# Little arm gone



## thesexymantisboy (May 25, 2008)

On my mantis's front leg the little end where he walks on is gone. Will it regrow?


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## macro junkie (May 25, 2008)

thesexymantisboy said:


> On my mantis's front leg the little end where he walks on is gone. Will it regrow?


what instar is it&gt;?


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## thesexymantisboy (May 25, 2008)

macro junkie said:


> what instar is it&gt;?


whats instar?


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## MantidLord (May 25, 2008)

:lol: It's how many molts they've gone threw. e.g. a hatchling is L1, when it molts once, it's L2, ect. Instar is the same thing as saying L"whatever". I thing L stands for level. If its your wide arm, it'll grow it back, considering how small it is.  And even if it doesn't grow back, don't worry, it's not a neccessity. Its climbing capability won't drop dramatically.


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## mrblue (May 26, 2008)

mantids can regenerate limbs but only through moulting. the more of a limb it needs to regenerate, the more moults it will take. if your mantis is adult, it will not moult anymore and so cannot regenerate anything. if it is young, it has numerous moults left, so will probably regenerate fully by the time it reaches adulthood. when they first grow back, the regenerated bits tend to be thinner/paler/smaller than they would be otherwise. also, when a mantis has lost a (piece of) limb, the instar (period between moults) takes longer.


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## Morpheus uk (May 26, 2008)

L-whatever is used by germany that side of europe what ever it is, its a shortened larven i think if i remember rightly, ands its thier saying of instar, whole different language, instar - us, larven - them, so we should really stick to instar, you dont always say syonara to everyone do u


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## mrblue (May 26, 2008)

Morpheus uk said:


> L-whatever is used by germany that side of europe what ever it is, its a shortened larven i think if i remember rightly, ands its thier saying of instar, whole different language, instar - us, larven - them, so we should really stick to instar, you dont always say syonara to everyone do u


by this reasoning, would you be happier if people began saying "I4" and "I5"?

i dont agree with the idea that we should use the word instar instead of the letter L just because one is english and the other is german. we may not go around saying syonara to everyone, but neither do we go around saying "larven 5" (for example). we use L probably just because it is a shorthand for instar. if someone says to us "_Hymenopus coronatus_ L5", we know that this means a fifth instar _Hymenopus coronatus_ nymph. i would bet that most people who use "L5" probably don't know what word the L is short for but DO know what it means in regards to a mantis' age. this should show that this is not an issue of language, but rather one of shorthand.


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## Morpheus uk (May 26, 2008)

I`s good


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## mrblue (May 26, 2008)

haha  

whether someone wants to use the Letter L or the letter I, if we use them to mean the same thing (which we do) then everythings dandy. i think as long as people understand each other, thats the main thing


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## thesexymantisboy (May 26, 2008)

I dont know its instar because i bought it a week ago when it was about the same size it is now. But i know it is not adult becase it is only about an inch long.


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## mrblue (May 27, 2008)

in that case it should regrow the missing bit, if not when it moults next then probably by the time it gets to adult (i dont know what species it is, 1" long could be subadult in some species).


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## FitzWallace (May 28, 2008)

I had one last year that lost a leg. It didn't grow back, but it didn't slow him down either. He lived to adulthood, normal lifespan, no problems catching food. It made him stand out from the rest, too! Miss that little guy!


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## Krissim Klaw (May 29, 2008)

mrblue said:


> by this reasoning, would you be happier if people began saying "I4" and "I5"?i dont agree with the idea that we should use the word instar instead of the letter L just because one is english and the other is german. we may not go around saying syonara to everyone, but neither do we go around saying "larven 5" (for example). we use L probably just because it is a shorthand for instar. if someone says to us "_Hymenopus coronatus_ L5", we know that this means a fifth instar _Hymenopus coronatus_ nymph. i would bet that most people who use "L5" probably don't know what word the L is short for but DO know what it means in regards to a mantis' age. this should show that this is not an issue of language, but rather one of shorthand.


Oh, that is what the L stands for. I always thought L=level... like mantises were some random participants in a video game and needed to level up. :lol:


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## nympho (May 29, 2008)

Krissim Klaw said:


> Oh, that is what the L stands for. I always thought L=level... like mantises were some random participants in a video game and needed to level up. :lol:


i thought it meant level too. what does instar mean anyway. nothing in english certainly. maybe its french or... german. L=larven is more meaningful than instar. the word has the same origin within the related languages ie larven =larvae :lol: 

even though it really should be NYMPHEN!

that said, instar sounds all technical and scientific. like you know something when you say it  i quite like 'larven' too. level is not very interesting or 'specialist' sounding at all.


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