# hcarlton's Mantid Photos



## hcarlton

I am always taking photos of my hobbies, so best I start one good thread for everyone for now...

The species I've had the most success thus far, a mated female and ooths that have hatched alongside the several that are in various stages of age:



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

My first mantis species (though only received a week ahead of most of the others); all 3 I believe are males though, so gonna need a female at some point:



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

I have several Heterochaeta at various age too, all doing well:



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

These grass mantids are my latest species, hatched out and the largest now at L5:



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Turns out this one is actually a female, but I believe a couple of these are about to hit adulthood; their wing buds are starting to get very large:



Mr. Pink (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Some beautiful mantids you got there! I'd be interested in a ooth or some little nymphs of your bark mantis. Maybe we could do a trade? Be prepared for the sphodromantis Lineola. My subadult female is a GIANT. Her tarsa hurt my skin when I hold her lol. My subadult male is a monster as well. He should be an adult any day. Your little Heterochaetas have convinced me to get some too?. I love grass mantis for some reason! Hatching a brunners ooth atm. And P. Walbergii... where to start... not amazing as tiny nymphs but sure is it rewarding when the coloration comes in! I have a around L6 female looking for a male! Bought a group of P. Ocellata because they are just like these guys but smaller. 

You should check out my collection if you want to see some bigger sphodromantis. I will be updating it soon with a whole lot of new molts and ooths.


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## hcarlton

If you have a lineola female about the same age as my males I'd be willing to do a trade; not quite sure how to tell but they're either presub or subadult, guessing only a couple molts off of maturity and about 2-3" long when they stretch out. Otherwise, I'm hoping to sell the ooths I have and the nymphs of the Elmantis once I get them molting so I can make back what I've put in so far and maybe expand come next spring to other species (I don't have a huge amount of room, the 3,000 + carnivorous plants I grow are my main time and space consumer). The nymphs are certainly small when they start out:



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Unfortunately I only have one female and am going to be keeping her for breeding. But it is a very common species so I'm sure you'll find one. Lmk when you are selling the Elemantis, I'd be interested in picking up a small group.


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## Ocelotbren

Nice collection, thanks for sharing.


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## Serle

Hy &amp; Welcome . I like your family pics........... S


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## hcarlton

Some of the Thesprotia are finally big enough that the camera is starting to focus on them, not the background..



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And one of the spinys was feeling prissy, and so made for a good photo shoot



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Nice. Those grass mantis are sweet! My walbergii always seems to be ready for a photoshoot... sassy girl lol.


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## PrayingMantisPets

I cant wait to expand my collection again. Im getting jealous haha.


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## hcarlton

Spiny update; the majority are now at subadult, including the largest female (molted at some point today), but I'm still hoping I can get timing right for both females to have at least one male ready with them.



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

My two biggest orientalis, both female. Hard to capture, but I found that their inner arms are iris violet



H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And my biggest S. lineola, "Luciano," just molted to subadult



S. lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



S. lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Okoboji22

hcarlton said:


> Spiny update; the majority are now at subadult, including the largest female (molted at some point today), but I'm still hoping I can get timing right for both females to have at least one male ready with them.
> 
> 
> 
> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
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> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
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> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
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> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> My two biggest orientalis, both female. Hard to capture, but I found that their inner arms are iris violet
> 
> 
> 
> H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
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> H. oreientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> And my biggest S. lineola, "Luciano," just molted to subadult
> 
> 
> 
> S. lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> S. lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


That one spiny flower is beautiful with the soft pink on it. Also how big is that lineola?


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## hcarlton

Most of the spinys have a touch of pink, two of them are particularly hot pink though. That lineola is probably 3" long stretched out, longer if the legs are included.

On an unrelated note, because I see people doing this in a lot of forums: is there a reason the entire set of photos has to be copied over in a quote?


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## Connor

Your mantis are looking good! 

And about quoting pictures... I never do it. Seems like it clutters up a page and takes up a lot of space. I usually just regularly respond with out anything if I’m talking to the person who wrote the post. If it’s a big post with a lot of people I like to just tag them. For example if this wasn’t your post but I wanted to respond to you I would tag @hcarlton. This is my opinion on the matter.


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## Ocelotbren

Those are some nice pictures, and the colors on the wahlbergiis are amazing!


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## Okoboji22

Yeah sorry about the page cluttering with the quoting, it's a force of habit


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## hcarlton

3rd male Elmantis to mature, and the last of the original ones I received to do so; they don't last long, but the females just keep going...I hope I can pair him with both of the females between when he reproductively matures and the short period after when they seem to pass, but on the other hand I'm already getting ooths all over. Currently have 2, and a bunch of nymphs still listed for sale too.



Elmantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Elmantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And, new arrivals! Hierodula membranacea ooth now incubating, and ordered 3, but got 4 of these today:



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

I love how the newly molted one is blue



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And I caved and preordered a couple orchid nymphs to arrive in a couple weeks; they should do well in my greenhouse (kept in containers, I won't let them freely wander among the 3,000 carnivorous plants I have   ) and hopefully I can look toward breeding them eventually.


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## Connor

Awesome looking mantis! Congrats on another male making to adulthood. Hopefully he can do his job. The new arrivals are looking good!


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## hcarlton

Mr. Pink molted to adult today! He's well ahead of either female, sadly (the other males had better have more decent timing  ) so he probably won't get a chance to mate, unless males of this species last a while, but he's more than worth keeping just for looks of course. An just because he's my first...



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii &amp;quot;Mr. Pink&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii &amp;quot;Mr. Pink&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii &amp;quot;Mr. Pink&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii &amp;quot;Mr. Pink&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii &amp;quot;Mr. Pink&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Wow he’s beautiful! Too bad he’s so ahead of the females


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## Okoboji22

That's pretty cool that he has pink on him even as an adult, do you think the color is gonna stay?


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## hcarlton

I doubt color is going to change much from this point on; he'll stick with a peach eye spot and pink sides.


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## Sticky

Connor said:


> Some beautiful mantids you got there! I'd be interested in a ooth or some little nymphs of your bark mantis. Maybe we could do a trade? Be prepared for the sphodromantis Lineola. My subadult female is a GIANT. Her tarsa hurt my skin when I hold her lol. My subadult male is a monster as well. He should be an adult any day. Your little Heterochaetas have convinced me to get some too?. I love grass mantis for some reason! Hatching a brunners ooth atm. And P. Walbergii... where to start... not amazing as tiny nymphs but sure is it rewarding when the coloration comes in! I have a around L6 female looking for a male! Bought a group of P. Ocellata because they are just like these guys but smaller.
> 
> You should check out my collection if you want to see some bigger sphodromantis. I will be updating it soon with a whole lot of new molts and ooths.


What have you been feeding your mantids as theyve grown up? Diet certainly helps size!


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## Connor

Sticky said:


> What have you been feeding your mantids as theyve grown up? Diet certainly helps size!


Well I just meant older instars. The S. Lineola double in size like every molt. But I fed them on Dubias and BBF. The female is an adult now. Tried breeding her as she was over 3 weeks old. Gave her a full size giant adult female dubia before breeding. But my female Lineola still got a hold of my male and devoured him. She’s a complete monster lol. So now I’m on the lookout for another male


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## Sticky

Im sorry he's gone! That is so harsh! I hope you can find another male for her!


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## Connor

Sticky said:


> Im sorry he's gone! That is so harsh! I hope you can find another male for her!


Thanks. Yeah she doesn’t take prisoners I guess!


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## hcarlton

Perfect self-gift for the first day of Hannukah   

I caved and preordered these two a couple weeks ago, now just hoping I can make them retain their pink



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Sassy mantis...



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Cute! I love little orchids. Can’t wait to breed mine and start hatching some ooths... dang females taking so long to sexually mature... I want to mate them now lol!


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## Okoboji22

Wow they are very pink for how small they are. I thought when they were that little they were all exactly the same :huh:


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## Ocelotbren

Cute babies!  I like the sassy one.


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## hcarlton

I was expecting white mantids as well, but not disappointed...

Turns out, Mr. Pink did in fact lose all his pink



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Biggest of the grass mimics



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

A typical basalis, so I must assume..



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And "Blue," a far lighter green/turquoise one. Thought it would darken after molting more than it did...



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The male murderer...



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

All hail His Stickness, king of the converted sweets container  



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Ocelotbren

Haha great pictures!  I'm getting antsy to get my own Rhomboderas but I'm waiting until after the holidays...


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## Sarah K

Okoboji22 said:


> Wow they are very pink for how small they are. I thought when they were that little they were all exactly the same :huh:


I was thinking this batch seemed pretty pink myself for L2, as I was shipping everyone off to their new homes this week (I hatched those orchids...FYI  ) But then I thought maybe I just forgot how pink they are at L2, since I haven't had any that young in a while! LOL. Glad to see they made it to thier new home safely eitherway @hcarlton! Enjoy!


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## hcarlton

The number of mantids in the house just sextupled...and the power went out tonight, so I did not get around to housing even a fifth of them yet I'm sure, but I did get some photos beforehand.

The ooth here also came from @Sarah K, about 4 weeks ago, and if I recall correctly the estimate given was probably around 100 nymphs. I think I've got at least double that  . Bit of a headache, they don't stay still long enough to photograph easy or get into the cups and containers I have without chasing each one across m hands for 5 minutes...but oh, what a mild complaint, considering I've got a new species to work with.



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr







Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Aristalochia

Very nice, congrats on the big hatch


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## Serle

Congrats &amp; Happy C-Mas........... S


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## Connor

Congrats!


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## CosbyArt

@hcarlton Congrats on the hatch, and enjoy the babies.  Looking at the photo I counted 78 nymphs, by heads and abdomens.


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## hcarlton

Looking at the photo you don't even get a sense of half of what's there. What's on the sides of the container is nearly matched by what was hanging on the lids, and then there's everyone on the bottom and the sticks within... I've set up at least 70 or 80 so far individually and still not halfway done (nor do I have anywhere near enough containers to get them all individually set up), so gonna be busy a while yet...

Thanks on the congrats everyone, though one mention to try and avoid future discomforts: sorry Serle, but I don't celebrate christmas.


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## CosbyArt

@hcarlton Sweet  I agree making the seemingly endless nymph cups is very tiring. My first couple years in the hobby I made them up in large batches, and thankfully they are reusable.

I use a mix of 2oz and 3oz cups for them. For the mini lidded cups you can check at your local Walmart and Target department stores, they are sold in the party supplies area - and party supply stores too. For a cheaper price per cup they can be purchased in bulk from a local restaurant supply store, or "wholesale" store like Sam's club (the cups and lids are sold separate).

One thing that will help is the nymphs can be kept together given enough room, until at least L2 when cannibalism will start to be a concern. That will give you more time to make the cups, and sadly not all nymphs make it to the L2 stage (separated or not) as well.


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## hcarlton

I had a supposedly communal species give me an instance of cannibalism in L1, so I prefer separating them ASAP, and I know where I can get the condiment cups I use at this size but I don't have a lot of time to go shopping so for the most part I work with what I have available (I also really don't have time to set a bunch of stuff up beforehand, or a place to store them; one of my focus interests is carnivorous plants, and I have somewhere around 3,000 of those to take care of). 100 were separated individually, another 42 in groups of 3 in some larger containers, and there are still at least 50 + in the original container so I'm going to just try and keep them topped off on fruit flies and hope to sell a fair number quickly once they hit L2


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## Sarah K

hcarlton said:


> The number of mantids in the house just sextupled...and the power went out tonight, so I did not get around to housing even a fifth of them yet I'm sure, but I did get some photos beforehand.
> 
> The ooth here also came from @Sarah K, about 4 weeks ago, and if I recall correctly the estimate given was probably around 100 nymphs. I think I've got at least double that  . Bit of a headache, they don't stay still long enough to photograph easy or get into the cups and containers I have without chasing each one across m hands for 5 minutes...but oh, what a mild complaint, considering I've got a new species to work with.
> 
> Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


Congrats!!!!!!! Glad you wound up with with more than you expected!  My giant asian mamas are keeping me well-stocked on giant asians as well!


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## hcarlton

I actually ended up managing to count them all, 212 altogether. So far I think I've had 4 that haven't made it, but if even only half survive the first molt that will still be a lot of mantids, both to keep and sell...


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## River Dane

hcarlton said:


> I actually ended up managing to count them all, 212 altogether.


I don’t understand how you have the patience to count them    And Wow, that’s a great hatch! Hope they do well for you!

—D.E.


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## hcarlton

I've had the patience before to count out all of what has been anywhere between 2700-3500 individual carnivorous plants (depending on what's sprouted or sold) over the past few years in my collection; setting up housing individually (or when I ran out, up to 15 in large containers) for a couple hundred insects is nothing by comparison. Actually, it's not patience at all, but a need to keep track of details. Maybe I'm a touch OCD....

Anyway, as I write this it's already the New Year, but below are some earlier end of the year update photos:

Female #1 spiny flower, who is no longer really a Mrs. Pink but instead turning Mrs. Teal



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And the mature male just because he's cool



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The Big Stick female molted to, I believe, subadult. Decided to show her to my sister, who tried to videotape her because she's amusing to watch. Instead, ended up with a 6" mantis on her hand, and the reaction was hilarious (caused an accidental delete of the video though...)



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The main shelf contents (of several) of the menagerie



The mantis menagerie by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And my two orchids molted; caught one in the act



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Thirsty beastie



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The second was a bit more camera shy after molting...



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## River Dane

@hcarlton

wow, that’s crazy, lol. Maybe I’m just lazy when it comes to numbers   

Beautiful Mantids, and congratulations on the molts.

And Happy New Year!


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## hcarlton

My biggest grass mantids keep getting fatter, but don't seem to want to molt, which I'm sure they still have a couple to go. On a somewhat related note, anyone have any males?



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

In contrast, my two heaviest, the lineolas



Luciano by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Luciano by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Desi by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Desi by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Connor

Geez Desi and Luciano sure are Big and such a amazing green color! You got lucky with your colorations! ?


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## Ocelotbren

Your mantids look great, and as Connor said, the color of the lineolas is so bright and vibrant!


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## hcarlton

I had thought that the bright green was the more typical color of these guys, but if it's uncommon I'm all the happier. Luciano's getting extremely close to his last molt too...

Speaking of colors, all those Hierodula nymphs are starting to molt (meaning I have a ton for sale now) and I've got everything from what will likely turn out bark brown to goldenrod to lime green it appears. Gonna try and keep at least one of each (will select 10 to hold a good variety and ensure a couple pairs).

And in other news: "Blue" is not quite as blue now but I'm keeping the name, and he's molted again. The shield is showing big time



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## hcarlton

I think spinys just go through color phases; female 2 is now pink



P. wahlbergii female 2 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And oh, so many nymphs..



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## hcarlton

Pair of special molts occurred last night/today:

Female spiny #1 is now an adult! Hopefully in a month she'll be paired with one of the males...



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And this is the shadow of what Luciano was...



S. lineola molt by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Compared to what he is now. Unfortunately he decided to dry near the bottom of the container, so his wing tips are folded. Trying to photograph him and nudge him to move higher resulted in someone wanting to explore instead of being a good mantis and staying in his house though....



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Ocelotbren

They look beautiful, congrats on the molts!  It's too bad about the wings but at least he is healthy.


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## hcarlton

Petalbutt 1, undoubtedly female



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Petalbutt 2, the one retaining more pink and most likely female but not yet certain...



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Spiny female #2 is adult! That makes 3 of 5, and hopefully only a couple weeks before I can start pairing either the male already molted or one of the other 2 soon-to-be with them



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The giant Asians now range from L2 to L5 (the bigger ones are in the warmer part of my room); with still over 160 that I don't intend to keep, I have a lot available if anyone wants this species, in quite the range of colors...



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And Desi is now an adult! Smaller than Luciano, but unlike him this guy has perfectly folded wings...



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The camera fascinated him, so he ruined my photo...



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis lineola by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Smallest of the sticks just molted.



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And this girl makes 4 now at either subadult or presub (if the latter, geez these are going to be huge when they stop growing; can't tell because not sure how big the wing buds should be)



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Ocelotbren

Great pictures!  I love the visible texture of the Sphodromantis' wings.


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## bio25

Wow!!! Congratulations for that mantis, you have a great collection.


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## Mantis Lady

Nice pics. You have a nice bunch of mantids.


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## hcarlton

4th adult, 2nd male (so undoubtedly I have one that will be in prime to pair with the females) 



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. wahlbergii by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And 2 shields at L7 now



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Guess which one's the female


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## hcarlton

Petalbutt 1 at L6 and pure white; just caught Petalbutt 2 molting tonight too, looks like she's going to be fully white too



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## hcarlton

Returned from a week-long trip this past weekend, and took a few update shots...

Majority of the living membs (had a rather large increase of cannibalism instances recently) are now L5 and up, meaning I have managed to sex the majority. I have found now, despite claims from some other members, that the distinction between males and females when looking at the segments only becomes truly clear after L5; many individuals that appeared male at L4 molted and suddenly the last couple segments fused to show the large, single segment of females at the end.



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

All 4 basalis are now at L8, only one molt to go it looks like (these guys grow incredibly fast...)



R. basalis female 1 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Skittish female not happy about being moved to a larger house. They'll all skitter away if poked, but this is the only one that regularly threat-poses



R. basalis female 1 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis female 2 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

So adorable...



R. basalis female 2 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Interestingly, both of the males look to be bigger than the females...Blue in particular



R. basalis &amp;quot;Blue&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis &amp;quot;Blue&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Smallest of the sticks is starting to catch up



H. orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And orchids as lovely as ever. Judging by the wing buds though, I may have to start looking for a male a lot sooner than I thought...



Petalbutt 2 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Petalbutt 2 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Petalbutt 1 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Mantis Lady

nice close up pics of your mantids.


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## Ocelotbren

Wow, the last orchid picture makes it look like you color coordinated her green collar and white body with the green and white enclosure haha.  She looks like a model out of a magazine!

Also your Rhomboderas look great.  I have three as well now and they're a bit behind yours in growth but getting up there.  You mentioned that the males seem bigger - could it be because the females still have their extra molt so in the end they will still be bigger?  I'm new to the species and in fact it's the first species I've raised where the males and females molt a different number of times.


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## hcarlton

I don't think they have a different molt count; both the males and females are at L8, both have very large and already highly developed wingbuds that I would not say could be at any stage other than subadult; the females' wingbuds are shorter, as expected since they will have shorter wings, but otherwise at the same stage as I've seen in other mantids right before the adult molt. Veins are visible and everything even. If I am wrong I would be shocked, because then the females' wings would be huge after another wingbud size increase before molting out to full wings.


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## Connor

Im fairly sure your females are at presub while males are at sub. That would explain the size difference. I have shields too and although the wingbuds seem fairly developed, they trick you and get even larger.


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## Ocelotbren

I don't have personal experience with it but I was going off this reply to my question about it:



Let us know what happens, and if the females do indeed have the extra molt, you should post pictures of the wing buds before and after for comparison.


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## hcarlton

If that's so, then I probably need to cut back a touch on the feeding of the males, since I don't want to lose them before the females mature. The females are both molting before the males do, but that won't matter if they go through another instar (10 instars? Really?) and females tend to mature later than males in most species it seems after the final molt....

And speaking of males and females maturing, still don't have a clue what else to try to get the spinys mating..., tried moving the male out of the room to avoid pheremones, letting him sit near the females as they eat and hunt, coaxing him right onto their backs...I only have the one mature male now and two mature females, but the male either ignores them or jumps off after a couple minutes if I can manage to coax him onto their backs...and I don't want to leave him in the cage to get eaten like the last one...


----------



## hcarlton

Lots of variation among the Giant Asians



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And you guys were right: both female Shields now at L9 and subadult. I've managed to slow the males down enough though that they shouldn't be maturing too far off from each other (especially if I continue stuffing the females)



R. basalis L9 female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis L9 female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And all 3 biggest sticks are now subadult too. And huge! Branches is still the biggest:



H. orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Hand for scale



H. orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

2nd generation of adult bark mantids



Elmantis sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Elmantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And Petalbutt 1 ignoring my personal bubble...



Petalbutt 1 by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Ocelotbren

Nice color variations.  My R. basalis male just molted to adult this week (I'm not trying to slow him down at all).  To be honest I'm not sure if the females are L8 or L9.  They probably won't molt for a couple more weeks so I'll be keeping an eye on the wing buds as that time approaches...

Cute mantises though, and giant H. orientalis!


----------



## agent A

shame my elmantis didnt hatch

they are cute


----------



## hcarlton

I've got some new Elmantis nymphs that I'm trying to get to L2, and several males and females that have reached adulthood (and I don't intend to breed and then keep them all) so I might have options if you still want bark mantid nymphs.

The first of the Shields has matured! Now I just need the females to get a move on, as the other male is about to molt as well...



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

He had a real thing for my camera



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And no regard whatsoever for personal space...



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the molt.

I have never let my mantis walk over my face really


----------



## Ocelotbren

My male R. basalis just molted to adult too!  I love their wings.  Great pictures by the way.


----------



## agent A

hcarlton said:


> I've got some new Elmantis nymphs that I'm trying to get to L2, and several males and females that have reached adulthood (and I don't intend to breed and then keep them all) so I might have options if you still want bark mantid nymphs.
> 
> The first of the Shields has matured! Now I just need the females to get a move on, as the other male is about to molt as well...
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> He had a real thing for my camera
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> And no regard whatsoever for personal space...
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
> 
> 
> 
> R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


i'd buy a pair or mated female if you had extras


----------



## hcarlton

Once I get the adults breeding and an ooth or two for the next generation, I'll definitely be making them available.


----------



## hcarlton

R. basalis &amp;quot;Blue&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis &amp;quot;Blue&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis &amp;quot;Blue&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Discovered today that the Shield males also have no problem at all tackling a full-grown dubia roach; I can only imagine what that means for the appetite of the females when they mature...

Still have a couple grass mantids going; lots and lots of ooths from them, even a few nymphs (parthenogenetic reproduction, but unfortunately none have yet even made it to a first molt; wish I had a male...)



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

First H. memb to mature, won't sit still...once I get some photos of him and the rest of the soon-to-be adult quintet of variously colored males, they'll all be put up for either sale or trade



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Also, got this spiny female back from an attempt at getting her bred with someone else's male; she's laid 3 ooths now.



P. wahlbergii female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And I was sent the male since the other person won't have time to care for them shortly. I've since managed to get him to stay on top of the other, unmated female for nearly 3 hours, but no official signs of mating yet...



P. wahlbergii male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Success! Getting other members of the family to hold the bugs  



Mom and Teal by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And I've got a quintet of L2 Elmantis nymphs that I need to sell...



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

How much are the Elmantis nymphs? I want one. They are so cute!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Nice pictures again. You have beautifull mantids


----------



## hcarlton

MantisGirl13 said:


> How much are the Elmantis nymphs? I want one. They are so cute!
> 
> - MantisGirl13


I'm asking $4 apiece


----------



## MantisGirl13

Great! How many do you have?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

One of the nymphs disappeared, apparently I now only have 4...

Anyway, better news: Petalbutt is now adult! Now I need a male...



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the molt. Find her a nice male what fits her


----------



## MantisGirl13

Yes! Congratulations! You should definitely get a male for her!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Still looking for a male orchid...

Meanwhile, the first female Giant Asians are close 



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

While I have a nearly full complement of colors in adult males (just need the pinks to molt). Anyone want/need an adult male H. membranacea?



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

nice pics  and i have a preview of Bob as adult.


----------



## agent A

i finally got my female membranacea from u to catch up with the male

now they will get equal food and temp conditions so as to get them to adult at the same time


----------



## MantisGirl13

Awesome! I hope that they have no molting complications!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## agent A

MantisGirl13 said:


> Awesome! I hope that they have no molting complications!
> 
> - MantisGirl13


i put the female under a lamp and forgot to spray. luckily my room window is open and it's humid

she molted fine

now to put female budwings under that lamp


----------



## MantisGirl13

Great! Glad she molted! Let's hope the lamp has the same effect on the budwings!

- MantisGirl 13


----------



## agent A

MantisGirl13 said:


> Great! Glad she molted! Let's hope the lamp has the same effect on the budwings!
> 
> - MantisGirl 13


out of 9 i started with only 2 are females

2 died but at least 1 gurl is alive


----------



## MantisGirl13

At least you have one girl! Hopefully she can have babies, and you will have lots more!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

For those who expressed interest earlier, I now have one mated female and several possibly fertile (not guaranteed though) ooths available.


----------



## Synapze

Beauties!


----------



## hcarlton

While I struggle finding a new potential mate for the now 3 adult H. orientalis females, I have meanwhile finally had success getting the R. basalis to mate!



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Took forever though; the males are clueless (fly or run away, cling to my finger instead of the female, start off backward, jump off the female after being in position...), but at least I cna say I'll probably have babies eventually. Good thing too that Blue did his job, as the other male passed a few days ago...gave an opportunity to see full colors however



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## River Dane

Congratulations on the successful mating! Sorry about your other male, but he really does have nice coloration.

Good luck finding a male orientalis!


----------



## MantisGirl13

I am so glad that you got the R. basalis to mate! I hope that any ooths you have are fertile! Good luck on finding a mate for your orientalis.

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Ocelotbren

Congrats!  The colors are awesome and I just got my first glimpse of that bright pink on my own the other day when my adult female started calling.  Bending her abdomen really showed off the pink color.


----------



## Mantis Lady

congratz on the mating 

But sorry for the loss of the other male but his wings looks nice.


----------



## hcarlton

Even more, perhaps better success tonight:



Hymenopus coronatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And Blue went for a second mating with that female today since he never left her all night, but unfortunately, when finished, he didn't leave, and she probably chewed him enough that he won't survive to pair with the second female...


----------



## MantisGirl13

Poor Blue! That is great that you got the Orchids to mate! I hope that you have lots of fertile ooths!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

H. orientalis still await a mature male (and I suspect any day now I might start seeing infertile ooths from the oldest two), and the mated R. basalis has yet to lay (anyone know their preferences on laying sites, if they have any?), but I found something very special in the orchid house a couple of days ago...

H. coronatus ooth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

Yay! Gratz on the ooth! I hope you can find a male orientalis!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the ooth  At first I thought it was a wurm or something.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Little Mantis said:


> Gratz on the ooth  At first I thought it was a wurm or something.


   Lol No, It's not a worm!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Giant Asian females maturing...I'll probably only breed one or two, otherwise I'll end up with more ooths/nymphs than I can deal with...



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

3rd generation of Elmantis, growing fast and once again I have too many for reason above   (because I can never sell all the ooths before they hatch on me)



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Found a European in the yard about a month ago too; now, need to determine sex and maybe find a mate



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

2nd generation of Thesprotia, parthenogenetically produced because I don't have a single male...



Thesprotia graminis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

nice pics again?


----------



## River Dane

Nice update @hcarlton! Congratulations on the adult molts and third generation Elmantis. 

Is the European mantis old enough to be sexed?


----------



## hcarlton

I'm sure it is, I just haven't had the time/patience to try getting it to sit in a position so I can count the sections. Plus it's a lot easier when they get big.

Oh, and adding to successes: the mated R. basalis female laid an ooth!


----------



## MantisGirl13

@hcarlton Gratz on the ooth! I hope that you can sex the european soon enough so you can find a mate for it soon!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## agent A

euro looks female to me


----------



## hcarlton

It's a male


----------



## MantisGirl13

hcarlton said:


> It's a male


You finally took the time to figure it out!? 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

He was sitting in such a position that I could count the segments easily.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Cool. I hope you can find him a girl!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

The female memb I will most likely be breeding...



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## River Dane

She’s a gorgeous mantis. Good luck with the breeding!


----------



## Mantis Lady

good luck with the breeding?


----------



## MantisGirl13

I hope that you can mate her successfully! 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Mating may or may not have already been successful with the H. membranacea (she's visibly calling now though, might try introducing another male though fair chance she might eat him too). However, a previous mating has definitely proven successful:



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Almost 4 weeks exactly since it was laid, and now I've got a couple hundred baby Shields! 

Still waiting on the orchid ooth though (1-2 weeks yet, and she just laid her third today too).


----------



## MantisGirl13

Yay! Gratz on the hatch! How long does an orchid ooth take to hatch?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Those nymphs are cute. Gratz on the hatch.


----------



## hcarlton

MantisGirl13 said:


> Yay! Gratz on the hatch! How long does an orchid ooth take to hatch?
> 
> - MantisGirl13


Supposedly, 5-6 weeks. I can't say with certainty yet of course since this is my first.

Also, though mantids are admittedly still a very small part of my focus, I have finally launched my own site and have the mantid sales page up! The Database pages will follow eventually...

www.carltoncarnivores.com


----------



## MantisGirl13

I have an orchids ooth and it is taking a month or two to hatch, and it has not yet. I'll check out your site!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

2 new female and 1 male European mantids have joined my wild-caught male, now just to get the females calling..



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And I finally got in a male hopefully in his prime for the H. orientalis females. He's in the cage with the biggest female right now, and they're just hanging out (she's pretty well-fed, they're supposedly communal), so now just hoping he makes a move so I can get his paired with the other 2 as well. No photos yet though

And, the R. basalis nymphs have begun molting! Sadly, the hatch had a huge die-off, so aside from the ones to be kept for the next generation I only have a handful of extras, but hey, a few to sell...



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Ocelotbren

That's too bad about the die off. Best of luck with the remaining nymphs though, and also with that H. orientalis mating!


----------



## MantisGirl13

Yes! Good luck with the mating! The R. basalis are adorable!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Thus far, the male and both attempted female H. orientalis are very keen on completely ignoring each other...sigh....

In other news however, new arrivals! And they're adorable...5 Ghosts, 5 Panthers



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

So tiny, but already a very distinct pattern on all of them...



Tarachodula pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## River Dane

Congrats on the new arrivals! Good luck with the orientalis.


----------



## Ocelotbren

Great pictures of all the babies!


----------



## hcarlton

And orientalis mating has been a success! The male was as stubborn as the R. basalis male had been though; took me attempts on all 3 females and 20 minutes of jostling to get him on top of the last one before he decided to finally mate with Miss Crooked Wings. Now just to convince him the other two females are equally worthy mates...


----------



## MantisGirl13

Congratulations! I'd be interested in some nymphs or an ooth once you have them!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Due to the flop that was the P. agrionina ooth I got recently, I ended up being given the opportunity to acquire the female; hopefully she lays another ooth or two



Parasphendale agrionina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The one child of hers that I have is doing well though



Parasphendale agrionina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

I have one ooth from the one female orientalis that I managed to mate currently, hoping it does hatch and that she lays more; the male refused to have anything to do with this girl and the other female though before he passed...



Heterochaeta orientalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And I may need to mate this girl again...



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Because her first ooth produced all of 11 nymphs (9 made it to I2) and the 2nd hasn't done much yet. 2 more laid so far though, maybe better luck there...



Hierodula membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And this pudgy mistress...



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Is the mother of mantids now reaching I5 (and that I have 3 I want to sell of)



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And 8 new nymphs, as of yesterday, from the 2nd ooth. Disappointing hatch rate off that one, but what can you do...



Rhombodera basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

These are the one species I continue to have unquestionable success with though. 3rd generation fully home-raised now reaching adulthood



Elmantis sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Elmantis sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And, 2 new species that, fingers crossed, I have better luck with:



Tarachodula pantherina male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tarachodula pantherina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

They've already been through several molts here, and some are now tackling bluebottles already



Tarachodula pantherina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And their color is amazing



Tarachodula pantherina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The other new species: Ghosts



Phyllocrania paradoxa female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

They are incredibly difficult to photograph, never sitting still for long. My special green female took at least 4 tries to get a clear-ish shot.



Phyllocrania paradoxa female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And my solitary male was at an awkward angle in his cup. Hopefully he matures at the same time (or slightly later) as the females



Phyllocrania paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

nice pictures again.

I am really in love with panthers. Do they need special care? Or is basic care enough?





Look those big eyes, I love it


----------



## MantisGirl13

Yeah, I am with you, @Little Mantis! I really want panthers too! I just love their eyes and colors!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Thus far they've needed no special care. Don't mist heavily, keep warm, and feed them relatively large things (they're barely over an inch long and taking bluebottles freely). However, my difficulties generally come not from raising them, but from getting species to breed properly, so time will tell.

Speaking of breeding, anyone know what it takes to encourage European mantids to lay their ooths? Or if it requires a certain time of year? Both my females are mated, one of them at least twice (maybe both), but they refuse to lay.


----------



## Mantis Lady

hcarlton said:


> Thus far they've needed no special care. Don't mist heavily, keep warm, and feed them relatively large things (they're barely over an inch long and taking bluebottles freely).


Thanks for the info. I am thinking of getting one of them, but have more mantids on list i want to have


----------



## MantisGirl13

You should get one, @Little Mantis! I want one, but I don't know where to get them! 

@hcarlton Hmm, maybe try a different habitat or different sizes of sticks to lay on?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Connor

@MantisGirl13 I believe @DeShawn has them on his website right now.


----------



## Mantis Lady

MantisGirl13 said:


> You should get one, @Little Mantis! I want one, but I don't know where to get them!


i have seen them on a website of a guy that lives in the UK a while ago. Maybe I should ask him if the shipping isn't too long to my country.


----------



## MantisGirl13

@Connor Really!? Thanks! I have not been on his site in a few days. 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

MantisGirl13 said:


> You should get one, @Little Mantis! I want one, but I don't know where to get them!
> 
> @hcarlton Hmm, maybe try a different habitat or different sizes of sticks to lay on?
> 
> - MantisGirl13


They both have very different habitats partly to see if there is a preference (apparently not), and both containers have a variety of sticks and, in one, wide flat leaves to try and encourage them. Thus far, nothing.

Meanwhile, the budwing female laid a small ooth...


----------



## Ocelotbren

hcarlton said:


> Speaking of breeding, anyone know what it takes to encourage European mantids to lay their ooths? Or if it requires a certain time of year? Both my females are mated, one of them at least twice (maybe both), but they refuse to lay.


I don't have any previous experience with Europeans, but I have four wild-caught ones as of just recently and I bred them. The first female of the two laid her first egg case (with me) a couple days ago, which was a couple days after mating, when she was already quite big. I have a mix of fake plants and twigs of different widths in there, but she actually just laid on the mesh lid, so I guess she didn't really like what I offered! Not sure if that helps any haha. I have heard of people free ranging their females on a house plant to encourage laying as well, but maybe closed in a small room to be safe.

Hopefully something works for you, good luck!


----------



## hcarlton

The one room I could close them in has plants that eat insects and my bed, so that's a no go.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Hmm, Well, I hope they lay soon! Can they eat more? 

Congratulations on the budwing ooth, by the way!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Ocelotbren

hcarlton said:


> The one room I could close them in has plants that eat insects and my bed, so that's a no go.


Hah good call then. I guess you'll just have to try a variety of laying surfaces in the enclosure...


----------



## Synapze

Connor said:


> But my female Lineola still got a hold of my male and devoured him. She’s﻿﻿ a﻿﻿ complete monster lol. So now I’m on the lookout for another male﻿


Just curious... did you let her finish eating him? I only ask because I may have have to make that decision very soon.


----------



## Connor

Synapze said:


> Just curious... did you let her finish eating him? I only ask because I may have have to make that decision very soon.


There was no getting him back lol. And even at that point he was long gone. It’s best to just let her have the free meal.


----------



## hcarlton

MantisGirl13 said:


> Hmm, Well, I hope they lay soon! Can they eat more?
> 
> Congratulations on the budwing ooth, by the way!
> 
> - MantisGirl13


If I let them eat more than I already give them, I fear the green female might explode, and the yellow would be not far behind....they're about as pudged as they can be.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Ok, then, I guess we just have to wait and pray that they are laid!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Starting to think that in order to get the mantids laying, I need to complain about them...2 days ago the green European laid an ooth! Of course, she did it right over top of the zipper to her enclosure, but still...


----------



## MantisGirl13

lol 

I am glad she laid her ooth finally! Were you able to get it off of the zipper? I hope you get lots of little babies!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

Most of it....


----------



## Mantis Lady

gratz on the ooth.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Well, I hope it hatches!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

All the Ghosts are now subadult, but before the females started molting the male was first, and got a special photo shoot (I have suspicions the green one may be male too; has a very different crest from either female, though even really than this male too, and I could swear I've counted more segments)



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

He is very pretty! Can I see the pic of the green one?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Yeah, I want to see the green ghost too


----------



## hcarlton

As requested, pics of Greenie (with another close look, she's definitely female, just has a really weird crest)



P. paradoxa green female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Just about as bright a green as I've seen in any photos too, and a huge contrast to the male



P. paradoxa green female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

I like that color. She is beautiful.  I hope I get a green one too.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Wow! She is very pretty! She is a very light green, which is beautiful!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Synapze

hcarlton said:


> As requested, pics of Greenie﻿ (﻿with another close loo﻿k, she's definitely female, just has a really weird crest)


How rare are green ghosts and at what instar can you tell?


----------



## MantisGirl13

Green ghosts are about as rare as brown ones. (Not rare at all) 

What do you mean by 



Synapze said:


> at what instar can you tell?


What are you trying to tell?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Synapze

MantisGirl13 said:


> What are you trying﻿ to tell﻿?


Color.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Ok. You can tell the color at about L4-L6.

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

I'd been given the impression that greens are less common than browns, though to what extent varies depending on who I talk to. In any case, 1 out of 4 means she's rare for me at least, and as bright as she is I'm ecstatic to have her. The color didn't really start showing up until in the last couple of molts so that fits...


----------



## MantisGirl13

Well, I had five nymphs, two were brown, three were green, so I don't think that they are really that rare, but maybe it is a genetics thing. 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

I had a stick mantis hatch! Unfortunately it was small, with only 9 hatchlings, and only 5 nymphs still live on, so I haven't taken photos yet. Nothing from the subsequent ooth either, but the mated female did lay a third yesterday...

Additionally, I've lost one of my panther females, and one of the two males is flat out refusing to eat anything so I may end up down to only one, 3 panthers in total...

But there is good news: all 4 ghosts are now subadult! Turns out they're getting a bit bigger than I thought they would...



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The male has wicked patterns developing, that the females do not possess



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Greenie is developing some interesting shades too



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

your ghosts are beautiful


----------



## MantisGirl13

Congratulations on the hatch and the molts! Your ghosts are very pretty.

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

First panther to reach subadult (female)



T. pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



T. pantherina by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And, turns out my ailing male will probably not die, but he has suddenly become RIDICULOUSLY picky about his food (baby dubias only, not the bigger ones the others will take and definitely not flies...)

Also, 2nd generation R. basalis are hitting I7-I8, and I have too many females, so they're still for sale...



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

Beautiful mantids! 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Beautiful mantids.


----------



## hysteresis

Le sigh..... ?


----------



## hcarlton

The ghosts are going adult! Greenie is not looking very green at the moment though



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

But there's a shade there still. Might come back in a few days



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Light brown remains light brown as always though



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Unfortunately, there was a casualty...dark brown appears to have fallen at some point during her molt, so two of her back legs and both front legs don't work, period. She will still drink and might perhaps be able to be hand-fed, but it'd be a miracle to get her to live long enough to even think of breeding her I think...



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The male has yet to molt though, but likely will within a few days.

And, still got one male and several female H. membs going strong. Didn't bother to breed most of them so I'm getting a lot of infertile ooths; ironic, the ones I do breed seem far more reluctant to lay.



H. membranacea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Synapze

Some beautiful Ghosts you have there.


----------



## MantisGirl13

Beautiful ghosts! Greenie should get her color back in a few days, don't worry. I am sorry about the dark brown one!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Graceface

Congrats on the molts! Your ghosts are beautiful ❤ Sorry about your mismolted girl


----------



## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the good molts. But is sad that your brown girl fell and mismolted


----------



## hcarlton

Brownie may not be an entirely lost cause; I was able to hand-feed her a couple flies tonight, so she could yet become a mother.


----------



## MantisGirl13

hcarlton said:


> Brownie may not be an entirely lost cause; I was able to hand-feed her a couple flies tonight, so she could yet become a mother.


Fingers crossed that she can have some healthy babies!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

The male ghost is mature!



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And, oddly, both of the properly molted females are a shockingly leafy green now



P. paradoxa &amp;quot;Greenie&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa &amp;quot;light brown female&amp;quot; (not anymore) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Most importantly though: first successful pairing last night! Male was with the female "formerly light brown" not 5 minutes and they were busy


----------



## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the molts and the succesfull mating. Hopfully your female will give you some nice ooths


----------



## MantisGirl13

Beautiful ghosts! Congrats on the mating!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## agent A

my male ghost hasnt connected with either female yet. they each laid an ooth too


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## MantisGirl13

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> my male ghost hasnt connected with either female yet. they each laid an ooth too


How many times have you tried mating? How old are the females? The male? 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Synapze

@hcarlton Beautiful Ghosts, but not quite as beautiful as the Shield Mantis you sold me. 

Glad you were there to rescue the male.


----------



## agent A

MantisGirl13 said:


> How many times have you tried mating? How old are the females? The male?
> 
> - MantisGirl13


the male is like 3 weeks, females 9 and 7 weeks. i put the older girl with him, he mounted for 2 days but no connection

now hes with the younger one


----------



## hcarlton

Synapze said:


> @hcarlton Beautiful Ghosts, but not quite as beautiful as the Shield Mantis you sold me.
> 
> Glad you were there to rescue the male.


I think I find the ghosts more attractive personally, but then I have a thing for the weirdest designs   Though I can't deny the shields will be a mainstay in my breeding so long as I can keep them going.

Not sure what you mean by "rescue the male;" if referring to ghosts they're generally not a huge cannibalism risk, and my male had no issues climbing on one female and then vacating a couple hours later, and more recently (two days ago) the same with the original Greenie   . He just has to deal with the mismolted brown female now, if I can get them to pair up...


----------



## MantisGirl13

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> the male is like 3 weeks, females 9 and 7 weeks. i put the older girl with him, he mounted for 2 days but no connection
> 
> now hes with the younger one


Hmm. Has he connected with the younger one? 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## agent A

MantisGirl13 said:


> Hmm. Has he connected with the younger one?
> 
> - MantisGirl13


not yet but he mounted. maybe he likes to cuddle but keeps his naughty bits to himself


----------



## hysteresis

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> not yet but he mounted. maybe he likes to cuddle but keeps his naughty bits to himself


Oh geeze!


----------



## MantisGirl13

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> not yet but he mounted. maybe he likes to cuddle but keeps his naughty bits to himself






hysteresis said:


> Oh geeze!


Lol 

Anything now?

- MantisGirl13


----------



## agent A

MantisGirl13 said:


> Lol
> 
> Anything now?
> 
> - MantisGirl13


still no


----------



## MantisGirl13

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> still no


That is weird! My males have always gotten the job done in a matter of hours, not days like this!

- MantisGirl13


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## hcarlton

Your male may already be aging out. They don't live long normally.


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## agent A

hcarlton said:


> Your male may already be aging out. They don't live long normally.


@MantisGirl13 they connected today!! time to mate green girl


----------



## MantisGirl13

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> @MantisGirl13 they connected today!! time to mate green girl


That's awesome! Congratulations!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

mantisloverguy6000 said:


> they connected today!! time to mate green girl


Gratz on the mating. I hope yourgirl will give you a lot of ooths


----------



## hysteresis

Little Mantis said:


> Gratz on the mating. I hope yourgirl will give you a lot of ooths


And still. 

I LOVE the sacred ooth blessing you all pass to each other!


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## MantisGirl13

hysteresis said:


> sacred ooth blessing


Lol   

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hysteresis

MantisGirl13 said:


> Lol
> 
> - MantisGirl13


May ALL the mantis be with you.


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## hcarlton

This is the 4th ooth from the 2 green females in a week! Somehow I missed the laying of the first, so I ended up with 2 on one stick from one female...



P. paradoxa ooth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Now hopefully to see them through hatching. I read after I'd placed them in my incubator (sits at about 83 F) that they can be hatched at room temp, so I don't know if the extra warmth will speed things up or if I'm doing something stupid (also don't really have a room temp location; unless it's on the already occupied snake tank even most of my room is probably a touch cold for any ooth).

In other news, the 2nd generation of R. basalis are also beginning to mature. Mom's still around:



R. basalis female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And not-so-shockingly a male is the first of the F2 to molt. He did not straighten out his wings properly for unknown reasons though...



R. basalis F2 male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



R. basalis F2 male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hysteresis

@hcarlton I'm new to this hobby. 

Is R. megaera care similar to R. basalis?


----------



## Cole 78

Update? Love this journal!


----------



## MantisGirl13

Congrats on the molts and the ooths! Your mantids are beautiful!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

hysteresis said:


> @hcarlton I'm new to this hobby.
> 
> Is R. megaera care similar to R. basalis?


Never had megaera so I couldn't tell you with any certainty. I would not imagine it much different.

@Cole 78: the last update was yesterday, previous page.


----------



## hysteresis

hcarlton said:


> Never had megaera so I couldn't tell you with any certainty. I would not imagine it much different.


Thanks, dude.


----------



## hcarlton

So I was told ghost males are short-lived, and they don't eat...this guy's been fully mature for over a month now, approaching pushing a month and a half, and he munches most of the houseflies I stick in his cup...is he anomalous? 



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## Ocelotbren

I had two male ghosts and one lived 2 months as adult and the other...5.5 months. Caught me off guard! They usually ate at least part of a blue bottle fly every couple days. They were adult during the winter here so the lower temperatures in the house could have contributed to their longevity.


----------



## hcarlton

2nd generation of ghosts! I think I have 30+ from 3 or 4 different ooths at the moment (there appears to have been a fair die-off rate straight out of the ooths, sadly), and still another 5 or 6 ooths yet to hatch (I'd be happy to sell a few, rather than hatch them all).



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Adorable little ant things...



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## MantisGirl13

Yay! Congrats on the hatch! I love baby ghosts, they are so cute! 

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Graceface

Fast lil cuties! So adorable


----------



## Mantis Lady

Grats one the hatch. They look indeed like ants without the "leaves" I don't know the right word for it


----------



## hcarlton

Been a while since I posted in this thread (I have more time to get photos onto Instagram, Carlton Carnivores), but a few pics of recent developments are due: 

The first P. agrionina female has matured. The other is several molts behind still, but the male might be soon to mature



Parasphendale agrionina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Parasphendale agrionina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Parasphendale agrionina female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Next generation of H. membranacea are also maturing; hopefully these females will be a bit more fertile than their parents were



Hierodula membranacea female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

PIV (Prey Insect View)  



Hierodula membranacea female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Hierodula membranacea female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And, still haven't figured out for sure if I have a pair yet but the G. grisea are getting big enough to actually see without squinting now



Gonatista grisea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Gonatista grisea by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hysteresis

Beautiful! The agrionina is spectacular.


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## MantisGirl13

Beautiful mantids! Congrats on all the recent molts. Your agrionina female is beautiful! 

- MantisGirl13


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## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the molts. your hierodula female looks beautiful


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## Charoozz520

Love the picture of your agrionina she looks so curious!


----------



## hcarlton

There be a swarm...



Tenodera sinensis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Tenodera sinensis by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

I also had another Elmantis ooth hatch, and still no one to commit to a purchase so I now have far too many nymphs...


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## MantisGirl13

Congrats on the hatches @hcarlton! 

- MantisGirl13


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## Mantis Lady

Gratz on the hatch


----------



## hcarlton

What's this? An update?

Sadly, my Gonatista passed away, from reasons entirely unknown...but I still have too many Chinese mantids everywhere that I could stand to sell, and this guy below finally made it to adult:



Parasphendale agrionina male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Parasphendale agrionina male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Parasphendale agrionina male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

First try failed too, but he finally decided the older of my two females was interesting, and has now been riding around on her back for a day and a half...sadly, I have not caught him in the act he is supposed to perform, so I have no idea if he's actually done his job yet or just going for a joyride on the fat girl...


----------



## MantisGirl13

I'm sorry about your gonatista. The Budwing male is cute though! I wish you luck with breeding!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

No luck needed apparently, just a jostle...the container they're in was sitting near a heat lamp just to see if that would encourage anything, but it was in the way today so I went to move it back, and the moment I picked up the container the male connected with the female...weirdo....


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## FeistyMcGrudle

hcarlton said:


> So I was told ghost males are short-lived, and they don't eat...this guy's been fully mature for over a month now, approaching pushing a month and a half, and he munches most of the houseflies I stick in his cup...is he anomalous?


A little late to the game, but my male ghosts are the same. I was under the impression that they will only eat a handful of flies in their adult lifespan, but they both take flies quite readily. Granted, they don't eat nearly as much as the females, but I have found what seems to be a trade-off; adult females eat, while adult males drink. I have yet to witness my females drink when I spray their enclosures, but the males go absolutely nuts when I spray theirs. I haven't been in the hobby for long, but none of my other mantises drink as voraciously when I spray their enclosures-- the only species close are my orchid nymphs. Are your males still alive?

Great pics btw!


----------



## MantisGirl13

hcarlton said:


> No luck needed apparently, just a jostle...the container they're in was sitting near a heat lamp just to see if that would encourage anything, but it was in the way today so I went to move it back, and the moment I picked up the container the male connected with the female...weirdo....


Congratulations on the connection!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## hcarlton

FeistyMcGrudle said:


> A little late to the game, but my male ghosts are the same. I was under the impression that they will only eat a handful of flies in their adult lifespan, but they both take flies quite readily. Granted, they don't eat nearly as much as the females, but I have found what seems to be a trade-off; adult females eat, while adult males drink. I have yet to witness my females drink when I spray their enclosures, but the males go absolutely nuts when I spray theirs. I haven't been in the hobby for long, but none of my other mantises drink as voraciously when I spray their enclosures-- the only species close are my orchid nymphs. Are your males still alive?
> 
> Great pics btw!


My females drink most of the times that I spritz the containers (and the two original breeding females are still around too; male was gone a long while ago. It's been long enough the next generation is probably abut a month and a half, maybe two from maturing). But then, I live in a relatively low humidity environment.


----------



## hysteresis

It's been juicy in our house these day. Almost 60. Compared to the winter!


----------



## hcarlton

60? A humid day here is 40 % (though with all the plants I grow it's probably a fair bit higher in the house itself.


----------



## hysteresis

hcarlton said:


> 60? A humid day here is 40 % (though with all the plants I grow it's probably a fair bit higher in the house itself.


The Toronto area is very humid in the summer. It's even humid outdoors in the winter. But with central heat in the winter, the house runs below is 20pct without humidifiers. I figure thats how my thistle subs came to mismolt. 

I'm enjoying the the change.


----------



## hcarlton

I like the bigger species, but they all seem to have issues of one form or other...the Shields and Giant Asians had males that never seemed to want to breed, I've got two Carolina females but no males, the second budwing female ate the male and I'm not sure if the pairing he had with either female was actually successful (first ooth still hasn't done anything and it's been many a week)...oh, and the Elmantis females like to chew on the males before mating even occurs, so I've only got one left and like 5 females to pair up still....sigh. We'll see if anything comes of the Chinese that are now maturing...

At least, I can rely on these guys. Next generation is maturing; several males are admittedly well ahead of the females, but I'm sure they'll be around long enough for even them to maybe have a shot.



P. paradoxa male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

I’m sorry ou are having so much trouble with the larger species! I hope the ghosts at least do well for you.

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Your male looks beatiful with those wings. my male was looking the same,


----------



## hcarlton

Well, I think for now I'm gonna stick with some of the smaller species until I have the space to really set up a bunch of big enclosures for the larger species...I've had continued success with Elmantis and Phyllocrania, and now gonna try one more: 



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The latest adult male paradoxa



P. paradoxa adult male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And the TON of nymphs that I have currently; interest has slackened recently but I don't really want to keep all 4 dozen or so...



P. paradoxa nymphs by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa nymphs by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

Nice! I love ghosts. So cute!!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## Mantis Lady

Creo's are beautiful too

you have a lot of little nymphs to care for hope baby ghosts and creos will all make it to adulthood


----------



## hcarlton

Aren't they just adorable...male and female nymph



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And the Elmantis are maturing again..unfortunately I'll probably have to rely on the younger males as these will likely be dead by the time the females mature



Elmantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Elmantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And my new Indian flowers are approaching maturity too



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


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## hcarlton

The Creos are maturing!



Creobroter sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Unfortunately, one male has had issues (looked neurological) since he molted to subadult, so this mature male here is my one and only. I really hope I can keep him from being murderized by the females...



Creobroter sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MrGhostMantis

What cuties!!


----------



## Mystymantis

Your Creo is so cute!


----------



## Mantis Lady

They are beautiful with their wings.


----------



## hcarlton

Latest generation has begun to mature, and a different color from their parents per usual here



P. paradoxa new generation by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa new generation by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And the last dies away; only time I can get wing photos. Plus, since she's dried this way I'm actually tempted to keep this one somehow.



P. paradoxa afterlife by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

You should do that. He looked nicely dried up on the picture.


----------



## hcarlton

The next bark mantids mature...



Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Elmantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

This, sadly, is the only nymph to survive so far, of only 2 hatched, from only one ooth that has hatched from my Creobroter. The female responsible for these decided to monch the male before I could try pairing him again with the other two girls, so no idea if I'll be having any success with this species in the long run now



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

Is it considered being a Peeping Tom if I take photos like this?



P. paradoxa mating by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa mating by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And all 3 males currently adult



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

A visitor to the plants outside...one of several seen recently



S. oreophila &amp;quot;North Sound&amp;quot; x purpurea &amp;quot;Giant #1&amp;quot; and friend by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

She did finally pass recently, but before then this female unquestionably earned the title of my oldest ghost, sticking around long enough to "see" her grandnymphs



Phyllocrania paradoxa old girl by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa old girl by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And said nymphs, of which I have a ton



Ghost nymphs by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Lots of wild Europeans have been popping up recently too. One from a herping trip:



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And one of several that I've collected from the back yard, among the carnivorous plants (I now have 2 females, 3 males, and have another fat female now hanging around the plants again)



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The 2nd female



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

Caught a male right at the end of molting



Creobroter gemmatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And the females are just about to be fat enough to start breeding soon. Hopefully this round does better



Creobroter gemmatus by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Shortly before our most recent storm, I found this fat female wandering about



M. religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



M. religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And then shortly after the storm, this male was found surviving under the plastic I put over the plants to keep frost at bay



M. religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Sadly, he did not survive the encounter with the first of two females I collected...


----------



## MrGhostMantis

You see so many mantids, hopefully that will be me when my californica ooths pop!


----------



## hcarlton

Finally, after so many generations, the green ghost has returned to me...



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## MantisGirl13

She's beautiful!

- MantisGirl13


----------



## TheWrongCrowd

love the name Mr pink for the Walbergii


----------



## hcarlton

Bunch'a nymphs...and I have a bunch of Elmantis hatching out and growing up this round too.



P. paradoxa nymphs by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantidfinatic13

beautiful mantids ;D


----------



## hcarlton

Latest mature female



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



P. paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Siblings make good hangposts, right?



Phyllocrania sibling stand by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania sibling stand by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Phyllocrania paradoxa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

The Lazarus mantids are doing well



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Sphodromantis sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Flower mantids are maturing again too



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Creobroter sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## hcarlton

Still not sure what species they are exactly...but turns out I have one Lazarus:



Sphodromantis sp. male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And 6 females in his harem! Only one has matured green (and she matured really early):



Sphodromantis sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

And all the others turned brown. I hope Lazarus can survive being paired with them all...



Sphodromantis sp. female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------



## Mantis Lady

Your mantids look beautiful.


----------



## hcarlton

So, due to the cost of raising these guys, and my current limitations...I'm going to be phasing out keeping them for a while. Which means I have 4 adult Giant African females (one mated, and confirmed fertile today as a TON of nymphs came out of the ooth she laid), several Elmantis sp. bark mantis females, their ooths, and some nymphs, and a few ghost nymphs that either need to be sold or will just live out their remaining days here.

I will however keep photographing the local wildlife that shows up in the yard, attracted to the plants...this guy ain't a mantis:



Harvestman by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

But he likes handing out alongside them among the plants



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Particularly the plants that bring in free food...



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr



Mantis religiosa by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr


----------

