Tropidomantis tenera - help needed with this species

Hi everyone,

A female flew into my balcony two weeks and laid two egg sacs while inside a disposble container.

Pic of the female - about 1.5"



A few questions:

1. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?

2. Since the adult is only 1.5" long, I assume that the nymphs are going to be real tiny...how do I keep them from escaping through the holes I made for ventilation?

3. How and what do I feed the nymphs before they start feeding on each other (I read about their cannalism)?

Thanks loads!

<_< :lol: :lol:

you are so lucky to have Tropidomantis just casually fly onto your balcony and start laying oothecae! i have never seen this species offered in the hobby (though i think i saw some photos of one by rob byatt, so i assume he must have kept them for at least a while) and have never heard/read ANYTHING about their care, so i cannot help you with with question one, it would be pure guesswork.

question 2... i think the best way would be to not use ventialtion holes, but rather to use some kind of mesh/screen/net for ventilation. you can use this as a lid for the container, or cut out a hole in the lid and glue some net/mesh/screen over the hole. the mesh provides good ventilation, and good grip, and if it is the right size then the nymphs will not escape.

as for question 3... i dont know what size the hatchlings of this species are, but 1.5" for an adult female would make it around the same size as a species like Acromantis (my adult males are around 30mm, about 1 1/4", and my adult females are around 35mm, just under 1.5"). so i think the hatchlings of this species should have no problem feeding on Drosophila, or other similar small insects that you may be able to find, like small aphids for example. just throw the small insects/Drosophila into the container the nymphs are kept in, they will catch them fine. if the nymphs turn out to be too small, you may want to consider using springtails. there is a thread here of someones experience hatching and raising a very small mantis species, maybe this will help:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10331

i hope somebody else can give you better help. let us know how you get on, good luck!

You would probably have 3 weeks left or there abouts to see them hatch, could you have her fly over here next time? I would love to have an ooth from her! If you have some old panty hose from somewhere, you could stretch it over the top of your container, that would work fine, also do you have a source for Springtails? If not, you could start one yourself and have them in time for the hatching. Google springtails and just follow the directions on where to find and raise, they hide under rotting wood!

Thanks, mrblue. Tropidomantis are quite common here. This is the 3rd I have caught so far. The previous two died...one refused to eat anything and starve to death. The other was doing well but suddenly kicked the bucket. I believe those two are males as they are smaller and narrower than this one.

I checked out the link you gave me and posted some questions there. The ooths look similar to what I have.

Hi hibiscusmile,

Thanks for the reply. I do see adult springtails and fungus gnats all over my peat media of my carnivorous plants. Now the issue is, how do I catch them?

Cindy said:

Hi hibiscusmile,Thanks for the reply. I do see adult springtails and fungus gnats all over my peat media of my carnivorous plants. Now the issue is, how do I catch them?

Click to expand...

They are super easy to catch when you use an aspirator (also known as a "pooter"). Here is a link to show you how to make one: http://gocb.wordpress.com/2006/07/16/make-...oterbug-sucker/

And here is a pic of some springtails I sucked up with my aspirator to feed my Bolbena hottentotta. Aspirators are a great tool when it comes to catching itsy bitsy insects.



Here is a picture of what my aspirator looks like: (I just used a water bottle with a big cork on the end)



I have a question for you, where are you? (I'm assuming Malaysia)

Thats a cute mantis you have! :lol:

mrblue said:

you are so lucky to have Tropidomantis just casually fly onto your balcony and start laying oothecae! i have never seen this species offered in the hobby (though i think i saw some photos of one by rob byatt, so i assume he must have kept them for at least a while)

Click to expand...

VERY lucky !

I did have a few specimens for a couple of months but they did not do well. The best advice I can give is to keep them humid and offer the water (spray the enclosure) more regularly that with other species - Tropidomantis is one of the few species that drink almost everytime they get the chance.

They lay long ootheca; the same shape as that one pictured but up to 2" in length (mine did anyway).

Good luck !!

Thanks everyone for your input.

ABbuggin, I am from Singapore. I am more assured now that I can perhaps keep the babies alive when they hatch. Now to make myself an aspirator.

Question: How do you get the mantids to the springtails or the springtails to the mantids? Or do you such the mantids into the bottle so that they feed to their hearts' content?

I think I may have this mantis. I found it in my garden. (I live in Malaysia) There are a lot of identical looking ooths all around my house.

The first babies appeared!!! OMG!!!

There were seven of them and the mum ate one when I tried to remove her from the container. The remaining six are all placed into individual boxes with tiny fungus gnats. I am now trying to source for fruit flies and maggots for them from a friend who works at the microbiology research lab.

I have also separated the other two ooths from the mum and placed them in another container. The first ooth was laid 4th June and the eggs hatched on the 18th June. Exactly two weeks! Cool!

Forgive my mad raving but...whee!!! I am so excited!

congrats, sounds exciting

That's great news, however, remove the feeder insects until they are about 2 days old. They may not eat before then and it will stress them out too much if there are lots of flies in with them.

Good luck !

Hi everyone, I managed to take a few pictures yesterday. Hope to share with all of you.

First ooth - I counted 8 openings; but saw only 7, rescued 6...means another was eaten by mum earlier



Second ooth - it is turning darker...are the babies hatching soon? :blink:



Third ooth - the longest so far



One of the babies





It is about 3/10" long.

Lucky bugger

Can you send some our way? XD

I am at my first instar!!!

Uh, I meant that one of the nymph shed its skin today! This is darn cool! Another is hanging from the side of the box and I think it is moulting too. Whee!!!

Perhaps they will start eating now. Honestly, all the nymphs have not eaten...or at least I have not observed them eating. No full bellies yet they were so fiesty and always going "doiing...doiing..."

This is fun! A friend of mine asked if I am giving up my carnivorous plants for mantids. :lol:

Dont you need the carnivorous plants to find food for your nymphs?Do they sell fruitfly in Singapore?Fruitfly are not sold in KL

They must of ate at one point or another or they would make it to their first moult

Oh btw nearly right, but if they shed once its known as a 2nd instar

friendofgeckos, perhaps the carnivorous plants attract the insects and that is why this species is found at least once a year at my balcony. But there are plenty of lizards too and I can't release the nymphs to find their own food. Fruit flies are not sold here. Exotic pets are not common but we have many people who keep fish.

Morpheus uk, thanks for the correction I am a total newbie at this "instar" thing.