# Nymph moults



## *RYAN* (Sep 23, 2005)

how do you tell if your L1 nymph is going to moult ? should they be hanging upside down when moulting or does it matter thank you


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## DMJ (Sep 23, 2005)

Yeah they hang upside down and quit eating and look bigger after they are done.


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## Ian (Sep 23, 2005)

L1 nymphs moult immediately. As the nymphs emmerge from the ooth, they come out in little maggots...which I think are caller prelarvae. THAT is L1, and they moult immediately into L2. So, when you have just hatched an ooth, and you have nymphs running around, they are L2 nymphs, not L1.

Cheers,

Ian


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## Chris Dickie (Sep 25, 2005)

> L1 nymphs moult immediately. As the nymphs emmerge from the ooth, they come out in little maggots...which I think are caller prelarvae. THAT is L1, and they moult immediately into L2. So, when you have just hatched an ooth, and you have nymphs running around, they are L2 nymphs, not L1.Cheers,
> 
> Ian


:?

There seems to be an awful lot of confusion about this, I would regard your L2 as L0, lol, your L3 is my L1!!

How do other people regard this? Ive heard of newly hatched (including ooth shed) as L1 but never L2. I might start a new topic on this but I think there may already be one

im confused :? might contact MSG, see what they say, lol


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## Ian (Sep 26, 2005)

Right,, when a mantis emerges from an ooth, it is L1. And, they come out as lil maggot things, and at that stage, they are L1. They immediately shed out of that form when falling from the ooth, into L2.

Cheers,

Ian


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## Chris Dickie (Sep 26, 2005)

I know, you explained it fine before

however my brother uses the system I described as L1 being after the first shed (exc shed coming from ootheca) and has done with the 1000's of mantids he has bred

If I remember I'll contact the MSG, see what they say


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## Jesse (Sep 26, 2005)

After an insect "sheds" its egg capsule AKA hatches it is L1. Mantids do shed an additional membrane after escaping from the egg, so some entomologists consider this an additional molt and call them L2. L1 is short for larval stage 1, technically all immature insects are considered larvae, even those with incomplete metamorphosis. The pupal phase of insects with complete metamorphosis is not considered a larval stage...just to make that clear. If a newly hatched larva is a newly hatched larva, it has to be at least stage 1, otherwise it would be nothing. after a "stage 1" larva molts it is now in its second stage so it is "larval stage 2" Shortened to L2.


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## Ian (Sep 26, 2005)

yeah chris...I know a few people that think that as well. I suppose it could be classed as L1 and L2, oh well  

Cheers,

Ian


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## Joe (Sep 28, 2005)

No matter what stage they are, an always true sign of molting is when their forearms are slightly spaced(i've seen this in every stage before molting) out for several days and another sign is that they usually are breathing slowly and deeply.

Joe


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## Orin (Oct 15, 2005)

I know most of you have seen mantids molt so the statements about a mantis molting right after hatching is hard to believe. Haven't you watched them molt? There is no post hatching molt. I'll give a lot of money for a photo of a hatching molt. It doesnt' exist in mantids. Grasshoppers do molt after hatching but there is a definite larval skin /shed exoskeleton with legs and such. An egg membrane has no legs. A hatching mantis is L1 no matter how you count it unless you pretend you see molts that don't exist in which case a hatching mantis might as well be L 1,892,294.



> I know, you explained it fine beforehowever my brother uses the system I described as L1 being after the first shed (exc shed coming from ootheca) and has done with the 1000's of mantids he has bred
> 
> If I remember I'll contact the MSG, see what they say


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## *RYAN* (Oct 16, 2005)

well during the time the forums were down he moulted turned out great and is doing well ... and my african just moulted today


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## garbonzo13 (Oct 16, 2005)

:shock: Thank you all, I now have a headache from reading this. :lol: Since there is/was confusion on this matter, that is why most people say L1-L2, L2-L3, and so on, when describing there mantids. ohhh I have to go lay down


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