# Stay away from me!



## yen_saw (Sep 11, 2010)

She is one very mean female California mantis!












Sorry took this in my office with iPhone... not the best camera. But the 3 disticntive stripes on top of the abdomen together with the fancy color hindwing make this species different than the other native Stagmomantis spp. in the Northern America region. Will try to take more pics using a better camera and hope she keeps her attitude!


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## Rick (Sep 11, 2010)

Nice Yen. Don't see these often.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 11, 2010)

She is after you!


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## LauraMG (Sep 11, 2010)

Not a bad pic for an iPhone! She's not being very subtle about her feelings, is she? :lol:


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## massaman (Sep 11, 2010)

this is just like my female budwing she has gotten this attitude and its hard to get her to calm down when she gets this way!


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## massaman (Sep 11, 2010)

this is just like my female budwing she has gotten this attitude and its hard to get her to calm down when she gets this way!


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## massaman (Sep 11, 2010)

this is just like my female budwing she has gotten this attitude and its hard to get her to calm down when she gets this way!


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## yen_saw (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks all. Guess she keeps her attitude.


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## robo mantis (Sep 12, 2010)

That last one is scary! hahahaha!


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## Seattle79 (Sep 13, 2010)

How cute. All she wants is a hug.  

-Kevin


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## LauraMG (Sep 14, 2010)

Oh man Yen! She has a serious attitude problem huh? :tt2: The last one is scarier with the blackened eyes....


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 14, 2010)

I like it when they open thier mouths as if to bite whatever is bothering them. :lol: I get a kick out of it every time I get threatened by a mantid. I know that they mean to frighten with the poses, but I can't help it, I always start laughing at them. :lol:


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## Schloaty (Sep 15, 2010)

> I know that they mean to frighten with the poses, but I can't help it, I always start laughing at them.


Well Gee Wiz! You're doing WONDERS for their self-esteem by laughing at them! :angry:


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## ismart (Sep 15, 2010)

No way! :blink: Yen has found the infamous _Stagmomantis californica_! Nice find!  Keep me in mind if you breed them.


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 15, 2010)

Schloaty said:


> Well Gee Wiz! You're doing WONDERS for their self-esteem by laughing at them! :angry:


Oh well, it just looks funny to me. :lol: Sort of like the sounds that cats make when they are angry. I know they mean business, but is just tickles my funnybone when they make those funny growling sounds. I don't taunt animals or anything. I just have always raised different animals, and some of their behaviors amuse me.


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## MantidLord (Sep 15, 2010)

ismart said:


> No way! :blink: Yen has found the infamous _Stagmomantis californica_! Nice find!  Keep me in mind if you breed them.


Yeah, I just went back and read that it was california, not carolina. Yen, please tell us. How the heck did you find this girl? And do you have a male?


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## Ntsees (Sep 15, 2010)

At long last, someone finally has the California mantid. The dark purple/black underwings and the 2-3 dark bands at the base of the abdomen says it all. Hopefully you have a male along with the female.


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## Precarious (Sep 15, 2010)

Wow! She looks nasty with her mouth open!


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## yen_saw (Sep 16, 2010)

I did not find her. Mike collected her in New Mexico. Here is another of her 'half' threat pose, the stripes are pretty cool






Here is one of the male. Adult male has 4 stripes on the top of the abdomen close. I will spread him on my pinned collection when he passes.






There are more threat pose pictures in the following link if you're so inclined. There is a short movie clip on how she tried to attack a piece of wood (click last pic)

http://usamantis.com/9-11-10Scalifornica.html


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## thorhack (Sep 22, 2010)

Dang, this species looks so cool!. I really like the Ghosts, and Idolos for their looks. But I also love the normal looking mantids, like the chinese. But these seem to be a steriod filled chinese. Really cool find yen


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## MantidLord (Sep 22, 2010)

How large are they compared to limbata and carolina? Really nice pics.


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 24, 2010)

do you intend on breeding them?


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## MrPitseleh (Sep 30, 2010)

My mantis was just doing this a minute ago with his arms way up in the air cause a butterfly landed right on his back.


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## Ntsees (Sep 30, 2010)

MrPitseleh said:


> My mantis was just doing this a minute ago with his arms way up in the air cause a butterfly landed right on his back.


The butterfly must have startled it because that's the mantid's defense mode.


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## MrPitseleh (Sep 30, 2010)

Ntsees said:


> The butterfly must have startled it because that's the mantid's defense mode.


Ha I may be new to mantid keeping but I do at least know that much. &lt;_&lt;


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## yen_saw (Oct 7, 2010)

Sorry i have totally forgotten about this thread, was busy preparing for my Arizona trip. I will post up the differences between S. limbata and S. californica. the adult female Mike gave me die prematurely due to sickness  but i collected a few more adult females from my recent weekend trip to Madera Canyon.

@ Mantidlord: Under the similar condition at Madera Canyon, both adult male/female S. limbata appear to be larger than S. californica adults. Comparing sizes between S. californica and S. carolina is rather tricky. S. carolina on the northern part of the region (with longer winter) appear to be smaller than S. californica but Carolina mantis from Southern states (subspecies maybe) are longer than S. californica.

@angleofdeathzz: Yeah one of the California mantis collected from AZ deposited an ootheca recently, but to be sure I let another wild caught adult male S. californica mated with her yesterday.


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