# can any body identify this



## Welsh_Barnie (Nov 3, 2005)

can any body identify this, i found it in my kitchen last night :shock:









scared the heck out of me as that thing hanging out its arse is quite hard and would penetrate skin

and hi BTW im new to the forum and to the mantis world  

and is it mantis or mantids


----------



## Jwonni (Nov 3, 2005)

no idea on your bug sorry

you can use "a mantis" "a mantid" "several mantids" or even "several Mantis's" far as i know they are all acceptable no right or wrong

so do you have any mantids yet?


----------



## Welsh_Barnie (Nov 3, 2005)

no not yet, go a bit more research to do first, dont want to dive into it head first


----------



## Jwonni (Nov 3, 2005)

yeah i got my first one not long ago and i did some research on here before getting it, just read as many posts as i could and looked at a few caresheets on a really good site.


----------



## Welsh_Barnie (Nov 3, 2005)

i think before you get any pet its important to do some research

been looking at an african, not to big and fairly easy to keep, and nice looking

ill start a new thread for the questions


----------



## Jwonni (Nov 3, 2005)

yeah my first is an african


----------



## Ian (Nov 3, 2005)

Hi barnie, welcome to the forum  

I am almost certain I have seen those bugs you posted a pic of in the summer. However, we get them in a dark gingery colour. They are rather strange....I think they might be a type of wood wasp?

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## yen_saw (Nov 3, 2005)

How big is that wasp? Never really like wasp, they can sting several times in a short period. But the reason i hate them the most is some species are parasite to wild caught mantis oothecae. :x


----------



## Ian (Nov 3, 2005)

The ones I have seen are around just over an inch long. Agreed, I hate wasps. Although, I think this species is unable to sting...the large stinger like obect at the end of her abdomen, is the ovipositor.

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## Welsh_Barnie (Nov 3, 2005)

yes thanks a mate worked it out and it was a wood wasp


----------



## Samzo (Nov 3, 2005)

Nice, never seen a wood wasp.



> "several Mantis's" quote]
> 
> First of any word ending in s you simply put ' with no extra s or use an e. So it would be mantises, sorry to be picky lol


----------



## Joe (Nov 3, 2005)

What you have there is a species of horntail from the family Siricidae. Horn tails are wasp like insects that bear a long ovipositor at the tip of its abdomen which it uses for drilling into the stems of plants or wood of dead or dying trees where the eggs are laid. they dont sting you you dont have to worry lol, they look like they can sting with both sexes having a horny spearlike plate at the tip of their abdomens, but so far i think they r harmless unless they can bite.

Joe


----------



## Chris Dickie (Nov 12, 2005)

> no idea on your bug sorryyou can use "a mantis" "a mantid" "several mantids" or even "several Mantis's" far as i know they are all acceptable no right or wrong
> 
> so do you have any mantids yet?


I wouldn't have said Mantis's was correct, perhaps Im wrong, mantis/mantid singular or mantids plural


----------

