# Rhombodera sp. (Malaysian Giant Shield Mantid) mating sequence



## mr nick (Sep 23, 2008)

Hi all

These pics were taken approximately 4 months ago when I matured a pair of said species, with a Nikon D40 SLR with standard 18-55 mm lens (I now own a D80) and a lot of patience. Sadly I fell asleep and the female ate the male, and so far has produced 6 fertile ootheca resulting in many young.

This is one of the most interesting and impressive of the larger Mantid species that I have kept, and would urge anybody to track some down and give them a go.

Hope you enjoy the pics!







Sub-adult male nymph






Male on approach to female






Rear view of copulation






During copulation, female had eaten full grown locust and was still hungry!






Close-up of sexual parts











Close-up head detail showing size of shields. Male left, female right

As stated previously, the female during copulation ate a huge fully grown adult locust and still managed to polish off the male and leave just a small part of the two front legs left!


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## Morpheus uk (Sep 24, 2008)

Your pics arent working for me


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## Giosan (Sep 24, 2008)

I think you forgot to add them.


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## sidewinder (Sep 24, 2008)

Giosan said:


> I think you forgot to add them.


The pics have worked fine for me since the day they were posted.

S-


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## mr nick (Sep 24, 2008)

Must be the site i loaded them to,its my friends' photo site...will rectify asap!


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## Rick (Sep 24, 2008)

Red x's.


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## Morpheus uk (Sep 24, 2008)

Upload them to either flickr or photobucket


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## collinchang635 (Sep 24, 2008)

Can't wait to see them. Quickly upload the pics.


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## sidewinder (Sep 24, 2008)

Now they are gone.....

S-


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## collinchang635 (Sep 25, 2008)

Now I see red x's too...


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## idolomantis (Sep 25, 2008)

yesterday i just saw them and now i see red x's...######


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## collinchang635 (Sep 26, 2008)

I can see them now. They look great! :lol:


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## mr nick (Sep 26, 2008)

I Like Mantis said:


> I can see them now. They look great! :lol:


Thanks! At last they are up! Technical hitches aside...and i must apologise for my mis-spelling of Rhombodera too...i was rushing,ha,ha..


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## etb99 (Sep 26, 2008)

And we have an image! Very nice pics. Stunning species as well. At least you got some good ooths, and the male didn't give his life for nothing :lol:


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## Morpheus uk (Sep 26, 2008)

HAHA PICS AT LAST!

Good ones to


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## mr nick (Sep 26, 2008)

Morpheus uk said:


> HAHA PICS AT LAST!Good ones to


Tell me about it! Cheers anyway,ive got loads of pics of them,i just picked a few out of the batch and now i have my new Nikon 60mm macro lens i should produce more!!


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## Rob Byatt (Sep 26, 2008)

Good to see others breeding this species !!! :lol: 

Are these the ones you got from me ages ago ?

A question for you, how long had the female been mature when you paired them up ?


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## idolomantis (Sep 26, 2008)

######... now i see them...


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## mr nick (Sep 27, 2008)

Rob Byatt said:


> Good to see others breeding this species !!! :lol: Are these the ones you got from me ages ago ?
> 
> A question for you, how long had the female been mature when you paired them up ?


hi rob,sadly no,i picked these up from someone on ebay of all places,only managed to get two so i dropped lucky to get both sexes really...i matured the female for 6wks before mating and fed her predominantly on pollen feeding insects and adult locusts fed on vegetable matter. She is approximately 100mm long and aggressive!


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## caliman707 (Sep 27, 2008)

Mr Nick said:


> hi rob,sadly no,i picked these up from someone on ebay of all places,only managed to get two so i dropped lucky to get both sexes really...i matured the female for 6wks before mating and fed her predominantly on pollen feeding insects and adult locusts fed on vegetable matter. She is approximately 100mm long and aggressive!


I'm maturing my 1st pair of Rhombodera's. I see that you measured the female at 100mm, but did you happen to measure the male? Did you have any trouble distinguishing between male and female pre L4? I dont know if I have 2 males or 2 females, so if you have any advice I would appreciate it.


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## mr nick (Sep 29, 2008)

caliman707 said:


> I'm maturing my 1st pair of Rhombodera's. I see that you measured the female at 100mm, but did you happen to measure the male? Did you have any trouble distinguishing between male and female pre L4? I dont know if I have 2 males or 2 females, so if you have any advice I would appreciate it.


The male was roughly 80mm in length,i did a quick measurement while they were 'on the job' and distracted,ha,ha..i still have the female,she has laid another ooth today making 7 in total. As for sexing around L4..i use a magnifying glass to count the segments when they are in the 'raised' postion after a heavy feed,not easy but its about the best way to do it,or get a close up picture in macro mode on a digital camera and take a closer look on a 15" screen or so,that works for me. Obviously,the female has fewer segments and the last segment is usually the biggest,and males tend to have longer antennae on the head. As for any other tips,keep them warm and humid and pay particular attention to humidity when they are preparing to moult and feed a varied diet as possible with plenty of moths and pollen feeding insects to (possibly) boost colour and vitality.

I have to say though,that this species has been my favourite of the many species i have kept and certainly one of the most rewarding.


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