Breeding Spiny Flower Mantis

[pawsies]

I'm doing an assignment as part of my college course and we've been given the option of a select few exotic species.

I've decided to focus on the spiny flower mantis [Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii]

and I'm looking for information about how they reproduce preferably about the display behaviours before mating and the actual copulation process.

I also need to know what triggers them to breed such as temperature, photoperiodism or anything that changes in the environment making them realise they need to breed.

If you could tell me how to identify the genders that would be really helpful- I assume the female is bigger as in other praying mantids?

How long would you keep the eggs incubated for and what is the gestation period for this species?

Any information about metamorphosis would be beneficial.

Lastly how the parents care for them? Is it just the female who caters for the young? Does the male play a role?

Alternatively if anyone can provide me details of any sites that may have some of this information as I'm sure you can appreciate there is a lot to find out and finding this out on praying mantids is incredibly hard!

Or any contacts of breeders of praying mantids that would know any of the above would be great.

To anyone that gives me any information I will be incredibly grateful to you Thanks a lot.

 

[Rick]

Welcome. I don't have too much experience with the species in question but I do hope you introduce yourself in the introductions forum as I am interested in what program you're in.

 

[Colorcham427]

I'm doing an assignment as part of my college course and we've been given the option of a select few exotic species.I've decided to focus on the spiny flower mantis [Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii]

and I'm looking for information about how they reproduce preferably about the display behaviours before mating and the actual copulation process.

I also need to know what triggers them to breed such as temperature, photoperiodism or anything that changes in the environment making them realise they need to breed.

If you could tell me how to identify the genders that would be really helpful- I assume the female is bigger as in other praying mantids?

How long would you keep the eggs incubated for and what is the gestation period for this species?

Any information about metamorphosis would be beneficial.

Lastly how the parents care for them? Is it just the female who caters for the young? Does the male play a role?

Alternatively if anyone can provide me details of any sites that may have some of this information as I'm sure you can appreciate there is a lot to find out and finding this out on praying mantids is incredibly hard!

Or any contacts of breeders of praying mantids that would know any of the above would be great.

To anyone that gives me any information I will be incredibly grateful to you Thanks a lot.

hey man, check out the mantis forum UK. google it and you'll find it. they have more info. on that species on there.

 

[kamakiri]

Regarding the breeding triggers...I don't think they're that complicated. An adult female will either be receptive or not. An adult male will be interested or not. Feeding, time that they are adult, temp, humidity and time of day are likely factors in increasing interest.

Neither adult have anything to do with rearing the hatchlings, except that they would eat them.

Gender identification is similar to most other mantises - by sternite counts, females usually have 1 or 2 fewer segments visible. Genitalia also look different after a few molts.

I'm curious what the product of your assignment is. Might help us help you better. Do you have any specimens yourself? Pictures?

 

[kamakiri]

hey man, check out the mantis forum UK. google it and you'll find it. they have more info. on that species on there.

Did you really need to quote his whole post for an answer like that? Much of the relevant info is here via search function and with the breeders/keepers who have P. wahlbergii

 

[pawsies]

Hi everyone,

I'm from the UK and I'm doing a BTEC in Animal Management and we do a module in exotic species. I'm interested in praying mantises in general and we had to choose a species from a list we were given. I decided to choose the Spiny Flower Mantis [P. wahlbergii] seeing as I would be interested in owning the species in the future and so any information that I get will definitely be put to good use.

So I don't own any at the moment but I hopefully will do once I have done the research and found a breeder.

We got set tasks to do to find out about the breeding requirements of the species hence the questions I asked I could easily have chosen an easy species like the leopard gecko [Eublepharis Macularius] but I wanted to choose a species that I might own in the future so it would benefit me.

Thanks for the information that you have given so far. I've posted on several mantid and reptile forums and all the contributors have been very helpful.

 

[Katnapper]

Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii is a very cannibalistic species. The males especially are at the mercy of the females before, during, and after mating, even with a plentiful food source. The nymphs are quite spunky, and will not hesitate to take down slightly larger prey than many other species at the same size or instar. The nymphs can also be more defiant and aggressive toward potential enemies, and will threat display with much greater frequency and quicker than many other species.

I keep the bug room at around 85-87 F. during the day, and usually around 80 F. at night. The nymphs do well in the conditions of 12x12 net cages, but need to be separated at around L3 to avoid increasing and ongoing cannibalism around this stage. They also do well in individual plastic containers, modified with screen or netting for ventilation. I mist once or twice a day, and occasionally three times a day... depending on how hot the bug room gets and if it seems particularly dry in there.

The adult females can lay a moderately substantial number of ooths during their adult lives. If fertile, the time between laying and hatching is generally 4-6 weeks, depending on ambient temperature conditions in which they are kept. I usually mist the ooths every day with temperatures being warmer than normal in the bug room.

Here is a link to all the Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii blog entries (2 pages) I have created. Includes many pics as well as observations and information you may find helpful. Good luck on your study of them!