# Like a leg of lamb!



## hibiscusmile (Aug 14, 2008)

Caught this little baby today for my mantis, can't remember what it is though, really glad it did not fly into my forehead, it would of put me out!







Here is shot of it's underneath, anyone know what it is?


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## chrisboy101 (Aug 14, 2008)

awww poor thing


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## Andrew (Aug 14, 2008)

Looks like a cicada! I wish we had them around here, they make great food for just about everything.


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## The_Asa (Aug 14, 2008)

Yes, that's a cicada. I haven't seen any recently, just their shed skins, but when they do appear, they come in numbers and eat everything in sight. Wonderful mantis food too, provided you are able to catch them.


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## mrblue (Aug 14, 2008)

chrisboy101 said:


> awww poor thing


poor guy indeed! some cicada species spend up to 17 years as grubs (please correct me if i'm wrong). though most species i think is only a few years. imagine spending so long as a grub, and then finally emerging wild and free!... only to be thrown straight into the arms of a mantis    i would be pretty gutted (no pun intended).

i guess there are worse ways to die


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## Andrew (Aug 14, 2008)

Even if they do spend a long time underground, I believe they emerge in the thousands and only live for a couple of weeks.


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## The_Asa (Aug 14, 2008)

Andrew said:


> Even if they do spend a long time underground, I believe they emerge in the thousands and only live for a couple of weeks.


That is correct :mellow: 

There are some horror stories about hundreds of cicadas converging on clothes drying on a clothesline. :lol:


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## Rick (Aug 14, 2008)

The_Asa said:


> That is correct :mellow: There are some horror stories about hundreds of cicadas converging on clothes drying on a clothesline. :lol:


Actually it is true but not of all species. Periodical cicadas spend that long in the ground before emerging all at once. The other kinds come out every year and are known as annual cicadas. I used to be fascinated by cicadas when I was a kid. I could find them in the ground right before they emerge due to the small hole they make in the ground. Love watching them molt too. I grew up in the midwest and there were plenty to find.


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## idolomantis (Aug 14, 2008)

ih wish we had them that nig here &lt;_&lt;


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 14, 2008)

Now that u mention it, I had the same horror story, I remember when my boys were young, I would find them on my hanging clothes, I used to take them in the house after putting in clothes basket and screaming :lol: like a wild woman when they popped out at me! If they don't last long I hope I find some more, but must go put on my motorcycle helmet before I try to catch them, or maybe I will just hang up some clothes :lol: . This one was on the eve of the house by my hummingbird feeder, at first I thought it was a hummingbird, their about the same size!


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## collinchang635 (Aug 14, 2008)

There are a LOT in East Malaysia but they are way to huge for my mantids they're size vary from 2cm to 10cm. Most of them are bigger than 4cm.


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## TylerFerretLord (Aug 15, 2008)

I love cicadas, we have a species here that makes a very nice song.

Males are probably not a very filling food, though. They're more or less hollow(pretty much living resonance chambers). :lol:


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## mrblue (Aug 15, 2008)

just to make myself clear, i was not in any way berating the feeding of cicadas to mantids, i just just pointing out the pathos in the situation. if we had cicadas here in the uk i would feed them to my mantids in a heartbeat! they look nice and chunky


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## TylerFerretLord (Aug 15, 2008)

You do have a species(_Cicadetta montana_).  

Although, considering its extreme rarity and the fact it is endangered, I wouldn't feed them to your mantids. :lol: 

I should get some sleep, starting to be a know-it-all. &lt;_&lt;


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## mrblue (Aug 15, 2008)

TylerFerretLord said:


> You do have a species(_Cicadetta montana_).


no way!   :lol: i had no idea. i should look it up. though i live in london so any endangered species probably won't be found here &lt;_&lt;


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## TylerFerretLord (Aug 15, 2008)

They're only found in "New Forest", wherever that is.  

Linkage: http://www.ukbap.org.uk/ukplans.aspx?ID=216


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## hogosha (Aug 15, 2008)

hibiscusmile said:


> Caught this little baby today for my mantis, can't remember what it is though, really glad it did not fly into my forehead, it would of put me out!


Lol I did get knocked down by one of these when I was about 11. I was running through tall cattails and one swooped down and hit me smack in the middle of the forehead! I saw it at the last second and tried to stop but all that did was put me off balance and WHAM! Flat on my back. :lol:


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## The_Asa (Aug 15, 2008)

Tyler Ferret Lord was right about the cicadas being so hollow, I don't know if the one I found is male but I sprayed him and opened him up...there was nothing inside of him...I tried to get some pics but the quality is pathetic.











If it helps, all the black is nothingness


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## idolomantis (Aug 15, 2008)

saving up is a good thing


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## TylerFerretLord (Aug 15, 2008)

It had to be a male, because they're the ones with the resonance chambers.  

I don't know how to tell them apart without cutting them open as you did, however. I guess if the male and the female are around the same size the female would be heavier. But that would require two specimens, and it's hard enough to find them already.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 16, 2008)

Hollow huh! :angry: What a wast of time that was then, but it could of been a girl!


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## darkspeed (Aug 16, 2008)

Not that rare... Ive encountered them countless times in TX. They are everywhere you find Pecan trees. There is a connection between the two, though at the moment I'm to tired to research why. Needless to say, the males are hollow resonance chambers cuz they make so much damn noise. In order to attract a female they pretty much make a constant ReeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeuuRRR all night long, and a real pain for folks with a pecan tree. Its not hard to distinguish from any other sound known to man other than maybe the siren of a french police car. As a kid I would find them and tie a string to them and then tie the string to something and watch them fly around in circles. I never got over how dumb they are


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## idolomantis (Aug 17, 2008)

... in italy i didnt slept becouse of those :angry: hundreds of bumb bugs making loud noises &lt;_&lt;


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## saturniid (Aug 20, 2008)

TylerFerretLord said:


> It had to be a male, because they're the ones with the resonance chambers.  I don't know how to tell them apart without cutting them open as you did, however. I guess if the male and the female are around the same size the female would be heavier. But that would require two specimens, and it's hard enough to find them already.


An easy way to tell the sexes apart is by the sound-producing organs on the underside: males have them, females don't. They are large circular plates attached to the ventral side of the thorax, overlapping the abdomen. Also, if it squawks at you, it's a male!

Some comparison pics here: http://www.mechaworx.com/Cicada/vspecies.asp


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## TylerFerretLord (Aug 20, 2008)

Oooooh, thanks for the links and info.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 20, 2008)

DARKSPEED said:


> Not that rare... Ive encountered them countless times in TX. They are everywhere you find Pecan trees. There is a connection between the two, though at the moment I'm to tired to research why. Needless to say, the males are hollow resonance chambers cuz they make so much damn noise. In order to attract a female they pretty much make a constant ReeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeuuRRR all night long, and a real pain for folks with a pecan tree. Its not hard to distinguish from any other sound known to man other than maybe the siren of a french police car. As a kid I would find them and tie a string to them and then tie the string to something and watch them fly around in circles. I never got over how dumb they are


ha ha, tie a string, u r too much! I do have a pecan tree!


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## collinchang635 (Aug 21, 2008)

DARKSPEED said:


> Not that rare... Ive encountered them countless times in TX. They are everywhere you find Pecan trees. There is a connection between the two, though at the moment I'm to tired to research why. Needless to say, the males are hollow resonance chambers cuz they make so much damn noise. In order to attract a female they pretty much make a constant ReeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeeeuuuRRReeeeeeeeuuRRR all night long, and a real pain for folks with a pecan tree. Its not hard to distinguish from any other sound known to man other than maybe the siren of a french police car. As a kid I would find them and tie a string to them and then tie the string to something and watch them fly around in circles. I never got over how dumb they are


My dad used to do that as a kid too. He says its loads of fun. I'll try that soon!


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## MantidLord (Aug 21, 2008)

I've never seen an adult before. I just here the stupid things all summer. I occasionally see a grub sitting in a hole in the grass, and constantly see the weird sheddings on trees and walls, but never an adult.


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## Peter Clausen (Aug 21, 2008)

Where my parents live in Mexico they call them Rainbirds because they appear with the rains, each year. They recorded the sound these make. If anybody wants to hear it they can download it from my site at the following link:

(click download, then open)

http://bugsincyberspace.com/Rain_Bird.wav


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 21, 2008)

Thanks Peter, but boy that was awful!


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## Peter Clausen (Aug 22, 2008)

Pretty piercing, eh? Imagine having to live in that. Sounds of the rainforest.

We get a few of the charming buzzing ones here, in local trees. Strangely, my wife cannot seem to hear in that frequency so I enjoy it alone. (she hears everything else though)


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## collinchang635 (Aug 22, 2008)

Peter said:


> Where my parents live in Mexico they call them Rainbirds because they appear with the rains, each year. They recorded the sound these make. If anybody wants to hear it they can download it from my site at the following linkclick download, then open)
> 
> http://bugsincyberspace.com/Rain_Bird.wav


I heard that here in Malaysia for 3 days straight. Real headache! :blink:


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 22, 2008)

ha ha Peter, what u mean is she dont hear YOU! :lol: Good one!


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 22, 2008)

:lol: ha ha Peter, what You mean is She can't hear You! Good one, thanks for sharing!


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