# Mantis colouration



## squidlinus (Aug 27, 2007)

Hi,

I have a L5 chinese male that is a darkish tan colour, i have heard that humidity levels can affect colour. Is this correct, do higher humidity levels cause a change as I have seen some examples of green coloured chinese mantids?

Cheers

Jon. Uk.


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## Asa (Aug 28, 2007)

Correct.


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## Ben.M (Aug 28, 2007)

Higher humidity = Greenish colouring

Lower humidity = Brown/tan colouring


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## Rick (Aug 28, 2007)

> Higher humidity = Greenish colouringLower humidity = Brown/tan colouring


Proof? I don't think anyone can prove this has anything to do with color. I can go out right now and find brown and green chinese within feet of each other in the same weeds. They came up under the exact same conditions but yet are different colors.


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## Ben.M (Aug 28, 2007)

Well its worked for me in the past


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## jarek (Aug 28, 2007)

> Well its worked for me in the past :roll:


it works on some mantids and others even with high huminity will keep dark color, I had once sphodromantis that I kept in high huminity and she was dark, then few months later I had another sphodromantis that was dark and I made the huminity go high and she turned green when she molted and some mantids were green even in dry conditions.


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## Ian (Aug 28, 2007)

> > Well its worked for me in the past
> 
> 
> it works on some mantids and others even with high huminity will keep dark color, I had once sphodromantis that I kept in high huminity and she was dark, then few months later I had another sphodromantis that was dark and I made the huminity go high and she turned green when she molted and some mantids were green even in dry conditions.


This is what happened to me with my Sphodromantis rubrastigmata. The green/beige colouring was from higher humidity, and the darker brown colouring from lower.


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## pizzuti (Aug 28, 2007)

I've also noticed that green European mantids never have a failed moult, but brown ones have failed moults all the time. They'll be in the same temperature and conditions, but that will still happen.

It makes sense that the colors would go that way; humidity means the vegetation will be greener, and drought makes vegetation browner.

I would prefer to encourage them to be green, because I find green mantids to have fewer wing problems when they moult indoors. But perhaps my bad moulting problems are because when I bring a brown mantid indoors, it's putting a mantid aclaimated to low humidity in a high-humidity environment.


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## bubforever (Aug 28, 2007)

Isn't it just a myth? I know with orchids some people believe that their colors change with humidity but there isn't any real proof that humidy changes colors, though what pizzuti says would make sense.


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## Rick (Aug 28, 2007)

> Isn't it just a myth? I know with orchids some people believe that their colors change with humidity but there isn't any real proof that humidy changes colors, though what pizzuti says would make sense.


True. I don't think anyone has any hard evidence of this.


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## pizzuti (Aug 28, 2007)

Someone could easily just study it. Hatch one ooth of European mantids and put half in an environment with a humidifier, and half in a dry environment without a humidifier. Observe the colors as they grow up; write down what color each mantid appears after each moult. That's how a scientific study would work.

If the hypothesis is shown to be true and the mantids in the drier climate are more brown than the mantids in the more humid climate after a few moults, the study could be extended by switching some of the mantids. Take a portion of the green mantids and put them in a dry environment, and a portion of the brown mantids and put them in a wet environment, to see if color changes are dependent on the most recent humidity level, or if it is established earlier in life.

All mantids used would have to be from the same egg case, though, because then you know they are genetically similar. You'd also have to make sure the cages are the same color, and the prey is the same, the lighting is the same, and the temperature is the same.

I can't do it because I don't have nearly enough room to house them all, but if someone else is up to the challenge, I'm sure we'd all be interested in the results.


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## bubforever (Aug 28, 2007)

I'm up to it, first i need to get a ooth and time.


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## squidlinus (Aug 30, 2007)

Thanks for the info! I think i willl try out different humidity levels when start owning some more mantids. This is only the second i have owned and i am still new to keeping them.


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## chocolatecolubrid (Sep 5, 2007)

Sorry for bringing this topic up again, but I was going to start a new one anyway and figured it was related.

When my orchid was small her white areas were pure white, then just before her final moult she started to get some pale pink on some areas of white. I kept her on some fake pure white orchids up until this point. After her final moult the pink remained for a while, then I had to replace her fake plant as it was dirty and damaged, but having no other orchids left I put a fake green plant in with her. Now the pink has vanished altogether and recently her wings seem to have a green tint to them. Do they change colour for camouflage? I never knew the humidity could affect the colour, but Ive always kept her humidity stable, and the plant is the only thing that has changed in her setup.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, Im still learning


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## calmspeak (Sep 5, 2007)

I have never given my chinese mantis water by misting or changed the humidty levels at all. They are browny beige, browny red and two different shades of green. Odd isn't it, So I'm not so sure if humidity has anything to do with it :?


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## OGIGA (Sep 5, 2007)

> Sorry for bringing this topic up again, but I was going to start a new one anyway and figured it was related.When my orchid was small her white areas were pure white, then just before her final moult she started to get some pale pink on some areas of white. I kept her on some fake pure white orchids up until this point. After her final moult the pink remained for a while, then I had to replace her fake plant as it was dirty and damaged, but having no other orchids left I put a fake green plant in with her. Now the pink has vanished altogether and recently her wings seem to have a green tint to them. Do they change colour for camouflage? I never knew the humidity could affect the colour, but Ive always kept her humidity stable, and the plant is the only thing that has changed in her setup.
> 
> Sorry if this is a stupid question, Im still learning


I'm glad you had that experience! Now I think they do change color to camouflage.


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Sep 5, 2007)

My guess is that they change color to better suit their surroundings. Perhaps its to better hide them from prey and predators. The only way to know for sure is to conduct experiments using mantids from the same ooth of any species. Orchids, euros, giants, anything whose species can vary in color. And even then we can still be wrong! Maybe certain mantids change for better camo or a change in the surroundings. Maybe some change becasue of humidity. Who knows for sure? Thast why they are aliens!!


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## Asa (Sep 5, 2007)

I did my own miniature test of that. It didn't change color to set surroundings.


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## OGIGA (Sep 6, 2007)

> I did my own miniature test of that. It didn't change color to set surroundings.


How did you do your test? Could be useful if we know the details.


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