# Oxyothespis dumonti- North African Grass Mantis



## meaganelise9 (Jan 1, 2012)

So it sounds like a good number of people have these ooths now? Who's got 'em? Whose has already hatched? Let's share info on their progress. If you google, you can find Yen's log on them from 2007 which is helpful. I had a small hatch (11). They are highly cannibalistic, so if you don't have tons of food right away, it's good to separate. Careful, they jump! They jump like little grasshoppers, and they're super small when they hatch, like mosquitos, so it's hard to keep track of them and not lose any. I have 10 left, so far, so not bad.


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## Fichte (Jan 1, 2012)

If they are as tiny as Brunneria nymphs it could be good to offer spring-tails... many grass-mantis are pretty nervous :stuart: 

good luck with them


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## CoolMantid (Jan 1, 2012)

Brunneria nymphs (if I am correct) are fairly large (for a newly born mantis) when the emerge from the ootheca. I think you meant Thesprotia graminis nymphs.


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## Fichte (Jan 1, 2012)

Ooops... i mean Hoplocorypha and write Brunneria (dont know why)

Sorry


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## Precarious (Jan 1, 2012)

No action with my ooths yet. I may have duds.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 1, 2012)

Fichte said:


> If they are as tiny as Brunneria nymphs it could be good to offer spring-tails... many grass-mantis are pretty nervous :stuart:
> 
> good luck with them


Yes, they are very tiny hatchlings. Luckily I had springtails on hand when they hatched.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 1, 2012)

Precarious said:


> No action with my ooths yet. I may have duds.


How long has it been? I think the incubation period is typically only about 4 weeks. Hope you don't have duds!


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 1, 2012)

Update: I started with 11. I think one got eaten. Today I seem to be down one, but this time I know for certain it wasn't cannibalized because it was housed alone. It vanished! I wonder if it squeezed through a tiny hole and escaped.. Time for smaller mesh/grid! :/


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## Precarious (Jan 1, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> How long has it been? I think the incubation period is typically only about 4 weeks. Hope you don't have duds!


They arrived on December 14th. So maybe one more week.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 3, 2012)

Gauging interest: If I were to unload about half of these, who would be interested? I'd wait until they're a bit bigger, probably right after a molt, but everyone is doing well and eating well.


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## bobericc (Jan 3, 2012)

Ohhhhhh meme


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## Precarious (Jan 3, 2012)

My first ooth hatched yesterday...







More photos here:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=23783


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 4, 2012)

awesome awesome photos. How many were in your first one? Someone else said he got 20 out of his. I only had 12.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 4, 2012)

bobericc said:


> Ohhhhhh meme


Cool, I'll let you know when they're bigger. I had one molt yesterday. Sexing will be difficult. I'm getting a jewelers loupe finally, because.. yeah.


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## Precarious (Jan 4, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> awesome awesome photos. How many were in your first one? Someone else said he got 20 out of his. I only had 12.


Thanks! I found 2 more stragglers this morning taking the total to 10 from the first ooth.

I see another eating a mel too. That's a good sign.


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## Precarious (Jan 4, 2012)

I should also add:

Anyone who has these should be sure to have excelsior in the container. They can't climb smooth surfaces very well and the excelsior is a good substitute for grass. They spend most of their time on it rather than the lid.


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## CoolMantid (Jan 4, 2012)

Do Acanthops need springtails for starter food?


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 12, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> Do Acanthops need springtails for starter food?


I don't know. This isn't a thread about Acanthops.  



Precarious said:


> I should also add:
> 
> Anyone who has these should be sure to have excelsior in the container. They can't climb smooth surfaces very well and the excelsior is a good substitute for grass. They spend most of their time on it rather than the lid.


Agreed. They slip and scramble on smooth plastic. They blend in with the excelsior well too.

A couple of mine have molted to L3 now.


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## Precarious (Jan 12, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> A couple of mine have molted to L3 now.


Nice! Mine are still L1, I think. Maybe L2. They are a little more visible but I haven't seen a molt or found any skins.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 18, 2012)

All L3 now, and hard to sex! With your lens you could pretty much sex them at L1. My eyes are bad. I ordered a jeweler's loupe finally.

They're pretty easy once they get past the ultra tiny jumpy stage. Gonna take some pics today and see if I can get a closer look.


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## Precarious (Jan 18, 2012)

I have an L2 finally. And out of 18 or 19 I only have 5 left. Not sure what happened to them. Didn't witness any cannibalism but I didn't find any bodies when I cleaned the cup, which doesn't mean much considering they are so small. Didn't find the molted skin either so... :mellow: 

I'm ordering a better lens so I'll have much clearer pics of them pretty soon.


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## psyconiko (Jan 18, 2012)

Oh sorry to learn that....They need to have fruitflies all time.I never give them water.Mine are L4 I believe.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 18, 2012)

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that! I had one that I lost like that. I looked and didn't see a body, but I figured I probably just didn't see it since they're so small. Then I had another that was just kind of a runt that didn't seem to be eating and another that got cannibalized. Ended up with 8 of 11.

Clearer pics than what you've got?? Impossible I say..

I've seen mine drink plenty of water, but my apartment is super dry, so I've been misting a bit.


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## Precarious (Jan 18, 2012)

Nikkko said:


> Oh sorry to learn that....They need to have fruitflies all time.I never give them water.Mine are L4 I believe.


Maybe I have them way too humid. I have a very wet substrate because I added springtails. I wonder if that killed them off.



meaganelise9 said:


> Clearer pics than what you've got?? Impossible I say..


Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet! The lens I ordered today (Canon MP-E 65mm) is the best of the best for macro. Should be crystal clear all the way down to 5x, which is equivalent to my current lens using extension tubes and two add-on magnifying lenses. That's why these look less than pro to me. May have it as soon as tomorrow. Then there are no excuses!  

I should point out that nearly all the money that comes in from mantis sales goes toward better camera gear so everybody wins!


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## lunarstorm (Jan 18, 2012)

Grats, I can't wait to see shots from the new lens!


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## CoolMantid (Jan 19, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> I don't know. This isn't a thread about Acanthops.
> 
> Agreed. They slip and scramble on smooth plastic. They blend in with the excelsior well too.
> 
> A couple of mine have molted to L3 now.


Sorry. When you they were tiny and cant grip well it reminded me of my post. it was about my Acanthops. What I meant was do Oxyothespis dumonti need springtails as a starter food/?


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 19, 2012)

Ahh, yes. They definitely need tiny food. I started with springtails, which I found to be kind of a pain just because a) this species likes it a bit dry, so flooding the floor with water and springtails seems like not the best thing to do and b ) they're so small at first instar that I worried about killing one with a drop of water. But they were appropriately sized. I quickly moved on to Turkish Gliders or DMels.

I had one move on to 4th instar today.


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## Precarious (Jan 24, 2012)

I sure hope you continue doing well with these because I'm down to only 2 or 3. I should have been giving them more attention. Too much going on here. :blink: 

So long as I get a couple adults I'll be happy. If not we'll have to do a swap. Need photos of adults.


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## bobericc (Jan 24, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> Ahh, yes. They definitely need tiny food. I started with springtails, which I found to be kind of a pain just because a) this species likes it a bit dry, so flooding the floor with water and springtails seems like not the best thing to do and b ) they're so small at first instar that I worried about killing one with a drop of water. But they were appropriately sized. I quickly moved on to Turkish Gliders or DMels.
> 
> I had one move on to 4th instar today.


One of mines too

Getting a little larger now

More defined around the eyes


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 24, 2012)

They get So much longer with each molt. I like to look at their pointy heads with my new jeweler's loupe.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 25, 2012)

Precarious said:


> So long as I get a couple adults I'll be happy. If not we'll have to do a swap. Need photos of adults.


Indeed. I sent 5 to bobericc before I could successfully sex them (say that 10 times..) and it looks like I kept all dudes, so yeah.. I PM-ed Yen, but his are only at L1 now, so they're about a month younger than mine.


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## bobericc (Jan 25, 2012)

Sexsexfully sexed lol


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## Precarious (Jan 27, 2012)

Pics of adult female here:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=24067

Turns out if you put these nymph in the microwave on defrost for 3 minutes they mature much faster. Don't ask how I found that out.

OK, just kidding. Adult female was part of a trade.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 30, 2012)

Here's my biggest (sub-adult I think).


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## gripen (Jan 30, 2012)

wow they grow quick! how many moults?


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 30, 2012)

Yeah, really quick! They hatched on Christmas. That I've seen... I would have said this was 5th instar. I've been counting, but you know how tiny they are as babies.. And those are clearly wing buds. Pretty sure this is a male?


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## gripen (Jan 30, 2012)

yeah i think it is a boy.


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## Precarious (Jan 30, 2012)

Holy  ! That was fast. You must be a good mommy.


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## meaganelise9 (Jan 30, 2012)

They are good eaters!


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## Precarious (Feb 1, 2012)

My girl laid 2 ooths in the 5 days I've had her! Ridiculous...

Photos here:

http://mantidforum.n...33


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## meaganelise9 (Feb 7, 2012)

Ok wait.. I'm having a very herpaderp day.. Do the females have short wings and the males have long wings? I keep mixing myself up.

http://imgur.com/znDdZ


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## Precarious (Feb 7, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> Ok wait.. I'm having a very herpaderp day.. Do the females have short wings and the males have long wings? I keep mixing myself up.
> 
> http://imgur.com/znDdZ


Wowzerz... Males always need to fly. Felames generally have less fuctional wings.


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## meaganelise9 (Feb 7, 2012)

lol yeah, having an off day..


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## CoolMantid (Feb 7, 2012)

meaganelise9 said:


> Ok wait.. I'm having a very herpaderp day.. Do the females have short wings and the males have long wings? I keep mixing myself up.
> 
> http://imgur.com/znDdZ


Herpaderp..I like it


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