# All Males?



## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

I ve been checkin for 2 weeks how to sex the nymphs... but they all seem to be males... all of 60 nymphs of lineola I have left are males... is it even possible or should I wait until they are adults to reafirm?

I ve checked one by one... I still cant believe it... Im having time off tomorrow and Im taking pics of each one of them so you can all judge... Im starting to freak out... again :s

Is it possible that all the nymphs of the same ooth are males?


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## ismart (Jul 6, 2009)

What instar are they? I would really dought very highly that all 60 nymphs are males. Some times it's just difficult to tell when there small.


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

the youngest are L4 the eldest L6... :S from that ooth, 80 nymphs were born, BUT some died, I gave away a few also, but I i ve tried to find ANY females and no luck :S


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## ismart (Jul 6, 2009)

At L4 they should be easily sexable. Post a few pics, and i'm positive we can find you some females amongst your 60 nymphs.


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## beckyl92 (Jul 6, 2009)

thats near enough impossible to have no females out of that many mantids  

just wait for another molt when the segments become more clearer.


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> I ve been checkin for 2 weeks how to sex the nymphs... but they all seem to be males... all of 60 nymphs of lineola I have left are males... is it even possible or should I wait until they are adults to reafirm? I ve checked one by one... I still cant believe it... Im having time off tomorrow and Im taking pics of each one of them so you can all judge... Im starting to freak out... again :s
> 
> Is it possible that all the nymphs of the same ooth are males?


It's _extremely_ unlikely that all sixty are males, Ming Ming, though as you say, you'll know for sure, and so will they, when they become adults.

Could some be cross dressers or marimachas?


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

o.o ok im starting to take pics NOW!!!!!!! ill post them along the day... you will see they are all guys!


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> o.o ok im starting to take pics NOW!!!!!!! ill post them along the day... you will see they are all guys!


That's a lot of work! You might want to take pix of just the 5th instar ones, because you can't always tell before that. You reckon that they all have eight segments, right?


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

YES!! ALOT of work... but I ve got nothing else to do until 4 45 pm

mmm well I was checking on segments, all of them have over 6 segments, AND the last one instead of being a big triangled one are just several segments togethr :S but....

judge for yourself!!!!!!

this is part one....

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...albumId=1219133

ps pics are still uploading this is just the link of the album


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## ismart (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> YES!! ALOT of work... but I ve got nothing else to do until 4 45 pm mmm well I was checking on segments, all of them have over 6 segments, AND the last one instead of being a big triangled one are just several segments togethr :S but....
> 
> judge for yourself!!!!!!
> 
> ...


Oh man! I cant see any of the pics. My job computer restricts me from going to certain sites like myspace and facebook. I guess they want me to do work or something  .


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 6, 2009)

it says I must be friend to view it, how cn i do this.ok did it, but now wants your email address so it can ask u if I can be friend, I hope looking at butts is not this hard.


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

LOL here is the link  

http://www.myspace.com/i_l_o_v_e_a_r_t

and yes maybe its a sign from God to go back to work!


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## Rick (Jul 6, 2009)

I want to help but i'm not going to myspace to do it. Post the pics on photobucket and link them here. No way do you have all males.


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## d17oug18 (Jul 6, 2009)

i just saw them and i have to say the do look like all males, lol funny coink a dink if they are


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 6, 2009)

i cant get in, making me aggravated, hubby just did that too!

ok, u only have one pic, the last one that shows the underneath, that one is male, none of the others can ve identified because it has to be the underneath.


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## agent A (Jul 6, 2009)

Wait till they become adults to determine gender. That's the easiest time.


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## bassist (Jul 6, 2009)

Myspace tried to gives meh spyware once D;


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

LOL Im so so sorry for posting them on myspace I tried to made an album in here but it kept saying there was a mistake everytime I tried posting a pic.. :S

ok nvm I found out how to post them  aparently I already have an account over there.... posting pics now...


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

here it is:

does it work???

http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z260/ninanaya/?newest=1


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## beckyl92 (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> here it is:does it work???
> 
> http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z260/ninanaya/?newest=1


the one you took of its under abdomen is a girl. it has 7 segments  

im sure it is anyways.


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> here it is:does it work???
> 
> http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z260/ninanaya/?newest=1


O.K. I'm betting $20 US (267 pesos MXN) that Male #2 and #6 are girls. I hope that neither of them is Rick or Phil!


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

LOL your translations are hilarious, mmm 2 and 6 are girls????!?!?!?!  omg omg omg thats so exciting... the only problem is that i just took pics of each of them and then just put them back and didnt check which one was each lol I just assumed they were all guys... they look like boys though!

mmm but wait, they have tiny small segments at the end ... doesnt that mean they are boys?

ok lets do something, if I end up having any girls, Ill give you their ooths  

ill only have to figure out how to send to the states


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> LOL your translations are hilarious, mmm 2 and 6 are girls????!?!?!?!  omg omg omg thats so exciting... the only problem is that i just took pics of each of them and then just put them back and didnt check which one was each lol I just assumed they were all guys... they look like boys though!mmm but wait, they have tiny small segments at the end ... doesnt that mean they are boys?
> 
> ok lets do something, if I end up having any girls, Ill give you their ooths
> 
> ill only have to figure out how to send to the states


WTG Ming Ming! If you get some ooths, I'll tell you how to send them (a friend told me, lol!)


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## Katnapper (Jul 6, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> ok, u only have one pic, the last one that shows the underneath, that one is male, none of the others can ve identified because it has to be the underneath.


+1

You can't count the segments just looking at the top of the mantis... you have to count them viewing the underside.


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

LOLthey are urs if u pay the shipping and I end up having girls  

but mmm from what you guys said the last time, wasnt it like...

females- 5 segments and the last one is a big triangle

and

males: over 6 segments AND the last one seemes like several segments together?


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## Katnapper (Jul 6, 2009)

ming ming said:


> but mmm from what you guys said the last time, wasnt it like...females- 5 segments and the last one is a big triangle
> 
> and
> 
> males: over 6 segments AND the last one seemes like several segments together?


Yes.


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## MingMing (Jul 6, 2009)

Then why do they have over 6 fragments ? all of them... I need tot ake better pics, I know that, quality isnt the beston the pics but seriously all of the ones I posted have over 6 segments... and the last segment looks like... mmm like a pyramid... a bunch of dif levels but all mm in compact? Gosh I dont know if that makes sense :S


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 7, 2009)

ming ming said:


> Then why do they have over 6 fragments ? all of them... I need tot ake better pics, I know that, quality isnt the beston the pics but seriously all of the ones I posted have over 6 segments... and the last segment looks like... mmm like a pyramid... a bunch of dif levels but all mm in compact? Gosh I dont know if that makes sense :S


Here.s a suggestion, Ming Ming. We have had this kind of guessing game before on the forum. Last time it was ghosts, I think, and different folks gave different opinions, none of which affected the final outcome. I suggest that you take the best pix that you can of say, ten of your most mature nymphs, clearly showing the underside from the tip of the abdomen to where it joins the thorax. Make sure, this time, that you are able to match the pix with specific mantids. Then, when the ten nymphs become adults, you will be able to show us the nymph pix that you take now and tell us which is which.


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## Katnapper (Jul 7, 2009)

It will be much easier to be patient and wait until they molt a time or two more.  The reason it's hard to tell right now is... 1) they are small (harder to see/tell) and 2) because over the course of the last few molts to adult, a couple of the very small end segments of the female get "covered up" or "go inside" the third to last segment (I think... I hope I'm remembering and describing this correctly! If I'm not... speak up!!). That segment now becomes the "end" segment, and is fairly large and triangular. But before this happens, it's confusing because the little segments on the end of the females haven't "disappeared" into what will become the last segment yet. Sometimes you can tell by a little "groove" which is apparent in the center of the third to last segment on the underside in females... though it will be absent in the males. You can usually only see it with very close up or macro photos though... I don't think you can readily see it with the naked eye. I wouldn't worry about it... It's more than likely you have a good mix of males and females. Just try to be paitient and they will reveal themselves in time.


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## beckyl92 (Jul 7, 2009)

your probably getting confused because the girls have 7 segments. this confused me with my dead leafs x) i thought they were all male! turns out i have 2 male 2 female and both of the females have 7 segments.


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## Rick (Jul 7, 2009)

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7110


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## massaman (Jul 7, 2009)

Fully grown wings that cover the abdomen (both male and female) may be considered as one of the signs of sexual maturity. You can also determine the sex by counting the number of segments on the abdomen. In adult males, you can see eight segments and in adult females, 6-7 are visible. There is one more distinguishing feature between male and female –the antenna. Males have feathery antenna and females have short and thin antenna.


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## agent A (Jul 7, 2009)

They could be all male. In the wild there are more mantids, so there are more males!


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## agent A (Jul 7, 2009)

massaman said:


> There is one more distinguishing feature between male and female –the antenna. Males have feathery antenna and females have short and thin antenna.


That is with saturniid moths. Male mantids have longer antennae though.


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## ismart (Jul 7, 2009)

agent A said:


> They could be all male. In the wild there are more mantids, so there are more males!


That could also be said for females as well. The male to female ratio should be 50/50.


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## ABbuggin (Jul 7, 2009)

agent A said:


> That is with saturniid moths. Male mantids have longer antennae though.


This fact is true with the _Empusidae _mantids.


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 7, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> This fact is true with the _Empusidae _mantids.


Yeah. A number of male insects, beetles, moths, mantids, etc, have featherry or knobbed antennae to increase the area that can detect the females' pheromones. The ones that get to the female sooner are more likely to pass on their genes.


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## MingMing (Jul 7, 2009)

I guess Ill have to wait after all. Thanks for the link Rick. Im still convinced I have more guys that girls  Im gonna wait for another week, wqait for more to molt and be L5 and Ill remember to take the pic from below and check which pic match each one. Ill keep you all updated! Thanks so much!!!


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## Rick (Jul 7, 2009)

ming ming said:


> I guess Ill have to wait after all. Thanks for the link Rick. Im still convinced I have more guys that girls  Im gonna wait for another week, wqait for more to molt and be L5 and Ill remember to take the pic from below and check which pic match each one. Ill keep you all updated! Thanks so much!!!


You may have more of one but you don't have just one. Sexing should be very easy at L4.


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## Rick (Jul 7, 2009)

massaman said:


> Fully grown wings that cover the abdomen (both male and female) may be considered as one of the signs of sexual maturity. You can also determine the sex by counting the number of segments on the abdomen. In adult males, you can see eight segments and in adult females, 6-7 are visible. There is one more distinguishing feature between male and female –the antenna. Males have feathery antenna and females have short and thin antenna.


Not all mantids have wings that cover the abdomen. Developed wings are always a sign of an adult. No need to count segments on adults as there are often differences in size and the abdomens on most species are quite different. The females' ends in a downward point and the males has an upturned cup shape. Often times adult female abdomens are wider than males. Experienced keepers should be able to tell adult gender at a glance.


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## MingMing (Jul 7, 2009)

mmm ok then Ill have to take pics from the under view and just post them.


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