and counted 15, gave them all greek letter designations. This is to keep track of molts and times between molting. Most will be set free, I may keep 3 to 6 as pets and I plan on naming them after characters in Charlotte's Web.

Capri (P. wahlbergii) was given a new home. Isis and Osiris (Budwing) are doing well. Baphomet and Nereid both showed signs of some sickness, but soon got better. I thought Baphomet would be a goner, but one day he just started eating again - at one point his abdomen was almost as flat as paper.

Kit is close to molting to adult. Dio may be next, followed by Baphomet, Nereid and Jasper.

And Chloë is the sweetest mantis in the world. I love ghost mantises now, I may get more of them in the future. For now, I have 26 mantis mouths to feed!


----------



## JoeCapricorn

DIO IS AN ADULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I had to! I am just so elated! This was as flawless a molt as it could possibly be.


----------



## JoeCapricorn

KIT IS AN ADULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perfect molt! She is sitting on my speaker, all proud and cute!

Hierodula are, in the end, definitely bigger in mass and width than Chinese mantises. Kit's face is bigger, her eyes are wider, her abdomen is larger, her thorax is wider, her wings are... shorter and her body length is also shorter, but she is one big lovable bug! ^_^


----------



## JoeCapricorn

CASPER IS AN ADULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those who don't know, that's the male Ghost mantis I got last week as a sub-adult. He is to be mated with Chloë in about two weeks.

Baphomet, Jasper and Nereid all molted to adult since last update. Jasper mismolted and passed away a few days later. Baphomet mismolted but only lost one leg and his wings are messed up but he can catch and climb.

Angel and Meek are showing signs of age. Dio is old enough to mate and I will attempt to mate him and Kit. On the other hand, the recent death of Ronnie James Dio kinda makes me want to try Meek or wait until Baphomet or Nereid are good enough.

There has been several molts in the past few days, so I will try to name them all.

Out of the 7 T. sinensis I have, five of them are third instar. Gamma and Phi are second instar. Phi is from the second hatching the rest are from the first. Names are temporary greek designates.

One of the Rhombodera mismolted and lost a leg, but is able to use two of his hind legs. His name is L, if he makes it to adult he'll be Lucky. He has a good shot at it, he can climb paper towel easily and I intend on giving him netting after transferring Casper to a better container.

The other two Rhombodera also molted. Tao molted today and Te molted a few days ago.

All three of the D. lobata molted since arrival. Their names are Leatherhead, Gnarles and Angus. Angus molted today and she is a definite female.

Budwings Isis and Osiris molted last week. Gender of both are still unknown, but both are doing great!

P. wahlbergii Capri molted to 5th instar. Whatever afflicted his three siblings is not affecting him at all. The three new ones are doing great and show no signs of illness, two of them remain unnamed. The third molted yesterday and has been named Dulcinea. I intend on giving floral names to the other two as well but will wait until they molt to 4th instar.

So yeah, that covers all 7 species of mantises. I also got Eastern Lubbers and four of them molted. One resulted in deformity, but it is still able to eat. One died, reducing the number to 15, but I got a lot in order for some to reach adult hood, so this is not unexpected.


----------

