# L1/first instar comparison (appearance only)



## twolfe (Sep 9, 2012)

Here are first instar nymphs I've photographed. 






_Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii (Spiny Flower)_





_Blepharopsis mendica (Devil's Flower or Thistle Mantis)_





_Creobroter sp._





_Oxyopsis gracilis_





_Hymenopus coronatus (Orchid)_






_Parymenopus davisoni (Yellow Orchid)_





_Oxyothespis dumonti (North African Grass Mantis)_





_Ephestiasula pictipes (Purple Boxer Mantis)_






_Stagmomantis limbata (Bordered Mantis)_






_Decimiana bolivari _


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## twolfe (Sep 9, 2012)

_Phyllocrania paradoxa (Ghost)_





_Idolomantis diabolica (Giant Devil's Flower)_





_Phyllovates chlorophaea (Texas Unicorn)_





_Polyspilota aeruginosa (Madagascan Marbled Mantis)_

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_Polyspilota griffinnii (Griffin Mantis)_





_Rhombodera cf. stalii (Shield Mantis)_






_Thesprotia graminis_ (American Grass Mantis)






_Popa Spurca (African Twig Mantis)_

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_

_Stagmomantis carolina_ (Carolina mantis)





_Stagmomantis limbata_


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## twolfe (Sep 9, 2012)

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_Taumantis Sigiana_

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Hierodula bipapilla_

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_Hierodula multispina_

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_Hierodula majuscula_

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_Orthodera ministralis_ (Garden Mantis)

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_Pseudomantis albofimbriata (False Garden Mantis)_






_Brunneria borealis (Brunner's Mantis)_

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_Euchomenella heteroptera_

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_

_Hestiasula major (Giant Boxer)_


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## twolfe (Sep 9, 2012)

Hold for future photos


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## giesle (Sep 9, 2012)

I couldn't hold any longer, so I'm going to comment.  Very nice shots. They're all so cute. Love the pose of the Oxyopsis.


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## Mime454 (Sep 9, 2012)

I love the creobroter!


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## hierodula (Sep 9, 2012)

Ahhhh!!!!! too much adorableness!!!!!!!!! :helpsmilie: :wub: Great shots as well! You could probably sex the mantids with the clarity youre getting!


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## brancsikia339 (Sep 9, 2012)

Adorable! :wub: Amazing photos!


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## derryjellybies (Sep 9, 2012)

Wonderful photographs, Tammy!!


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## Rick (Sep 9, 2012)

Very nice. Would it be possible to use one in a presentation?


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## twolfe (Sep 9, 2012)

Rick said:


> Very nice. Would it be possible to use one in a presentation?


Sure. Just let me know which one you want.


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 9, 2012)

Wow and then Wow, Very nice captures, I too was waiting for more photo goodness before I posted...


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## Termite48 (Sep 9, 2012)

Now that so many have responded, I will say that this picture series of the L-1s ought to be part of the Forum's primer for beginners and veteran alike. Thanks Tammy for your effort and for sharing it with us who wish we could do as well.


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## hierodula (Sep 9, 2012)

Wow, the creos arms are huge compared to the others.


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 22, 2012)

You rock! Sweet pics!!


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## SilentDeviL (Oct 21, 2012)

Nice shots now people can see the different looks in each species in detail .


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## Paradoxica (Oct 21, 2012)

These are great. Now we need an L2 comparison!

I feel like some species are the most interesting @ L2 (like orchids and Idolos).


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## Mvalenz (Oct 21, 2012)

Awesome pics. I love the little texas unicorn. I want some soooo bad.


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## sinensispsyched (Oct 21, 2012)

My cousin had bought L4 unicorns, put them in a 5 gal. tank, and fed them mels. Of course, now one is missing and the other had a mismolt. (Grumble, grumble, grumble).


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## Precarious (Oct 21, 2012)

This is a great thread and great photos! Keep it going!


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## sinensispsyched (Oct 21, 2012)

^

I Ditto!


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## Mime454 (Oct 21, 2012)

I will send you some Taumantis nymphs L1 for the price of shipping when they hatch if you want to add them here. They're a cool red color.


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## alan2296 (Oct 21, 2012)

AWESOME!!! you certainly have an awesome collection of mantids, Tammy!!!


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## twolfe (Oct 21, 2012)

SilentDeviL said:


> Nice shots now people can see the different looks in each species in detail .


SilentDeviL, I like the new avatar!


Precarious said:


> This is a great thread and great photos! Keep it going!


I hope to keep it going. I can't wait for the purple boxers.


Mime454 said:


> I will send you some Taumantis nymphs L1 for the price of shipping when they hatch if you want to add them here. They're a cool red color.


That would be great. I looked at Taumantis again, and one of them looks like a cross between an Oxy and something else. Does the red color last through the first instar?


alan2296 said:


> AWESOME!!! you certainly have an awesome collection of mantids, Tammy!!!


Thanks, but I don't currently have all of these species. Some were photographed last year.


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## Mime454 (Oct 21, 2012)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> That would be great. I looked at Taumantis again, and one of them looks like a cross between an Oxy and something else. Does the red color last through the first instar?


I thnk it only stays for the first instar. I got mine at L3 and she was really green!


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## blackmerlin (Oct 25, 2012)

hey Tammy ，we chat today, rember ? may i use two of ur pic to tell people in china what is the difference between orchind mantis and Creobroter sp first instar i will explain the pic is from u .


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## twolfe (Nov 22, 2012)

Thanks to Precarious and Albert, I had the opportunity to photograph a couple of new first instar nymphs this week. I added a photo of a Purple Boxer Mantis (Ephestiasula pictipes) to the bottom of the first post and Hierodula bipapilla to the bottom of the second post. 

The Purple Boxer is the smallest nymph I have ever seen. Because of the size and the way it poses, it made it extremely challenging to get any decent images. I took that photo about eight hours after they hatched. I will try again in a few days. I'm really looking forward to photographing this species as adults. 

There isn't much information about this Hierodula species available on the Internet. The Hierodula is a decent sized nymph and easier to photograph because of that. However, it has very long legs, making it difficult to get both the head/eyes and the closest legs all in focus at the same time. And I ended up clipping off the tarsi in a couple of my best images.


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## agent A (Nov 22, 2012)

Nice bipapila


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## Mime454 (Nov 22, 2012)

I don't see any photos.


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## agent A (Nov 22, 2012)

First page mime


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## twolfe (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks to Adrienne for the opportunity to photograph another new species for me: _Thesprotia graminis_ (American Grass Mantis).

The photo is the last image in the 2nd post of this thread.

Like most L1 nymphs, these guys like to explore when you take them out. But once this nymph settled down, it posed nicely for a while. This is a small nymph, but it's long and thin. The shorter antennae make it a little easier to photograph than some. However, it still has long legs, which make it challenging to get them all in focus. I did do a manual partial stack of the two legs in the foreground as the majority of the images I made this morning only had the raptor legs and two legs in the background in focus. (This is the only time I've done this on these L1 comparison images.)

I thought it would be more interesting to place this photo next to the African Grass Mantis. However, this one chose to hang upside down. (I let them decide how they want to pose...whether upright or hanging upside down.)


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## agent A (Dec 7, 2012)

Cute OVERLOAD :tt1: :wub:


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## twolfe (Dec 14, 2012)

Thanks to Andrew for the opportunity to photograph a first instar Popa Spurca nymph. (This image is the last image in the second post.)

It doesn't look much like a twig in the photo, but it briefly posed like adults do and then changed positions.


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## Crazy4mantis (Dec 14, 2012)

wow, boxers look like little balls when they're L1!

those pics were adorable! :wub:


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## aNisip (Dec 15, 2012)

Yeah Tammy, your photos do more justice than mine would!  That nymph is sooo orange/red! All the ones I have right now are jet black...their eyes are like the same as p paradoxica (but thats about it) ....Awesome pictures Tammy! ^-^ glad I could help in this effort


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## Mime454 (Dec 15, 2012)

AndrewNisip said:


> Yeah Tammy, your photos do more justice than mine would!  That nymph is sooo orange/red! All the ones I have right now are jet black...their eyes are like the same as p paradoxica (but thats about it) ....Awesome pictures Tammy! ^-^ glad I could help in this effort


All of my L1's were jet black too. They didn't turn brown until L2.


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## agent A (Dec 15, 2012)

Cute

If i give u credit, can i post your L1 images on instagram for reference?


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## twolfe (Dec 15, 2012)

AndrewNisip said:


> Yeah Tammy, your photos do more justice than mine would!


Andrew &amp; Mime, when I look at my L1 nymphs, they and several other species appear black. But look at them in better light with a magnifying glass, and you'll see the brown tones when indoors. Now try taking the nymph outdoors with the sun behind you and look at that same nymph. It will absorb the light and will look brown. You can door this indoors with a flashlight, too. (Watch where you stand so that if your nymph takes a dive you don't end up with a lonely popa outdoors.  )

I use a twin lite with flash diffusers on them. So, this is lighting up the nymph. To be sure that I didn't lighten it too much when processing, I did it over with no lightening, but it still appears about the same.


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## CesarF (Dec 15, 2012)

Would be great see some Acanthops sp =D


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## twolfe (Dec 15, 2012)

CesarF said:


> Would be great see some Acanthops sp =D


Yes, that would be nice. They aren't very common here, and many of us would love to get some.


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## CesarF (Dec 15, 2012)

I took a similar photo of my L1 Thesprotia =D

But my cam isn't this powerful xD


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## twolfe (Dec 15, 2012)

CesarF said:


> I took a similar photo of my L1 Thesprotia =D
> 
> But my cam isn't this powerful xD


CesarF, do you have that species there? It's difficult to get close ups of L1 nymphs without special lenses or filters.


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## twolfe (Dec 16, 2012)

St. Nicholas came early to my house this year and sent me some 1st instar Parymenopus davisoni (Yellow Orchids) nymphs. I inserted one of the photos from today in the first post (6th photo), right after the Orchid. These nymphs look a lot like Orchids at this stage with a little bit of Creobroter mixed in. If they don't molt to L2 overnight, I'll try again tomorrow.

Thank you Nick (AOD).


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## agent A (Dec 16, 2012)

Love it! But u didnt answer my question


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## twolfe (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks to Adrienne for another opportunity to photograph a new species: _Stagmomantis carolina_ (Carolina mantis). Image can be found in the second post (currently the last image).


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## Digger (Jan 5, 2013)

Too much cuteness ! I'm getting diabetes.


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## agent A (Jan 6, 2013)

Looks just like californica hatchling :wub:


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## lancaster1313 (Jan 6, 2013)

It is nice to see the nymphs as I can't see with my naked eye.


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## twolfe (Jan 19, 2013)

Thanks to Mime for sending me some first instar _Taumantis Sigiana _nymphs to photograph. This species sure has oversized backlegs at this stage. They remind me of a grasshopper.

The Taumantis nymphs that Piotr Naskrecki showed on his blog were green when they hatched: http://thesmallermajority.com/2012/10/04/


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## agent A (Jan 19, 2013)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> Thanks to Mime for sending me some first instar _Taumantis Sigiana _nymphs to photograph. This species sure has oversized backlegs at this stage. They remind me of a grasshopper.The Taumantis nymphs that Piotr Naskrecki showed on his blog were green when they hatched: http://thesmallermajority.com/2012/10/04/'&gt;http://thesmallermajority.com/2012/10/04/


Tammy im not sure thats a taumantis

Its certainly not sigiana but i have a feeling it could be a miomantis sp, which have been known to use parthenogenesis

The ooth is brown and shaped more like a mio or sphodro ooth

I could be wrong but to me the blog is depicting a miomantis


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## Mime454 (Jan 19, 2013)

agent A said:


> Tammy im not sure thats a taumantis
> 
> Its certainly not sigiana but i have a feeling it could be a miomantis sp, which have been known to use parthenogenesis
> 
> ...


The one in the blog, I think is Taumantis cephalotes. Good photo Tammy considering that they almost never stop moving. Most active first instar nymphs I've never kept. Feeding them without a drilled lid is one if the most challenging things I've undertaken in my life.


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## gripen (Jan 21, 2013)

agent A said:


> Tammy im not sure thats a taumantis Its certainly not sigiana but i have a feeling it could be a miomantis sp, which have been known to use parthenogenesis The ooth is brown and shaped more like a mio or sphodro ooth I could be wrong but to me the blog is depicting a miomantis


Agent A I think that is spot on. I doubt it was a tau.


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## twolfe (Jan 24, 2013)

Stagmomantis limbata nymph (hatched yesterday) added to the bottom of the first post. Thanks Orin!


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## Paradoxica (Jan 24, 2013)

I love this thread, keep up the good work.


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## agent A (Feb 16, 2013)

tammy why do u have limbata twice??


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## BugLover (Feb 16, 2013)

I like the purple boxer :wub:


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## twolfe (Feb 16, 2013)

agent A said:


> tammy why do u have limbata twice??


I processed the image where the nymph is upright first. Later I found one where it was hanging upside down and decided that I liked it next to the S. carolina nymph as a comparison. I just didn't bother to delete the original photo that I posted. I'll remove it when I need the space for another photo. I haven't been photographing mantids recently and have been photographing lots of owls, swans and hot air balloons.


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## agent A (Feb 16, 2013)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> I processed the image where the nymph is upright first. Later I found one where it was hanging upside down and decided that I liked it next to the S. carolina nymph as a comparison. I just didn't bother to delete the original photo that I posted. I'll remove it when I need the space for another photo. I haven't been photographing mantids recently and have been photographing lots of owls, swans and hot air balloons.


nice


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## mykey14 (Feb 19, 2013)

That lil purple boxer is so cute ;D


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## twolfe (Apr 19, 2013)

I added three more L1 nymph images (in the third post) to this thread: Hierodula multispina, Orthodera ministralis (Garden Mantis) and a third one that I need to confirm the identity. I found a couple of nymphs in one of my incubator deli cups, and for the first time, I'm not certain which ooth they hatched from. They are dark brown and could be Pseudomantis albofimbriata (False Garden Mantis).


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## agent A (Apr 19, 2013)

Could the unknown be a sphodro or parasphendale??


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## Tony C (Apr 19, 2013)

Great shots! If you want a serious challenge try Tropidomantis, they are absolutely insane little beasts.


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## twolfe (Apr 19, 2013)

Tony C said:


> Great shots! If you want a serious challenge try Tropidomantis, they are absolutely insane little beasts.


Many of the L1s drive me crazy. They crawl back and forth, and I need them to hold still in one place. I almost had the opportunity to photograph the Tropidomantis but they would have been L3s. I had them shipped priority around the holidays, and unfortunately they got stuck in transit for 5 days and did not survive. Maybe someday I'll have another opportunity.


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## twolfe (Apr 19, 2013)

agent A said:


> Could the unknown be a sphodro or parasphendale??


Alex, I don't have any budwing ooths. I know what all of the ooths are, but I just can't tell which one they hatched from because there are only two nymphs and no signs of where they came from. I have a couple of blue flash ooths, but I think they were green at L1. I think the only other possibility of a dark brown nymph would be a Deroplatys. But I'm not sure that ooth is fertile. This is my incubator with a variety of ooths. The rest all contain ooths from the same species.


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## twolfe (Apr 20, 2013)

I added a label to the last image: Pseudomantis albofimbriata (False Garden Mantis). There is a third nymph in the incubator now and evidence that it came out of the Pseudomantis albofimbriata ooth.


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## agent A (Apr 20, 2013)

it has been identified :clap: 



Tammy Wolfe said:


> I added a label to the last image: Pseudomantis albofimbriata (False Garden Mantis). There is a third nymph in the incubator now and evidence that it came out of the Pseudomantis albofimbriata ooth.


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## SilentDeviL (Apr 20, 2013)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> I added a label to the last image: Pseudomantis albofimbriata (False Garden Mantis). There is a third nymph in the incubator now and evidence that it came out of the Pseudomantis albofimbriata ooth.


OMG Lucky you Tammy My Pseudomantis albofimbriata diden't hatch yet .. After I send it to you my was still left in cold room for another 2 weeks, so my will be longer to hatch .


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## mantid_mike (Apr 22, 2013)

Wow...I remember you told me how different nymphs appear when they're placed behind a macro lens. I really like the boxer nymph. Have you photographed any Pseudoharpax V. nymphs?


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## twolfe (Jun 9, 2013)

A friend gave me a Hierodula majuscula ooth. After ten weeks of incubation, I gave up on it and then was surprised when it started to hatch last week. I posted a photo I took today of one of the nymphs. It's in the third post in this thread by the other Hierodula nymphs.



mantid_mike said:


> Wow...I remember you told me how different nymphs appear when they're placed behind a macro lens. I really like the boxer nymph. Have you photographed any Pseudoharpax V. nymphs?


Mike, I missed your question when you first posted it. No, I never photographed any Pseudoharpax nymphs. That was actually one of my first species that I got in 2010, but I wasn't able to breed them. I bet they are small nymphs!


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## twolfe (Jun 9, 2013)

I just added another L1...a Polyspilota griffinnii (Griffin Mantis). It's in the second post under the Marble mantis. They do look similar. I only had one nymph to work with as that is all that has hatched so far. This is a new species for me. I also got this ooth from a friend.


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## twolfe (Oct 19, 2013)

It's been over four months since I've done any mantis photography. Today I had to cancel my original plans due to a rainy day and got my camera set up for macro photography. I just added my 26th photo to this thread. It's the last photo in the third post. (The Brunner's mantis is my 25th first instar nymph that I photographed. Finally after 2.5 years with this species, I had the opportunity to photograph a first instar nymph. My first attempt with this species ended with mismolts due to a rooky mistake. I got two more nymphs from Precarious and was able to raise one of the females to an adult. She laid her last ooth in February. Prior to this week, only one nymph had hatched. I was busy at the time it hatched and wasn't able to photograph it when it was L1. Unfortunately it died at L2. If I hadn't exchanged emails with Precarious, I likely would have given up on these ooths and tossed them! I hope this little one makes it as I enjoy this species. Oh, I have to add this first instar nymph stayed in one position longer than any other first instar nymph I have ever photographed. She stayed in the same position for over 30 minutes.


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## twolfe (Oct 19, 2014)

I'm reviving an old topic that I started a few years ago and posted last time exactly one year ago! Thanks to Precarious for the opportunity to photograph a new species for me: _Euchomenella heteroptera. _I literally had to dust off my macro set up since I haven't used it all year. Unfortunately I couldn't get my MP-65E lens to work correctly with my 5D Mark II camera. I actually had a similar issue with this camera with two other lenses when the camera was brand new. so, I'm not sure if it's the camera or the lens. I switched to my 100mm macro lens, which seemed to work fine. The Euchomenella ooth that I got from Precarious just hatched yesterday. I was surprised that 40+ large nymphs came out of a smaller ooth. These nymphs are one of the largest L1s I've ever seen, though they are also one of the most delicate. 

To see my new photo added, please check the first page. It's the last image in the third post.


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## dmina (Oct 20, 2014)

This was an excellent read... This was very interesting.. Thanks for all your time Tammy.. Great job with the photo's


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## Extrememantid (Nov 17, 2014)

Amazing pictures Tammy!


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## twolfe (Aug 16, 2015)

Photographed a couple of mantids for the first time in 2015. I added an L1 Hestiasula major above. (See the third post of this thread.) These little guys are so cute! I can't wait to try again when they get a little bigger.


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## Melophile (Aug 17, 2015)

Amazing pictures! I absolutely love the L1 boxers, they are so cute when they are huddled up with their disproportionate body parts inch: Then there are the ones with great displays of color. Sad to see them lose their beautiful colors after the first instar.



Tammy Wolfe said:


> Photographed a couple of mantids for the first time in 2015. I added an L1 Hestiasula major above. (See the third post of this thread.) These little guys are so cute! I can't wait to try again when they get a little bigger.


Geez, I wish I had your macro setup. I've been drooling over the MP-E 65mm lens along with the macro twin lite flash. You paid so much for that setup, I don't know how you could leave it to collect dust for so long :no:


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## twolfe (Aug 17, 2015)

Melophile said:


> Amazing pictures! I absolutely love the L1 boxers, they are so cute when they are huddled up with their disproportionate body parts inch: Then there are the ones with great displays of color. Sad to see them lose their beautiful colors after the first instar.
> 
> Geez, I wish I had your macro setup. I've been drooling over the MP-E 65mm lens along with the macro twin lite flash. You paid so much for that setup, I don't know how you could leave it to collect dust for so long :no:


Well, for six months, I was only keeping two species of mantids due to some family things. So, I wasn't motivated to photograph the species I had. One of them is a species that I've been keeping for over four years. Yes, I do leave my set up sit for too long, but part of the reason why is that I spend a lot of time photographing birds. Anyway, this was the first time that I had a new L1 to photograph this year. Some lose their color but others get more colorful as they mature. I hope you can get the set up that you want some day. Thanks for the comments!


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## twolfe (Oct 19, 2015)

I added a new photo to this topic (last image in the first post). It's a two day old Decimiana bolivari.


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## mantisman 230 (Oct 19, 2015)

So cute  I wil have a few species as 1st instars soon enough, Including Pnigomantis, Rhombodera fusca, and Rhombodera extensicollis.


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