# Bolbena hottentotta the smallest species in captivity



## ABbuggin (Apr 12, 2008)

Well, not many of you have heard of this species, Bolbena hottentotta, but I am lucky enough to have of acquired it.  

This is an African species. It is very small. The adult females are only 15mm long, and the L1 nymphs are only about 2.5 mm long. Hatchlings are too small for fruit flies so I have to feed them spring tails. The species is also very rare in captivity, there are approximately only 4 breeders in the world with this species! :blink: This is the first time they have been in the US. B) I hope I am successful at breeding them!

If you do a mantidforum search for Bolbena hottentotta you will come across a pic of an adult female.  

Here is a pic of the ooths I received a few weeks ago from Germany:







And finally, after a few weeks of anxious waiting here are some L1 nymph pics!  






They also like to "box" (just like boxers)











And now, for some size comparisons.  

Here is one next to a ruler (on the mm side!)






One on a dime!






And one on the tip of a toothpick!






I currently have 13, but I expect about 60-80 more to hatch (after all, I have 12 ooths!)






Later on I'll post some exploded pics, and after a day or so, I'll post a few of them eating springtails (and even one next to a fruit fly!). B)


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 12, 2008)

B) Awesome!


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## Andrew (Apr 12, 2008)

Great job!


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## iain5 (Apr 12, 2008)

Those are pretty incredible. I hope you're successful. This species looks like a perfect candidate for some macro photography!


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## ABbuggin (Apr 13, 2008)

iain5 said:


> Those are pretty incredible. I hope you're successful. This species looks like a perfect candidate for some macro photography!


Thank you.  

I think its a perfect species for Macro Junkie to take some pics of! :lol:


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## bugzilla (Apr 13, 2008)

They are so tiny. Well done on hatching these and good luck raising them.


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## Rick (Apr 13, 2008)

Wow those guys are small! Good luck on raising and breeding them.


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## ABbuggin (Apr 13, 2008)

Rick said:


> Wow those guys are small! Good luck on raising and breeding them.


Thank you Rick. I think this species will make me go cross eyed! :lol: 

Sometime today I will post a few blown up pics, a size comparison to a fruit fly (the mantids are actually smaller than a malongaster fly :blink: ), and a few pics of how I plan to keep them since feeding them springtails throws in a twist or two.


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## matt020593 (Apr 13, 2008)

They're amazing, so tiny. I thought my Oxypilus Distinctus were small. Good luck breeding them.

Matt


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## Mantida (Apr 13, 2008)

Hey congrats AB, good luck with raising them.  Hopefully all goes well!


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## Malnra (Apr 13, 2008)

Grats on the hatching .... I wish you success with them. Too small for me to mess with, but glad someone is taking the time to introduce them to the US.


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## ABbuggin (Apr 13, 2008)

Ok, back with pics and this time they are magnified! (8 mega pixels comes in handy sometime you know  )

close up of one "boxing" they do this a LOT more than my boxers (Otomantis, sp.) ever did :blink: 






close up of the one on the dime






close up of the one on the tooth pick






Here is one of my many spring tail cultures, the white blotches are the insects.  






Here is a close up of the springtails, they are only a 1 mm long! (the white stuff (not the bugs) is some of their food)






Here is what I use to collect the little things, its called an aspirator. Basically, I suck on one tube and the bugs get sucked up down the other tube into the bottle. Who ever invented it was a genius.  






And here is one next to a malongastor fruit fly, they are smaller than hydei lol






I actually keep the mantids in some of my spring tial cultures with some spamgum (sp.?) moss. The mantids then sit on the moss picking the springtials off the bottom. B) Couldn't be easier.


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## mrblue (Apr 13, 2008)

interesting. where did you get the springtails from?


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## ABbuggin (Apr 13, 2008)

I got a culture from joshsfrogs.com I then used that culture to start several others.  

There are people with them in the UK, I know because I had a hard time finding somebody with them in the US instead of the UK.  They are the temperate kind.


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## iain5 (Apr 13, 2008)

Please keep us updated on these little guys...I'd love to see them "grow up!"


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 14, 2008)

is that the only way to get the spring tails? I dont wanna suck on any thing with a bug in it!  oh yea and the first new pic, he looks like curious george ha ha!


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## MantidLord (Apr 14, 2008)

> I actually keep the mantids in some of my spring tial cultures with some spamgum (sp.?) moss. The mantids then sit on the moss picking the springtials off the bottom. Couldn't be easier.


So the springtails won't effect the mantids when they molt? Or do you take the mantids out?


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## ABbuggin (Apr 14, 2008)

MantidLord said:


> So the springtails won't effect the mantids when they molt? Or do you take the mantids out?


Nope, the spring tails do not effect the mantids. I'll post a few pics of my set up later on today.


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## ABbuggin (Apr 14, 2008)

Back with more pics for everybody.  



> is that the only way to get the spring tails? I dont wanna suck on any thing with a bug in it!


There is actually some screen covering the the end of the tube that I suck on (the end that is in the bottle) so I dont suck up any bugs. I use this a lot to collect mantis food, and using the screen is a good way of preventing me from sucking up a bee!  






Here is how I keep the mantids, see if you can spot any with out any magnification! :lol: 






Here's a couple close ups, the first pic is of a mantid that has already eaten (hence the inflated abdomen)  











And here's one more super close up, blew it up real big so its a little fuzzy :lol: (he has eaten too  )






I'll going to be getting a pic of one eating, but it wont be immeadiatly. They are VERY easily startled and readily drop their prey if I even slightly vibrate the container (yes, I have managed to see a few eat lol).


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## fishstick41 (Apr 26, 2008)

nice how big do they get ?


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## OGIGA (Apr 27, 2008)

hibiscusmile said:


> is that the only way to get the spring tails? I dont wanna suck on any thing with a bug in it!  oh yea and the first new pic, he looks like curious george ha ha!


Haha, I was kinda thinking about that too. I mean, if a springtail doesn't come up, wouldn't some of the cultures odor come up?


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## ABbuggin (Apr 27, 2008)

The mantids reach 15mm when fully grown, when they hatch they are about 2mm or so.



> Haha, I was kinda thinking about that too. I mean, if a springtail doesn't come up, wouldn't some of the cultures odor come up?


Well, there is some screen on the end of the tube I suck on, keeping me from sucking up the insects. The cultures actually have almost no smell to them! I know its shocking because we are all used to the super smelly, slimy fruit fly cultures! :lol: 

Some of the mantids are now L4....at L4 they are only 5mm long! :blink: I'll post some pictures later on of them.


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## Kruszakus (Apr 27, 2008)

Man, I have another species that can be fed only with springtails, I think I will move it to a smaller container, or else whey won't be able to catch them if springtails live only on/in the ground.


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## Ben.M (Apr 27, 2008)

Wow, amazing lil species


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## critterguy (May 9, 2008)

Why not feed them fungus gnats?


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## mkman (May 31, 2008)

these are really small! What is the update on these?


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## ABbuggin (Jun 1, 2008)

mkman said:


> these are really small! What is the update on these?


I'll do a photo update in photo section in a few days....but I already have adults after just 7 weeks! :blink: That is as fast as idolomorpha sp.!


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## ABbuggin (Jun 2, 2008)

pics are taking their time to upload to photobucket &lt;_&lt; . If I cant post them tonight expect a thread in the photo section tomorrow. B) 

(Edit): There are pictures in the photo section of the forum.


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## nympho (Jun 6, 2008)

my gambians were starting to get guite a complex about their size, but now theyre feeling alot better.


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## Cindy (Jun 16, 2008)

Hi ABbuggin,

How do you keep the nymphs from escaping?

And how do you place them on the toothpick or coin for the shots? Won't they run away? I read that mantid babies are great runners and if not careful, one can end up squishing them to death.  

Thanks!


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## collinchang635 (Jun 16, 2008)

Wow really cool mantids.  Are they aggresive? Good luck raising and breeding them. :lol:


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