# Communal Species



## JohnCon (Dec 1, 2009)

When it is said that a species is communal is that only with its own kind , or can two diff communal species live together. Like a violin and a texas unicorn?


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## beckyl92 (Dec 1, 2009)

not that i know of..


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## Katnapper (Dec 1, 2009)

No mantis species is 100% communal. But I've never kept different species that are considered "more" communal together. Interesting question. Maybe someone whose has tried this can chime in.


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## [email protected] (Dec 1, 2009)

I think it should be called the most tolerate species, cause i don't think there is any real "Communal" species.


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## PhilinYuma (Dec 1, 2009)

If you start off with two batches, one of each mantis species, and one species grows faster than the others, guess what the other species will become? Recently, a new member made up the group name, "an orchestra of crickets." There are a lot of group names for insects, like a colony of ants or a plague of locusts, how about a cannibalism of mantids?


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## ismart (Dec 2, 2009)

I just recently had a group of 4 different species living together, but only up untill L3. I kept them all in a 32oz cup with elixor. I had 2 _Phyllocrania paradoxa_, 2 _Psuedocreobotra wahlbergii_, 6 _Miomantis paykullii_, and 1 _Rhombodera sp._ For th most part they stayed away from each other. There was always a lot of fruit flies in with them. I decieded to seperate them after they turned about L3. I caught the _Rhombodera sp. _ nymph eating one of the _Miomantis paykullii_ nymphs. I'm sure in the end the _Rhombodera sp._ nymph would have eaten everybody if it was not picked off soon. It would be interesting to see if some of the more comunal species would tolerate each other longer?


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## ABbuggin (Dec 2, 2009)

I dont keep different species together, but will probably try keeping empusa and gongylus together next. They are pretty much the same lol.

I do remember Mr. Blue (haven't seen him in a while) kept phylocrania and gongylus together though.


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## yen_saw (Dec 2, 2009)

As Phil mentioned when size difference is obvious the smaller one will be at risk. As always, plenty of space and food are required to keep a group of mantis together. Also, Texas unicorn is more active and will probably stress up the violin which prefers to sit quietly for long time. Although both species live alright in hot environment, violin mantis also need higher humidity while Texas unicorn do alright without misting.


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## d17oug18 (Dec 2, 2009)

i agree with yen_saw, as long as, at least to my expierence, any mantis have space and food they are ok to be together, ive keep some of the more cannabalistic species together until adulthood with anyone eating anyone, but they had there own room to wonder without stress and a ###### load of food in the tank at all times lol. I think personally cannabalism starts with one sibling annoying or stressing another and just snaps!!!! lol and eats it =P but i am going to try to keep 2 different species together.


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## massaman (Dec 2, 2009)

I have had 1 egyptian nymph in the same enclosure with a handful of sub adult giant asians and so far they have not even looked at the egyptian since I always put plenty of crickets in the enclosure to keep them occupied!But the egyptian prob sees them and is terrorfied so its in hiding!


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## JohnCon (Dec 2, 2009)

I went down to the local pet store and picked up a 2.5 gallon fish tank with two insertable dividers that make it into 3 pretty good size homes. Though Pricey it sure looks cool in the living room. The tank came with a mesh hoodand with the quarter inch crack between the dividers and the hood I placed sticks to quarintine the diff. species. and now I am trying to figure out a way of getting flies in without having to lift the hood and have the mantids see each other and attack, even though with enough food this shouldnt be a problem.

(setting up these tanks is half the fun,i feel like an interior decorater for the bugs, putting the sticks at diff angles and picking out the best ones in my backyard.)

will update pics soon when all mantids arrive.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 2, 2009)

I have kept long necks together with miomantis! they are ok together, but I never counted them and in the end, only two mios left :"{


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## Emile.Wilson (Dec 2, 2009)

massaman said:


> I have had 1 egyptian nymph in the same enclosure with a handful of sub adult giant asians and so far they have not even looked at the egyptian since I always put plenty of crickets in the enclosure to keep them occupied!But the egyptian prob sees them and is terrorfied so its in hiding!


They probably dont care because its too small lol


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## JohnCon (Dec 6, 2009)

HERE'S the 10 gallon with the communals and then the little african and violin and ghost in the 2.5 gallon and small container


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## ismart (Dec 6, 2009)

Nice set-ups you have going!  Just make you keep enough food in with the communals to keep cannibalism at a minimum.


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