# TAMU Insect Collection open house 2010



## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2010)

This event was held last Saturday in Texas A&amp;M. This time my hope was to gather some information on location for native species collection and mantis related publications. Also good to see another forum member during the event and some bug hobbyists from Houston area.

Some _Stagmomantis californica_ adult male attracted by light







The specimens were collected in both Balmorhea and Presidio, TX (Near Big Bend National Park). As documented by Dr. Henard there are found in Western Texas.











A _Stagmomantis limbata _specimen (adult female)






The S. limbata (right) appear to have wider tegmina compare to S. carolina(left) next to it.






Some freshly preserve beetles collected recently, waiting for identification.






Ed who is the curator helping out in identifyng bugs brought in by collectors visiting the event curious to find out what they got.






Couple of funny pic on the Ento building poster


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## [email protected] (Jan 11, 2010)

[SIZE=14pt]Wow way cool Yen I am glad to see you had a good time.[/SIZE]


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## ismart (Jan 11, 2010)

Looks like a lot of fun!  Glad you enjoyed yourself!


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## kamakiri (Jan 11, 2010)

Still sorry I missed it...but thanks for the _Stagmomantis_ comparison pictures!

Did they have any of the _S. californica_ females?


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## agent A (Jan 11, 2010)

funny pic! of course that's not where insects breathe through and their heart isn't in the thorax so it wouldn't be saved. I have 1 question. Why must people kill so many specimens of a single species for a collection? Seems there are several adult male stagmomantis in that one collection, isn't a male and a female enough? Why kill 4 or 5 males instead of just 1?


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## yeatzee (Jan 11, 2010)

agent A said:


> funny pic! of course that's not where insects breathe through and their heart isn't in the thorax so it wouldn't be saved. I have 1 question. Why must people kill so many specimens of a single species for a collection? Seems there are several adult male stagmomantis in that one collection, isn't a male and a female enough? Why kill 4 or 5 males instead of just 1?


who said they killed them? idk about you guys, but I wait until they have died naturally and im sure im not the only one.


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## [email protected] (Jan 11, 2010)

yeatzee said:


> who said they killed them? idk about you guys, but I wait until they have died naturally and im sure im not the only one.


+1 I have keep 2 dead ghost, wild adult male chinese, few dead nymphs and 1 dead bark all died of natural causes.


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## Katnapper (Jan 11, 2010)

yeatzee said:


> who said they killed them? idk about you guys, but I wait until they have died naturally and im sure im not the only one.


+2

And one of the reasons for collecting/pinning/displaying more than one individual specimen is to have a significant amount of specimens to show uniformity in identifying characteristics of a species.


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## chun (Jan 11, 2010)

i'm pretty sure (almost certain) that taxonomists and collectors do not wait for their specimens to die from natural causes, it's just not viable.


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## leviatan (Jan 11, 2010)

chun said:


> i'm pretty sure (almost certain) that taxonomists and collectors do not wait for their specimens to die from natural causes, it's just not viable.


Yup, Entomologist put an insect to container with few drops of an ethyl acetate - They don't wait to natural end. An insect just fell asleep (if we can use that word) and never wake up. They just go to Ever-Hunting-Land


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## Katnapper (Jan 11, 2010)

leviatan said:


> Yup, Entomologist put an insect to container with few drops of an ethyl acetate - They don't wait to natural end. An insect just fell asleep (if we can use that word) and never wake up. They just go to Ever-Hunting-Land


I guess that's just one of the differences between entomologists who seriously study mantids (thus the necessity of not waiting around until the specimen is old or becomes ill, or otherwise not pristine) and hobbyists, whose goal is to keep the mantids alive just for the enjoyment of observing them.


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## Rick (Jan 11, 2010)

Interesting.


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## MantidLord (Jan 11, 2010)

Katnapper said:


> I guess that's just one of the differences between entomologists who seriously study mantids (thus the necessity of not waiting around until the specimen is old or becomes ill, or otherwise not pristine) and hobbyists, whose goal is to keep the mantids alive just for the enjoyment of observing them.


For the sake of science, their bodies will be sacrificed. Though I can say that at least they were adults and probably mated before their untimely end. And Agent A, remember you want to show consistency and a vaible _n_ of specimens. I for one wait until my mantids are dying or dead before "preserving" them. Anyway, great pics Yen. Glad I could finally have a glimpse of S. californica.


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## agent A (Jan 11, 2010)

now I get it. only thing is you learn more by studying live specimens than by looking at dead ones :lol:


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## chun (Jan 11, 2010)

agent A said:


> now I get it. only thing is you learn more by studying live specimens than by looking at dead ones :lol:


believe me, it's easier identifying a dead specimen than a live one.


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## PhilinYuma (Jan 12, 2010)

agent A said:


> funny pic! of course that's not where insects breathe through and their heart isn't in the thorax so it wouldn't be saved. I have 1 question. Why must people kill so many specimens of a single species for a collection? Seems there are several adult male stagmomantis in that one collection, isn't a male and a female enough? Why kill 4 or 5 males instead of just 1?


Insects are like people, Alex, one species comes in many shapes and sizes. The idea is to collect enough specimens of the same species to form a series. There are not only variations in size but in color and proportions. The identification of subspecies and inter zonal species depends on such seres, which may consist of hundreds of carefully annotated specimens.

The sensibility in which you are growing is very different from that which obtained when I was your age. Insects, then, might be killed, for convenience, in a cyanide or laurel killing jar, but there was always a concern that the chemicals would discolor the insects and the Natural History Museum in London had a pamphlet on "papering" (this was before the days of baggies), which consisted of placing a live butterfly or dragonfly, say, with folded wings, in a paper spill. Later, the spill would be placed in a relaxing chamber to prepare the long dead insect for mounting. Even today, first year entomology students are expected to mount a collection of dead insects.

I agree that. aside from systematics, there is more to be learned from the study of live insects, but studying insects in a jar is little more productive than studying a lion in a cage. So get out there with your camera and notebook Alex, and tell us what''s going on!


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## yen_saw (Jan 12, 2010)

@kamakiri: Unfortunately there are only male on that tray. THere are also some adult females needing identification but i didn't check their wing color as all the specimens are dried and stiff.

@ Agent A: Well you have your anwers there thanks everyone explaining to Alex.

More native species, Stagmomantis carolina specimen






Florida bark mantis






Brunneria borealis






Oligonicella scudderi






Oligonicella mexicana - check out the longer pronotum (longer metazona) compare to O. scudderi






Other specimen besides mantis











It is a tradition to have a group photo before lunch, this year is the same. I have gained lot of weight recently but some should still be able to spot me


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## yeatzee (Jan 12, 2010)

Very cool Yen.

Second on the left?


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## Teaspoons (Jan 12, 2010)

I was also at the event! Thanks again Yen for giving me a heads up and inviting me to come!

It was so amazing to get to go through and enjoy looking at TAMU's immense collection as well

as getting to meet people with such varied disciplines within entomology!

Here are some pictures I got, although unlike Yen I was less meticulous about getting labels in

so I have no idea what most of these are, and I'm terrible at remembering names. Hope you enjoy

them anyway!































well there is what I have so far, most of my other pictures are non-mantis related

but if anyone wants to see more I'll try to clean them up and post more. Now I just need

to practice with my new equipment so I can make even better photos next time!


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## chun (Jan 12, 2010)

loving the mole cricket photo


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## agent A (Jan 12, 2010)

yen_saw said:


> @kamakiri: Unfortunately there are only male on that tray. THere are also some adult females needing identification but i didn't check their wing color as all the specimens are dried and [email protected] Agent A: Well you have your anwers there thanks everyone explaining to Alex.
> 
> More native species, Stagmomantis carolina specimen
> 
> ...


why do the barks look as if they're wings are soft like they just finished spreading out and they need to dry? some have wings that looka little too clear for a mantis. also, how long would it take for a mantis to develop full wing color? I noticed it takes 3 days for Creobroter, 1 day for miomantis, hierdula, tenodera, species like that. but what about the barkies?


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## yen_saw (Jan 12, 2010)

yeatzee said:


> Very cool Yen.Second on the left?


yep!  


Teaspoons said:


> I was also at the event! Thanks again Yen for giving me a heads up and inviting me to come!It was so amazing to get to go through and enjoy looking at TAMU's immense collection as well
> 
> as getting to meet people with such varied disciplines within entomology!


Thanks Amanda for showing up, I hope you and your friends have fun there.  Your Canon 100 mm macro IS + twin-lite macro flash combination is also one of the attraction for the event :lol: I have also taken the photos of your second and thrid mantis specimen in your pics.This unknown specimen (nymph) from Mexico











Eremiaphila sp from Amman, Jordan













agent A said:


> why do the barks look as if they're wings are soft like they just finished spreading out and they need to dry? some have wings that looka little too clear for a mantis. also, how long would it take for a mantis to develop full wing color? I noticed it takes 3 days for Creobroter, 1 day for miomantis, hierdula, tenodera, species like that. but what about the barkies?


 The specimen have been there for years actually. The wings on adult male Florida mantis are actually transparent with some gray marking. Following are some of the recently spread Gonatista grisea from my collection





Florida bark mantis gets the full wing color few hours after molting.

There are a few other new mantis specimen I haven't seen on previous two visits. A specimen from Iraq, looks like an Empusa sp.











Female Choerododis sp. (probably rhombicollis)






Male Choerododis sp.






Charlie is another bug hunting buddy I met last year, a very knowledgable, humble, and kind chap.


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## ZoeRipper (Jan 13, 2010)

Jeez, Yen! That's one helluva sheild on that female Choerododis!


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## ABbuggin (Jan 13, 2010)

Looks awesome Yen. Sure wish I could of gone.


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## yen_saw (Jan 13, 2010)

ZoeRipper said:


> Jeez, Yen! That's one helluva sheild on that female Choerododis!


 yeah she's a beauty and have seen better day I am sure.Queen ants






Looks like some popular jack jumper ant from Australia






Some exotic beetles from Africa






native mantis with ooth






more beetles






Assorted insects tray






Moth






Cannibalistic katydid - was told this would rip a praying mantis apart in minutes (_Rehnia spinosa _= _Neobarrettia spinosa _??)






Hopper






Some of the visitors from Houston area (Amanda and Co.  )


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## yen_saw (Jan 13, 2010)

Another friend from Houston area. Anita is a naturalist from Jesse Jones Park at North Houston where i am going to attend her park program helping out on mantis identification within the park. In return she will help me in translation of some German literature since she's a German!






David and Dan bringing out freshly preserved insects for A&amp;M staff to identify before selling them to the public.






identification in progress.....






Stick insects






Roaches






Wasps






this look like a lot of work!






more mantis


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## Katnapper (Jan 13, 2010)

Nice photos of obviously interesting event.  Looks like *plenty* of "a lot of work!" :lol:


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## MantidLord (Jan 13, 2010)

Wow. Those are sooo awesome! Great pics yen. You're lucky.


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## yen_saw (Jan 14, 2010)

Katnapper said:


> Nice photos of obviously interesting event.  Looks like *plenty* of "a lot of work!" :lol:


Yeah got to love the job to do that kind of work.  


MantidLord said:


> Wow. Those are sooo awesome! Great pics yen. You're lucky.


 Thanks. Yeah good thing TAMU is only 90 miles from Houston.Mantoida maya – adult male. Specimens from Key Largo, FL.
















While taking down notes I saw a very small mantis, the smallest I have ever seen. Not even a cm. Appear to be from Australia.











More hopper






Tiger beetles






More mantis






I missed this mantis – Zoolea sp






Some Pseudovates spp


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## agent A (Jan 14, 2010)

yen_saw said:


> Some Pseudovates spp


why does only 1 have wing color? When I preserved my dead Creobroter males, they both still have full color, they haven't faded. I have a special method of preserving them, I should probably mention it here.


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## PhilinYuma (Jan 14, 2010)

agent A said:


> why does only 1 have wing color? When I preserved my dead Creobroter males, they both still have full color, they haven't faded. I have a special method of preserving them, I should probably mention it here.


I think that you are wise not to tell us before you have patented the process.


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## batsofchaos (Jan 14, 2010)

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet in regards to preserving insects is that in addition to the feasibility of letting them die naturally is only part of it. In addition to actual physical study of a dead specimen, an important part of entomology involves the location and dates of collection. It's easy to understand why this info is important to researchers; it helps determine distinctions within a species by geographic location, and changes within a species in an specific geographic location over time. Perhaps the _S. carolina_ in North Carolina tend to be slightly bigger/slightly greener/etc. than the ones that live in Colorado? Or if the ones in Colorado are bigger this year (a very wet year by Colorado standards) compared to 2004? I don't know if any of that's true, but what if it is? How would you be able to uncover information in that vein if all specimens, while originally wild-caught, were actually captive specimens, simply due to the fact that you kept them in a cup for six months with an artificial life cycle? Killing immediately upon collection, as well as accurate annotation, is essential for entomological research.


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## mantiseater (Nov 1, 2013)

agent A said:


> QUOTE (yen_saw @ Jan 14 2010, 01:36 PM) &lt;{POST_SNAPBACK}&gt;
> Some Pseudovates spp
> 
> 
> ...


I think the ones with clear wing are vates they look similar to two males that i caught in Jamaica


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