so its just ghost ,gaint devils and dead leaf that are communal?
Personally I never have done a communal setup as there is always cannibalism problems with
any species sooner or later, so I don't bother to keep track of so called communal species.
As I mentioned above.. Even with the most communal mantid species, and with plenty of room and feeders, cannibalism still occurs even if just occasionally - I do not feel that the want for a communal setup is worth the risk to pets.
From the three you listed only Ghosts (Phyllocrania paradoxa) are called communal (and listed as one of the most communal), but dead mantises still occur.
The Dead leaf mantids (Deroplatys desiccata or Deroplatys lobata) have conflicting reports, some say just to L4 (half grown), and another says if you separate and keep them by genders (male/female) they have had some success (this is not just a mix of mantids but of the same gender and same instar (size) for any communal success).
The other "gaint devils" I can only assume with the word devil you are talking about the Devil's flower mantis (Idolomantis diabolica). If that is the case I have no idea, they are a
expert mantid husbandry skill species only - and at a cost of $50-$75 per mantid
if you can find them, I have not heard of anyone keeping them together due to costs and difficult finding, or getting them to breeding age without worrying about cannibalism.
