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Very nice!! You have a PM Joe! :D

Are you saying that inbreeding and a small gene pool will put limits on our captive breeding success Orin? Thanks, Obie

A couple of shots of my male. I really like this species.

Thanks for all the replies guys :) . I hope we can really establish I. diabolica in captivity. Its amazing how few mantids are routinely kept and bred, considering the number of amazing species out there...

Thanks Christian! You are definitely one of those who seem to be having the most success. I hear a lot of stories of losses and I don't see why. It sounds like we are learning fast though. Anyone else have success stories?

Ok, this question is mostly aimed at those who have some experience with this species. As we know I. diabolica is rarely successfully kept for multiple generations. Where do you guys think we are going wrong? Are we not properly matching their natural habitat? Are the nymphs just too...

I work in the insect museum at my university (UC Davis) and I have to agree with you about the cataloging aspects. It can be very boring. I'm lucky though - collection/lab work is only about 50% of my job. The rest is field work :D . I may even get to go on some expeditions to Andes and...

I'm 29. Finishing up a bachelors in Zoology with emphasis in entomology. Gonna try for a PhD (entomology). Hobbies are Insects, Reptiles, Fish, Pirate Radio, Weight lifting/BBing, and science in general.

I highly recomend getting a culture of Blatta lareralis going if you get a chance. I have some inverts and herps that don't like lobster or discoid roaches...but everything I have LOVES B. lateralis. They don't hide either.

I believe those are O. peruviana. I have 4 subadults and one adult male.

Thanks Christian. So, if the diapause is facultative in certain temperate species, then what triggers the ooth to enter diapause when it happens in these mantids? Could it be photoperiod as in some Lepidoptera? Also, are you sure that these species enter a true facultative diapause and not...

Very nice Yen, I would miss her too!

Does anyone know if there are any mantids besides M. religiosa that produce a diapausing ooth (that requires a cold period to hatch)?? Obie

I hate crickets with a passion. I switched to lobster roaches awhile back, but the mantises (and my herps and spiders) never really liked them much. I think it was a combination of their defensive odor and the way they move. I now use Turkistan roaches (Blatta lateralis) and all my critters...

I usually wait about a month after their last molt. So assuming they have been well fed, I say go for it. Males of some species don't live very long, so I wouldn't wait several months personally.

I just feed em well before I leave and throw in an extra roach (roaches can live for weeks in a mantis container and are no danger to the mantis). If I'm going to be gone for more than a week, I also lower the temps to around 20 degrees (68F) and turn off the lights.

I agree with I. oratoria. Length and shape of wings (narrower and shorter than Stagmomantis), shape of abdomen (Stagmomantis is flatter), and thickness of the femurs (thinner than Stagmomantis) on the forelegs give it away.

Tom Tewksbury is a good US source of livestock. His email is [email protected] He has Caligula simla ova and some cocoons of the very rare Graellsia isabellae available now. You can also check the Lepidoptera classifieds at Insectnet.com...

Same genus. The luna moth is Actias luna and lives in eastern North America. The "moon moth" is Actias selene and lives in southern Asia. There are many beautiful species in the genus Actias. They are closely related to Argema and Graellsia which also come in nice colors and have tails.

It varies quite a bit Dave, both between species and with temperature. Attacus atlas takes around 2 months to go from egg to cocoon at 80 F. Most species take around 1 and a half to 2 months. Argema mittrei take around 3 months (the larvae get over 6 inches long and 2 in diameter :shock...