# P. wahlbergii - Mated, but ooth did not hatch



## PlayingMantis (Feb 2, 2015)

My oldest P. wahlbergii mated in early December, at that time, she had been adult for 1 month. In mid December, she laid a normal-looking ooth, and it still hasn't hatched. Now, it's been almost 7 weeks, and I have a feeling something's gone wrong, because I read that they're only supposed to take a month to hatch.

I opened up one end of the ooth and popped out one individual egg. It is light green and translucent. The membrane of the egg is still soft and flexible, and when punctured, greenish fluid leaked out.









I'm still waiting on the other ooths from this female as well as two other females, which are supposed to hatch soon. I hope I didn't "jump the gun" on this ooth, because I know that opening up ooths is not really a recommended practice because there is a foolproof, alternative solution: wait it out. But I was curious, and I did very minimal damage to this ooth.

I'm trying to figure out why the ooth didn't hatch - either the mating failed (despite the fact that they *did* connect) or because something was wrong with incubation. I keep my ooths at 75F, 50% humidity.


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## Aryia (Feb 3, 2015)

How long was she connected and for how many times? There's a chance that the male just doesn't do a good job, I very rarely have that happen as well.


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## Vlodek (Feb 3, 2015)

I sure does look like the male didn't do his job. If he connected but spermatheca was not passed or accepted by female then all the eggs were infertile and so non have hatched.


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## MantidBro (Feb 3, 2015)

it can take longer than a month for oothecae to hatch. Some hatch sooner than others, not sure why.

But Id cut an ooth in half before, thinking it was done hatching... One half hatched three days later. So the minimal damage done wont effect all the nymphs, just the ones you cut through. That is, if they are fertile.

Considering there was greenish fluid in there, Im thinking, maybe thats a nymph forming. I do know most mantids have green blood.


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## Aryia (Feb 3, 2015)

Infertile eggs inside females still look like that (though the ones I saw were actually more green, might depends on species too). I unfortunately found that out when a mouse chewed its way into my gravid Rhombodera enclosure :/


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## PlayingMantis (Feb 3, 2015)

The female mated once, the connection began at around 9pm and when I went to bed at around 1am, they were still connected. When I woke up the next morning, the male was already dismounted.

I think the same male mated another one of my females a few weeks later. He seemed to be the most eager to mate. What a shame...  Oh well, I guess these things happen.


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## CosbyArt (Feb 4, 2015)

Can't comment on your particular species or fertility of the eggs. Although I can say I have been incubating a Carolina ooth now 92 days, and another nymph hatched today from it. Still may be too soon for your ooth to hatch, give it more time in the end it won't hurt anything (just tries your patience I know).


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## PlayingMantis (Mar 24, 2015)

Update - the ooth in the picture never hatched, nor did a couple others. Subsequent ooths hatched, however, all very delayed for some reason. Today, had a 70+ hatch from the 3rd ooth laid by the same female that laid the dud ooth shown above.

I also tried candling the ooths - I did that about 10 days ago and I noticed little eye balls.


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## bobericc (Mar 25, 2015)

Ive had this happen before with pseudocreo as well took a pic and my eggs looked the same way milky white translucent.. Mating with multiple males was my solution.


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