# Flower Mantis



## mantiscraze (Aug 12, 2011)

They are growing up fast.


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## twolfe (Aug 12, 2011)

That's a pretty mantis.


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 13, 2011)

beautiful mantis!


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## Idolofreak (Aug 13, 2011)

Pretty! I love the stripes on its abdomen.


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## ImTheBugFreak (Aug 13, 2011)

Very pretty! Nice photos!


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## dragon (Aug 14, 2011)

Lovely critter!


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## RevWillie (Aug 14, 2011)

Great colors!

Do you have them in a very light colored environment? I have a Creo. pictipennis that loves a yellow silk flower to hang out in and it is paler, more yellow than the others.


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## mantiscraze (Aug 15, 2011)

I have an assortment of fake flowers and floral moss in the enclosure.



RevWillie said:


> Great colors!
> 
> Do you have them in a very light colored environment? I have a Creo. pictipennis that loves a yellow silk flower to hang out in and it is paler, more yellow than the others.


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## Precarious (Aug 15, 2011)

Really cool colors!


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## Amaybe (Aug 22, 2011)

These are beautiful.


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 22, 2011)

Somehow i missed commenting on these great pix. Very nice! What species?


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 23, 2011)

im calling gemmatus  but i have no idea :mellow:


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## mantiscraze (Aug 24, 2011)

LOL, there is a very interesting story involved with these babies. Some members have been following the story (http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=21843&amp;st=0&amp;p=163258&amp;hl=+first%20+meal&amp;fromsearch=1entry163258). Anyways, I think they are Creobroter something.

I had 4 of these beautiful mantids survive from the unexpected hatch. They were doing great. Then, a few days ago, one of them got eaten by the cricket I fed him. I guess it was a bit too big and that cricket put up a fight and won...very sad. I will update the pictures in a few days.



PhilinYuma said:


> Somehow i missed commenting on these great pix. Very nice! What species?


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## patrickfraser (Aug 24, 2011)

I remember that post.



I just went through it again.

If the ooth came from Rich S, it is most likely Creobroter pictipennis. 99.9% sure, as it is the only Creobroter on his "kept" list. I just checked on the other thread.

SO...99.9% it is Creobroter pictipennis.


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## mantiscraze (Aug 25, 2011)

!!Epic Meal Time!!


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## mantiscraze (Aug 25, 2011)

David vs Goliath


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## mantiscraze (Aug 25, 2011)

Ever seen Kung Fu Panda 1&amp;2? My kung fu is stronger than yours!


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## lancaster1313 (Aug 25, 2011)

Beautiful photos!


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## RevWillie (Aug 25, 2011)

Great photos!!!

(leave it to the orchid grower - me - to not use any orchids in his photos yet  )


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## mantiscraze (Sep 5, 2011)

Best buddies!

Piggyback ride







Faster my valient steed! Onward to the promised land.


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## patrickfraser (Sep 5, 2011)

Cute pictures. I have pictures from when I was younger of our guinea pigs riding our desert tortoises.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 8, 2011)

Woke up this morning and found that I have my first adult male.






It's been quite a journey, from ooth to adulthood.


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## rs4guy (Sep 8, 2011)

Gorgeous mantis! This may be my next species! Cheers!


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Sep 8, 2011)

beautiful


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## mantiscraze (Sep 11, 2011)

2 new adult males, can someone please confirm the species? Creobroter pictipennis?

Paying hide and seek






Grooming






Female is still a subadult






Hopefully it will molt into an adult soon


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## patrickfraser (Sep 11, 2011)

Go to the source. Ask Rich S,


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## RevWillie (Sep 11, 2011)

They look like my C pictipennis male:






Once my females got to sub-adult, they ate everything in sight and turned into little blimps! Just keep feeding her and she'll get to adult soon.


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## Andyfrog321 (Sep 22, 2011)




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## mantiscraze (Sep 22, 2011)

My female finally turned into an adult!

Enjoying a cricket.


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## RevWillie (Sep 23, 2011)

Congrats Tammy! :clap:


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## mantiscraze (Sep 23, 2011)

? Tammy?



RevWillie said:


> Congrats Tammy! :clap:


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## patrickfraser (Sep 23, 2011)

mantiscraze said:


> ? Tammy?


 :lol:


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## RevWillie (Sep 23, 2011)

mantiscraze said:


> ? Tammy?














Congrats mantiscraze!!! :clap: 

Sorry 'bout that, transposed threads and definitely needed more coffee.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 23, 2011)

LOL. Speaking of Tammy, I received 2 wonderful Creos from Tammy. I hope to breed hers with mine.



RevWillie said:


> Congrats mantiscraze!!! :clap:
> 
> Sorry 'bout that, transposed threads and definitely needed more coffee.


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## RevWillie (Sep 23, 2011)

Can newly-hatched Creos take hydei, or do they need melanogasters?


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## mantiscraze (Sep 24, 2011)

Okay, so when the ooth I got hatched, I didn't have any fruit flies around, so I went to the local pet shop and got a bunch of pinheads (crickets). They seemed too big, but the hatchlings ate them no problem.







RevWillie said:


> Can newly-hatched Creos take hydei, or do they need melanogasters?


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## mantiscraze (Sep 24, 2011)

When I first introduced the male into the female enclosure, I noticed that the male's eyes turned all bloody red. I forgot to take a picture. And this morning, the eyes are back to normal, like the ones you see in my pictures. Has anyone else noticed this? The eyes become opaque and it's a uniform dark red color, like back when they were L1, L2.


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## RevWillie (Sep 24, 2011)

mantiscraze said:


> When I first introduced the male into the female enclosure, I noticed that the male's eyes turned all bloody red. I forgot to take a picture. And this morning, the eyes are back to normal, like the ones you see in my pictures. Has anyone else noticed this? The eyes become opaque and it's a uniform dark red color, like back when they were L1, L2.


With these Creos? Wow, I've never seen that in any of the 5 matings mine have done (2 males, 4 females). The eyes stayed normal greenish.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 24, 2011)

Yeah, these Creos. I'll try to take a picture next time I see it. Like the male got possessed all of a sudden.



RevWillie said:


> With these Creos? Wow, I've never seen that in any of the 5 matings mine have done (2 males, 4 females). The eyes stayed normal greenish.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 25, 2011)

Okay, here are some pictures of the red/dark-purple eyes. Both males and females had them. These were taken last night. Could this be their night vision?


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## patrickfraser (Sep 25, 2011)

You got it. It is normal evening "wear".


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## RevWillie (Sep 26, 2011)

I would say yes, that is the typical red-black eyes they get at night or in the dark. You were introducing/breeding them at night? I introduce them during the day so I can watch out for problems.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 27, 2011)

I just left them in there. I have 5 adults all together. I paired Tammy's female with my male; and my female with Tammy's male, plus another male of mine. It's been 4 days and all 5 are present. Anyways, I am not a worrier of the so called mantis sexual cannibalism. If it does happen, it's all part of "natural" selection.



RevWillie said:


> I would say yes, that is the typical red-black eyes they get at night or in the dark. You were introducing/breeding them at night? I introduce them during the day so I can watch out for problems.


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## mantiscraze (Sep 27, 2011)

I'm so proud!


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Sep 27, 2011)

That guys got the right idea!


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## meaganelise9 (Oct 2, 2011)

Oh my goodness! So beautiful and colorful.


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## mantiscraze (Oct 13, 2011)

more babies on the way


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## agent A (Oct 13, 2011)

creobroter are very prolific breeders

good luck! they really are fun little guys!!!


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## mantiscraze (Oct 13, 2011)

I noticed a marked difference between fresh female and mated ones. Their colors start to darken, and with a increased voracity when they take down a prey.


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## agent A (Oct 14, 2011)

i've seen the colors on the females' abdomens change a bit in C. gemmatus, pictipennis probably do the same thing

keep us posted!!!


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## mantiscraze (Nov 15, 2011)

This marks the beginning of generation 2.


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