# Hagiotata hofmanni



## fleurdejoo (Dec 4, 2012)

AKA The Hoff







She is so beautiful! Pale blue and brown with salmon under her arms.

Well, I absolutely adore her and she is getting older I suppose. Did anyone see a sign outside my house that said Mantid Rest Home?

Aaaaanyway, I let her free range A LOT!

I usually put her on a plant and she's fine.

Well I came home the other day and freaked out because I couldn't find her.

At last ... I found her.






Left for a bit came back and she's gone again!!! Ding dang it!

Found her again though.






Then I found this.

I mean...REALLY!?

She thinks she owns the place!






I didn't even notice the ooth in the first picture!


----------



## gripen (Dec 4, 2012)

Love this species. Very nice temperament. I wish I could have breed mine.


----------



## agent A (Dec 4, 2012)

Lol cute :wub:


----------



## Mime454 (Dec 4, 2012)

Will there be a sitcom?


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 4, 2012)

Lol! I don't know? Are you available?


----------



## Paradoxica (Dec 4, 2012)

I've never seen these before, so pretty!

That ooth on the scissors is hilarious.


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Dec 4, 2012)

A ooth even if it is teeny, that could have 15-20 in it? Was she mated?

Her abdomen seems to have a scar but she's still is a looker! Your building quite the collection there...  Nice

Now where's the hand made silk shirt I ordered???


----------



## sinensispsyched (Dec 4, 2012)

Man, they are like a much more exotic popa spurca! Are they as agressive as popas? They are DEFINITELY going on my wishlist!


----------



## gripen (Dec 4, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Man, they are like a much more exotic popa spurca! Are they as agressive as popas? They are DEFINITELY going on my wishlist!


They are like texicorns.


----------



## sinensispsyched (Dec 4, 2012)

SWEET!


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 4, 2012)

She is super sweet and laid back , but she eats. I've never seen a blue mantis, so I am completely smitten by her! She runs the bug room. You should ask Precarious about them, if you want to know more. I got her from him.

He was unable to mate her, I believe.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 4, 2012)

Oh! I believe what you are talking about are little vestigial wings? I think that's what you guys call them? But I'm not a pro. She has them on each side and that's just what I assumed. You know what they say about assuming things though, right?!


----------



## gripen (Dec 4, 2012)

fleurdejoo said:


> Oh! I believe what you are talking about are little vestigial wings? I think that's what you guys call them? But I'm not a pro. She has them on each side and that's just what I assumed. You know what they say about assuming things though, right?!


The things sticking out of the abdomen?


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 4, 2012)

Yes. Please correct me G!!!


----------



## Mëluzynn (Dec 4, 2012)

Adorable little thing &lt;3


----------



## gripen (Dec 4, 2012)

fleurdejoo said:


> Yes. Please correct me G!!!


I know as much as you  LOL I have no clue what the name is though.


----------



## Paradoxica (Dec 4, 2012)

gripen said:


> They are like texicorns.


Communal?


----------



## gripen (Dec 4, 2012)

Paradoxica said:


> Communal?


To a degree.


----------



## Paradoxica (Dec 4, 2012)

Well I'm sold


----------



## twolfe (Dec 4, 2012)

Very cute story. If I were a mantis in captivity, I'd want to live with you! You should have called her Dora the Explorer. I was going to make the same comment that Sinensispsyched made...reminds me of a prettier and more exotic popa. Cool colors. Does it have a horn on its head? I can't tell from those photos.


----------



## Mime454 (Dec 4, 2012)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Very cute story. If I were a mantis in captivity, I'd want to live with you! You should have called her Dora the Explorer. I was going to make the same comment that Sinensispsyched made...reminds me of a prettier and more exotic popa. Cool colors. Does it have a horn on its head? I can't tell from those photos.


When she texted me a pic I said the same thing. Popa 2.0. I hope that there are some nymphs lingering around in the classifieds soon!


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 5, 2012)

Ok here is the only other picture I have of her. I will take more but she's eating. I'm sure Precarious has some awesome pics of her somewhere here already!







See the little flap on her abdomen? There is another on the other side. So I just thought vestigial wings??


----------



## Mime454 (Dec 5, 2012)

I can't see what you're talking about, but no insect can have more than 4 wings(2 pairs) so it can't be vestigial wings.


----------



## twolfe (Dec 5, 2012)

I'm not 100% sure what you're talking about either, but I googled this species just now, and the lobe like things protruding from the side of the abdomen are in the photo of this species found on the IG Mantodea List website.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 5, 2012)

I will call them ruffles then!


----------



## twolfe (Dec 5, 2012)

Thanks for posting those new photos. The top down view is very helpful. Those lobes (or whatever they are) on the abdomen must be part of this species.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 5, 2012)

Ugh! Now Michael is makin' me read science!! Ack!


----------



## Mime454 (Dec 5, 2012)

My ghosts has those, but they are so big that they actually make it harder for her to move her back legs! I could be wrong, but I've always imagined these as signals of fitness. It's more dramatic on ghosts, but all these lobes increase surface area, giving predators more to strike at. Seeing an adult female at mating age with these lobes intact shows that she has good enough genes to survive and reproduce even with the handicap. Since males often only get to mate once, they want to choose the best female! In ghosts, the lobes are less pronounced in the male, so that even adds to the hypothesis.

I could be over-applying the principle, but it really makes sense to me. What are your thoughts?

Also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicap_principle


----------



## Precarious (Dec 5, 2012)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Does it have a horn on its head? I can't tell from those photos.


No horns but definitely like a cross between Popas and Unicorns. Yen was selling these a long while back. I was unable to breed her because her mate died.

Here she is as a sub...













gripen said:


> The things sticking out of the abdomen?


Just part of the camouflage.


----------



## Precarious (Dec 5, 2012)

Nice pics, Jude. I knew you would be a good mommy.


----------



## Mime454 (Dec 5, 2012)

I went image searching, and I might have found another reason for the lobes. Are they stirrups for the male?






He certainly seems to use them that way. Do ghosts do the same?


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 5, 2012)

Oh that sounds right me Michael.


----------



## fleurdejoo (Dec 5, 2012)

That is a huge compliment coming from you Tammy!!!

Thanks, if you had to be a captive mantis I would totally keep you!


----------



## gripen (Dec 5, 2012)

Mime454 said:


> I went image searching, and I might have found another reason for the lobes. Are they stirrups for the male?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes there are.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Dec 5, 2012)

My last one just died, laid ooth but none hatch, forgot to ck vacume, 2 got sucked up tonight, will make note to ck tomorrow, who knows, I may get blessed! they are really nice together and she does OWN your bugroom and your scissors! :tt2: 

ps, u should of used that pic for the calander, so grand! dont you have another just like it u can use, that pic has color and shows the inside of the arms and the side thingy./??


----------



## yen_saw (Dec 9, 2012)

Good to see this species Jude!



Mime454 said:


> I went image searching, and I might have found another reason for the lobes. Are they stirrups for the male?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh i didn't notice it when i took this pic. Good observation!

Nice pic of the head at different angle Henry. Look very different!


----------

