# Shield mantis



## Rick (Feb 2, 2008)

Male nymph. Just a couple quick shots.


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## joossa (Feb 4, 2008)

I like his eyes.  Very nice!


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## macro junkie (Feb 4, 2008)

im waiting to get this species of graham..i love there face..great subjects


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## Birdfly (Feb 5, 2008)

macro junkie said:


> im waiting to get this species of graham..i love there face..great subjects


I thought you didnt believe these were a sheilded mantis? you could have had some of mine for some _P whalbergii_ ??


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## Birdfly (Feb 8, 2008)

How are yours doing Rick? do you find them particularily thirsty?

My first ooth hatched and within a fortnight i'd lost half of them, spraying 3-4 times a day stopped then dropping off and i never suffered these losses again.

Mind you they were very well ventilated at first


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## andy hood (Feb 8, 2008)

nice one rick , lovely species


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## macro junkie (Feb 8, 2008)

Birdfly said:


> I thought you didnt believe these were a sheilded mantis? you could have had some of mine for some _P whalbergii_ ??


i dont have walbergie nympths yet..i have occertelle and id be happy to swap some..L5.  pm me/


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## Rick (Feb 8, 2008)

Birdfly said:


> How are yours doing Rick? do you find them particularily thirsty?My first ooth hatched and within a fortnight i'd lost half of them, spraying 3-4 times a day stopped then dropping off and i never suffered these losses again.
> 
> Mind you they were very well ventilated at first


They are doing very well like most other med to large mantids I have kept. They ignore the water when I mist. You will find most newborn nymphs are thirsty. Losing most of them is normal for most mantids. I started with probably 300+ and I have about ten now.


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## Birdfly (Feb 8, 2008)

Rick said:


> They are doing very well like most other med to large mantids I have kept. They ignore the water when I mist. You will find most newborn nymphs are thirsty. Losing most of them is normal for most mantids. I started with probably 300+ and I have about ten now.


Yeah i know young uns like the humidity more but i have found with these (Yens stock) that they like a little more than usual, in fact i was quite taken aback by them. Wondered if it was the same with yours  

I hardly lost any from this with the 2nd - 4th oothecae hatches but had so many i left them to canablize in the end.


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 8, 2008)

Same here, real thirsty and eating their siblings :lol:


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## yen_saw (Feb 11, 2008)

Rick said:


> They are doing very well like most other med to large mantids I have kept. They ignore the water when I mist. You will find most newborn nymphs are thirsty. Losing most of them is normal for most mantids. I started with probably 300+ and I have about ten now.


300nymphs down to only ten!! Did you let cannibalism take cares of the extra or they all just drop dead? I didn't keep them anymore, but remember my first generation were generally doing fine with daily misting. I also noticed that using wild type fruit flies reduce cannibalism too.


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## Rick (Feb 11, 2008)

yen_saw said:


> 300nymphs down to only ten!! Did you let cannibalism take cares of the extra or they all just drop dead? I didn't keep them anymore, but remember my first generation were generally doing fine with daily misting. I also noticed that using wild type fruit flies reduce cannibalism too.


It was a mixture of both. I kept them together for awhile. I don't need or want anymore than about what I have now. One just molted into subadult.


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