# Colour change observations



## Rib (Mar 24, 2006)

I've noticed recently that alot of people here seem to be trying at least to some extent to control the colour that their Mantids grow into. I decided to have a little experiment based on something I found out a month or two ago. I'll save you the story, but basically if you have a coloured light, the mantis is likely to turn that colour, ish. Or alternatively, lack of light will make your mantids a much darker colour

Without light







With light






I've also tried it with Ghosts aswell, and this seems to work. One in the Ghost in the light is brown/sandy colour whereas the ghost in the dark is a dark grey and black mix.

Thought you might find this interesting


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## ellroy (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Rib,

How many mantids did you observe this in and how long did it take for the colour change to occur?

Alan


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## Sheldon Johnson (Mar 25, 2006)

How many were in each sample group?


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## Johnald Chaffinch (Mar 25, 2006)

i read recently that a lot of insects colour change in a few different ways and in response to quite a few diferent types of variables.

i've noticed that phyllocrania paradoxa changes slightly day to day , brown to green and back again. but they have a more dramatic colour change more often when they shed , i wonder if this is a different physiological thing happening


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## Rib (Mar 28, 2006)

there were two mantids in each colour grup, both changed in exactly the same way for both ghosts and Violins. It happened as soon as they reached they're next shed


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## JerkinFalcon (Mar 28, 2006)

-Rib: also I was seen this change of colour with an adult female mantis I had (maybe an: californica species?), but in this form: when she was collected their colour was light-green, but some time later she sheding and then she had a new ligh beige-colour, just the same colour of their surrounds (she was lived free in my hall of the same colour), but the only source of light on daytime are the sunligh.

-A question: what type of light you using for your cage where these changes of colour happen?

-Thank you, best regards!


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## nympho (Mar 29, 2006)

just bought some h gradis nymphs, some brown and some green. I thought this was just genetic difference but now i'm not sure. One of the green ones moulted a few days ago and at first it was green but after a day has disappointingly gone brown!

The cage has no green in it and is quite dark.

I going to put some fake plants in to see if it changes back to green next time.

is it safe to stain the wooden cage green?


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## Johnald Chaffinch (Mar 29, 2006)

anyone know what all of the possible cues are for mantid colour changes?

humidity's for definite because i've just managed to make my hymenopus coronatus ( orchid ) pink with it,

possibly temperature ( but this would be altering the humidity, so is hard to know whether temperature is actually causing it ),

and possibly visual cues? not only light or dark but also the actual colour of the surroundings?

are there any others ?


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## yen_saw (Mar 29, 2006)

I think it has to do with genetic too. Species like Cilnia humeralis changes color often but the male will turn out to be darker (brown/dark green) color as adult while the female is always light green.


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## nympho (Mar 30, 2006)

i've put a soon to moult, brown h grandis nymph on a potted gerbera plant, so it should be seeing alot of green. Interesting to see if it does turn green, i doubt it will though.


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## Christian (Mar 30, 2006)

Hi.

Following parameters are said to be responsable for color change in mantids, depending on species and color change ability:

- humidity

- light intensity and wave length

- predominant color of environment/habitat

This was experimentally or empirically found for _Mantis religiosa_, _Sphodromantis lineola_, and _Miomantis paykullii_, but may be applied, as most of us know, to many other species as well.

Regards,

Christian


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