# orchid L3 sexing help please :)



## agent A (Nov 4, 2012)

orchid 1, female maybe?







orchid 2 i'm certain is male:






orchid 3, could it be male?






orchid 4, pretty sure it's female?






thanx for the help!


----------



## GhostYeahX (Nov 4, 2012)

confused


----------



## GhostYeahX (Nov 4, 2012)

I also have 2 orchids and struggling with sexing


----------



## hierodula (Nov 4, 2012)

Idk about the others, but 2 looks like male to me and 4 is female.


----------



## Termite48 (Nov 5, 2012)

Alex: It looks like you have the genders figured properly as far as the pics show.


----------



## agent A (Nov 5, 2012)

Rich S said:


> Alex: It looks like you have the genders figured properly as far as the pics show.


thanx


----------



## brancsikia339 (Nov 5, 2012)

Female male male female


----------



## agent A (Nov 5, 2012)

L3 orchid 5

female right?






2 more shots of 5 just for fun!


----------



## agent A (Nov 7, 2012)

male right??


----------



## Ranitomeya (Nov 7, 2012)

It looks female to me but I can't tell whether the there really is a notch there or if it's just darker coloration on the next segment. Feed it really well and it should be easier to tell.


----------



## gripen (Nov 7, 2012)

Male.


----------



## agent A (Nov 7, 2012)

Ranitomeya said:


> It looks female to me but I can't tell whether the there really is a notch there or if it's just darker coloration on the next segment. Feed it really well and it should be easier to tell.


if u look closely u will see between the cerci what appear to be the 2 hair things on the subgenital plate, indicating male, the last segment has funky colors but have a look at the female in the pic in the previous post, she has this ball thing which is the top of the ovipositor which is lacking in the male


----------



## Ranitomeya (Nov 7, 2012)

Ah, I see the difference there. I've never paid much attention to that area, as it's so darn tiny and I don't have any good way to magnify it. I can see the notch with the unaided eye on a well-fed female, so that's how I've been sexing mine. So far, it's held true as they're molting into their fourth instar and showing the green and brown bands on the thorax.


----------



## agent A (Nov 7, 2012)

Ranitomeya said:


> Ah, I see the difference there. I've never paid much attention to that area, as it's so darn tiny and I don't have any good way to magnify it. I can see the notch with the unaided eye on a well-fed female, so that's how I've been sexing mine. So far, it's held true as they're molting into their fourth instar and showing the green and brown bands on the thorax.


i notice males have more brown on the tip of the abdomen...


----------



## Ranitomeya (Nov 7, 2012)

That's supposed to be one way of differentiating their sexes at later intars but I'm don't think it's necessarily always true on earlier ones. Some of my females had more brown then some of the males.


----------



## agent A (Nov 10, 2012)

male?


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Nov 10, 2012)

female, 99% sure


----------



## agent A (Nov 10, 2012)

angelofdeathzz said:


> female, 99% sure


really? :huh: 

the last segment is tiny though but if u insist  

this one gave me probs...


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Nov 10, 2012)

Never seen a male that wide or with such big leg plates, people airn't catching on to the leg plate thing, yet anyway.  

The v-notch is a great way if you can see it, but fat ab and leg plates helped me sex many a orchid correctly.


----------



## agent A (Nov 10, 2012)

2 and 3 in first post have big ones

u know wat, i'll wait a few days until it eats to retry

if i was more confident i'd bet u $$ on it but i dont like gambling when the odds r stacked against me :whistling:


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Nov 10, 2012)

it would be easier to sex them in a group shot(up close) to see the difference in comparison to one another, photos can be misleading sometimes.


----------



## agent A (Nov 24, 2012)

angelofdeathzz said:


> it would be easier to sex them in a group shot(up close) to see the difference in comparison to one another, photos can be misleading sometimes.


ok so the one i was having trouble with is now L4

and i think it's male


----------



## angelofdeathzz (Nov 24, 2012)

Really? I see a female, her green stripe will show soon or on the next molt.

If you don't believe me get a mag and look close at the tip for the v-notch...


----------



## agent A (Nov 25, 2012)

I'll photograph it next to a proven female

Why is there always that 1 mantis that's hard to sex? :lol:


----------



## agent A (Nov 25, 2012)

ok both these r L4

the one on the right here is a proven female











proven female on left now


----------



## lancaster1313 (Nov 25, 2012)

It looks like a male to me. They are a pain in the patoot to sex! Please post more photos after you feed him?


----------



## agent A (Nov 25, 2012)

I figured it was male

I gave him a bb but he has yet to attack it


----------

