# new and .. asking for help



## beetles (May 24, 2022)

Hi all, I have three recently molted female Creobroter pictipennis, I'd love to breed them, but don't have a male. I'm happy to buy a male close to or already adult male, but I'd also be happy to ship one or two of my females to someone, and we could split the oothecae if she mates successfully with your male. Is that a thing that people here do?


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## agent A (May 24, 2022)

yes, but I really don't know who has _Creobroter pictipennis_. I was sent _C. gemmatus _mislabeled as _C. pictipennis_.


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## The Wolven (May 24, 2022)

Could you send us a picture of your mantises? It would be good if we could make sure you have the right species.


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## beetles (May 24, 2022)

I understand, I would actually also appreciate any links to a clear description of the differences. I've also emailed the person I bought them from, since the source culture is likely to be the same species, no matter what. Here are pictures, and thanks for the responses already


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## beetles (May 25, 2022)

The Wolven said:


> Could you send us a picture of your mantises? It would be good if we could make sure you have the right species.


Did the pictures come through, any determination?


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## The Wolven (May 25, 2022)

Yes it did and it’s now time for our resident Creobroter expert to come through. @agent A


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## agent A (May 26, 2022)

hard to tell by the pics but I would say _C. gemmatus_
I will mention the original description of _C. gemmatus _has some discrepancies between it and all of the _C. gemmatus _reared in culture, which indicates we may know something as _C. gemmatus _that isn't the original _C. gemmatus_, but there's no species description I could find for _C. pictipennis_ in the literature...


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## beetles (May 26, 2022)

agent A said:


> hard to tell by the pics but I would say _C. gemmatus_
> I will mention the original description of _C. gemmatus _has some discrepancies between it and all of the _C. gemmatus _reared in culture, which indicates we may know something as _C. gemmatus _that isn't the original _C. gemmatus_, but there's no species description I could find for _C. pictipennis_ in the literature...


Thanks for the feedback. If you have the time, what body parts are we trying to distinguish? I can focus on them when taking pictures, or puzzle over them myself. Hopefully it's not like some butterflies or fruit flies where you have to dissect out the genitalia, aside from being beyond my ability it would defeat the purpose.


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## agent A (May 26, 2022)

beetles said:


> Thanks for the feedback. If you have the time, what body parts are we trying to distinguish? I can focus on them when taking pictures, or puzzle over them myself. Hopefully it's not like some butterflies or fruit flies where you have to dissect out the genitalia, aside from being beyond my ability it would defeat the purpose.


the margins of the pronotum, the plica prima, a few things on hindwing veins
genital dissection is usually used on males anyway


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## hibiscusmile (May 29, 2022)

lovely pictures


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