# Mantids in Idaho



## MantidLord (Dec 14, 2009)

Hello all, I'm going to Idaho in the spring time, and I was wondering what species are abundant there. I expect to find S. carolina and M. religiosa only, but I'm not sure. Thanks.


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## bassist (Dec 14, 2009)

_Tenodera sinensis_ is an obvious one.


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## batsofchaos (Dec 14, 2009)

Litaneutria minor is native to Idaho as well; they're native from Colorado up to British Columbia, and Idaho's smack dab in the middle of that.


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## bassist (Dec 14, 2009)

batsofchaos said:


> Litaneutria minor is native to Idaho as well; they're native from Colorado up to British Columbia, and Idaho's smack dab in the middle of that.


Good luck trying to find them in spring though


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## batsofchaos (Dec 14, 2009)

Haha, no kidding. Good luck trying to find them any time. Tiny speed-demons.


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## MantidLord (Dec 14, 2009)

bassist said:


> _Tenodera sinensis_ is an obvious one.


Yes! Okay, I know I can easily just by some but finding mantids just seems more appealing. Like I said, I only find _M. religiosa_ and _I. oratoria_. And why would Litaneutria minor me hard to find? Are they too small?

Thanks guys for the replies.


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## bassist (Dec 15, 2009)

MantidLord said:


> Yes! Okay, I know I can easily just by some but finding mantids just seems more appealing. Like I said, I only find _M. religiosa_ and _I. oratoria_. And why would Litaneutria minor me hard to find? Are they too small?Thanks guys for the replies.


You're talking about going there in the spring nearly all the mantids will be young and difficult to find.


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## sbugir (Dec 15, 2009)

Bats, have you ever found any L. minors in good ol' Colorady?

How about Yersiniops?


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## Emile.Wilson (Dec 15, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Bats, have you ever found any L. minors in good ol' Colorady?How about Yersiniops?


I've tried looking for L. minors in forrests around vancouver, but no luck


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## PhilinYuma (Dec 15, 2009)

Emile said:


> I've tried looking for L. minors in forrests around vancouver, but no luck


Yeah, that's the thing. The fact that an insect is recorded as having been found in a state or province doesn't mean that you are going to find it there! As Emile knows, this species is very rare in BC. It is common along the southern border from New Mexico to California -- Peter has caught several aspecimens along the border, but I have only seen one record (1910, by Scudder!) in southern Idaho. I would suggests, mantidlord, that you contact a museum or university in Idaho with a good insect collection and find out if they have specimens of L. minor and where and when they were found. This may save you a lot of frustration.


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## batsofchaos (Dec 15, 2009)

L. minor is a fairly warm desert/plains species, so there's certainly a limit in those regards to where you can expect to find them in a given state/province.

I've not caught any here in Colorado, but I haven't really gone looking for them. The bug hunting I've done has been around denver, where nature has crept into the city (creeks, rivers, parks, etc.) and I wouldn't expect to find L. minor from those trips, just M. religiosa, T. sinesis (although they don't do terribly well in Colorado, I'm to understand) and maybe a Stagomantis sp. or two if I'm lucky. I don't expect to find L. minor or Y. solitarium without a road-trip to the plains.


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## Rick (Dec 15, 2009)

bassist said:


> You're talking about going there in the spring nearly all the mantids will be young and difficult to find.


Yep.


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## MantidLord (Dec 15, 2009)

Okay, thanks everyone for the input. I understand that just because it's reported doesn't mean it is a guarantee. So besides those two mantids. I'm suspecting that Stagmomantis carolina would be found there (?). And, I usually find my mantids as nymphs (I. oratoria and M. religiosa), so finding a Chinese nymph may not be *as* hard. But as for the L. minors, I won't hold my breath. I'll be satisfied with finding anything actually, especially a mantis not found in Nevada.


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## Katnapper (Dec 16, 2009)

I didn't think _S. carolina_ was found that far North.


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## MantidLord (Dec 17, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I didn't think _S. carolina_ was found that far North.


Really? That sucks. So basically I can hope to find _T. sinensis_ and _M. religiosa_?


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## batsofchaos (Dec 17, 2009)

To be entirely honest, you might not be able to find even those. Idaho is almost entirely mountains and mantids aren't known for being terribly mountainous. It's just plain too cold during the winters for them to make it. I wouldn't be surprised if 90% of the state's mantis population didn't come from gardener's buying ooths for their yards.


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## MantidLord (Dec 17, 2009)

batsofchaos said:


> To be entirely honest, you might not be able to find even those. Idaho is almost entirely mountains and mantids aren't known for being terribly mountainous. It's just plain too cold during the winters for them to make it. I wouldn't be surprised if 90% of the state's mantis population didn't come from gardener's buying ooths for their yards.


That really sucks then. But okay, I can accept it. I know that it does (is) really cold during the winter months. My uncle who lives there says that he sees a lot of mantids around, so they probably are from store bought ooths. Either way, I hope I find *something* to bring back. Or maybe find something on the Idaho pastures. Thanks for the information nonetheless.


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## ismart (Dec 18, 2009)

I wonder if it's possible to also find _Stagmomantis californica_ there?


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