# Mantid Moulting



## AndyWatt (Jul 13, 2007)

Hi,

What would stop a mantis from moulting?

I have several _*pseudocreobroter whalbergi*_, five have them have moulted four or five times, however the one in question has only shed twice and his/her last moult was nearly a month ago.

He/She is still eating no problem, catching fruit flies and eating small crickets, even though he/she has only one raptorial arm. He/she hatched with only one raptorial arm and the other a 3/4 length stump.

Maybe the nymph was just the runt of the ooetheca, who knows.

Maybe he/she will never moult and stay very small for the rest of it's life.

Anybody any ideas?

Cheers

Andy


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## Asa (Jul 13, 2007)

A mantis will molt, no matter what. How quickly they molt is dependent on temperature and humidity, although even in one species the growth will vary.


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## AndyWatt (Jul 13, 2007)

I agree that Mantises moult at different rates, however all of the _*pseudocreobroter whalbergi*_ are kept at the same temperature and the humidity is fairly even between all of the _*pseudocreobroter whalbergi*_ housing.

Especially coming from the same ootheca and hatching at nearley the same time, I wouldn't expect the mantis to be three / four moults behind.

By the time I get home from work today, it would have probably moulted  that's what normally happens 

Andy


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## Asa (Jul 13, 2007)

Some just do that...I guess... 8)


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## OGIGA (Jul 13, 2007)

I think that one is defective.


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## Asa (Jul 13, 2007)

Poor defective little runt...


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## Butterfly (Jul 13, 2007)

I have a chinese thats 2-3 sheds behind his ooth mates, and a few of my Stagmomantis's were behind. Now I think it's just that 2 might be males since theyre smaller.


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## Asa (Jul 13, 2007)

Oh yeah, I forgot the g.ender differences. (Sorry, don't know if its going to block that.)


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## colddigger (Jul 13, 2007)

gender


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## colddigger (Jul 13, 2007)

also,

tape could stop molting


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## AndyWatt (Jul 13, 2007)

Tape? Was that a joke, oh that was funny !!!

I was thinking maybe it was a male due to it's small size. However some of the other ones I mentioned earlier are also males and have been molting fine, in fact the all seemed to have molted in advance of the females.

Well, it will either Moult or not I suppose. I am not going to worry about it as I have many Mantids to take care of, just not had a mantis stop moulting before, apart from the ones that have died.

Thanks

Andy


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## AndyWatt (Jul 17, 2007)

OGIGA was right, the mantis was defective 

I found him on his back with his legs in the air. However, he took a cricket with him, the back end of the Cricket was still attached to his forearm.


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