Albinism

[harryallard]

exactly

but oh well

if anyone finds it offensive then fine,

i got rid of it

ok back on subject

:lol:

so is there actually no such thing as an albino mantis?

 

[idolomantis]

exactlybut oh well

if anyone finds it offensive then fine,

i got rid of it

ok back on subject

:lol:

so is there actually no such thing as an albino mantis?

no, its all pigment.

 

[MANTIS DUDE]

Well, I would say that there can be an albino everything! So you there probably is such a thing as a albino mantis! :lol: :lol:

 

[idolomantis]

Well, I would say that there can be an albino everything! So you there probably is such a thing as a albino mantis! :lol: :lol:

if mannage to take a picture of one... lol there are alot of albino things but ive never heard of an albino insect. did heard of a millipede tho.

 

[Meiji]

Since 95% of a mantis' survival strategy is to not be seen, maybe albinistic (and similar) genes in mantis are so rare as to be 1 in 3 billion or something.

 

[Meiji]

... There were some old color change experiments with this species (Mantis religiosa ) It can achieve almost every color except blue and violet. But you have to paint the complete cage and its interior in the color you want to get.

Noticing that after it's moult to sub-adult one of my Tenodera aridifolia sinensis Chinese Mantises was turning brownish, I tried a color experiment of my own by placing gold-leaf foil around its habitat. Within days, on it's underside especially, the mantis has acquired a buttery-gold tone that seems to be in response to the color orf its environment although this experiment falls way, way short of proper research on the matter.

 

[Morpheus uk]

I had a popa spurca crassa turn very black when she was near the radiator

 

[The_Asa]

I've gotta try this, even if it doesn't do anything, it's worth a try :lol:

 

[Andrew]

Back again, the only thing I could find were some no longer visible pic links by Andrew but I don't know if that's the one I'm thinking of (Stagmomantis, not carolina).

Sorry I missed this! I'm not sure if I still have those photos anymore, but I found a similarly colored one last fall(pictured below). The original one I found was slightly more lightly colored than this one. If I can find the photo(s) I'll post them later. If I remember correctly, Jesse (an entomologist, for those of you who weren't around) was confident that there was nothing abnormal about the mantis.

Oh, and the species is Stagmomantis limbata.

 

[Rick]

Sorry I missed this! I'm not sure if I still have those photos anymore, but I found a similarly colored one last fall(pictured below). The original one I found was slightly more lightly colored than this one. If I can find the photo(s) I'll post them later. If I remember correctly, Jesse (an entomologist, for those of you who weren't around) was confident that there was nothing abnormal about the mantis.Oh, and the species is Stagmomantis limbata.

When I kept those they were that exact color. Perfectly normal.

 

[Andrew]

When I kept those they were that exact color. Perfectly normal.

Of course, but back then the only ones I had seen were green. ^^;

Even now, most of them that I find are green. Makes me wonder just what it is that changes the color of this species.

 

[MantidLord]

On color changing: I always wondered why I. oratorias were green, when there was no green anything in Nevada. So when my female molted to an adult, I sprayed her container, and put her under my bed. When I took her out (a couple of hours after molting), she was grayish brown. I tried it again with a male, and concluded (in my little experiment) that the surroundings had almost nothing to do with the color of my mantids (as I had green in both containers, and even went through the trouble of placing green paper under and beside their containers). The humidity and light did. That's why the wild I. oratorias I've seen were green. Nevada is an arid and dry place, with lots of light and heat. So maybe the heat from fire and smoke turns the mantids black. That's why someone said theirs turned black when it was by a raidiator. I'm am so smart B)

 

[ABbuggin]

There exists fire melanism, particularly in Tarachodids, Oxypilus, Mantis religiosa and others. Melanism is abundant in insects, as it is easy to achieve.On the other hand, pink, red and white belong to the green pigments.

Hmmmm, I have to try that with my Tarachodes! So all I have to do is house some in a totally black environment, keep them warmer than normal and they will be black instead of tan? Sorry for the questions, I've never heard of this phenomenon before.

AB

PS. Does fire melanism exist in Gongylus? I'm asking because I've seen pics of totally black gongyolus before. :blink:

 

[mantidsandgeckos]

Wow, I would like to see an albino deroplatys sp!

 

[Meiji]

Hmmmm, I have to try that with my Tarachodes! So all I have to do is house some in a totally black environment, keep them warmer than normal and they will be black instead of tan? Sorry for the questions, I've never heard of this phenomenon before.

No, you have to actually hold them over an open flame. Be careful.

Meiji in Boston

PS - I am NOT serious!

 

[Christian]

Fire melanism occurs because of the black, charcoaled environment, not because of heat...

I think we should make this very clear, given the stuff I have read here recently... :lol:

 

[MantidLord]

Fire melanism occurs because of the black, charcoaled environment, not because of heat...I think we should make this very clear, given the stuff I have read here recently... :lol:

You can't mean that the heat has no effect on the mantis. Mantids don't alway change just based on their surroundings. If someones insect turned black by a radiator, how do you suppose this? I doubt it was in total darkness. Heat levels and humidity have a factor just as surroundings do. Of course the factors may vary in importance from species.

 

[The_Asa]

You can't mean that the heat has no effect on the mantis. Mantids don't alway change just based on their surroundings. If someones insect turned black by a radiator, how do you suppose this? I doubt it was in total darkness. Heat levels and humidity have a factor just as surroundings do. Of course the factors may vary in importance from species.

Christian is saying that fire melanism is not caused by heat. Not that heat has no effect?

 

[Christian]

If temperature had such an effect, all Blepharopsis and Gongylus would turn black. The only factors which are known to date to influence color are humidity, light intensity and spectrum, and color of the surroundings. If temperature had an effect, it certainly wouldn't lead to fire melanism. This term just means turning very dark after a fire, it does not implicit that the fire is directly influencing the color. It is the environment that causes the change, not the temperature. If you don't know it yet, fire kills everything... :lol:

 

[Orin]

The only factors which are known to date to influence color are humidity, light intensity and spectrum, and color of the surroundings.

You're forgetting the texture of the branches/perches. This can be more important than the rest.