Budwing Face

[sinensispsyched]

My L4/L5 female budwing has a black/brown face and is showing no signs of lightening up. Does the coloration change usually come with age? If so, which instar?

 

[Mvalenz]

My budwing just molted and she is almost white as snow. I thought she was an L-6. However, I don't see any wingbuds yet. Her eyes are very pink though.

 

[meaganelise9]

Mine is L5 or so and dark like chocolate. I named him Fry because I think he looks like this:

 

[sinensispsyched]

LOL!!

My female still looks like a red-brown stick, and I believe that I can see the beginnings of wing buds on her back.

 

[Mvalenz]

Fry...Thats funny.

 

[sinensispsyched]

I don't have a camera, but could someone share their pic of their L5 budwing with a scale for size? I could be wrong about my instar, so the scale is necessary.

 

[meaganelise9]

Looking at this site, maybe mine is about L6 after all. I need to take some new pics of mine today anyway. He just molted yesterday.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Mine IS L5. Do you believe that he will get his pied head with the next molt?

 

[meaganelise9]

I dunno. Mine looks the same as he did at L5.

 

[sinensispsyched]

BTW, great site. Is it yours?

 

[Rick]

There can be variation in color with any species. Also, using some sort of scale with a different individual is not an accurate way to gauge the instar as there can be variations in size between individuals.

 

[meaganelise9]

No, it's not my site, but useful for reference.

 

[sinensispsyched]

By scale for size I meant a dime or a nickel. That way I could judge his/her relative size to an inanimate object.

I had searched the internet relentlessly, and every adult budwing picture I came across had the black/white striping across the face. That is why I started this topic.

 

[Mvalenz]

Here is a pic of my budwing. She is L-6 or -5. Who really knows. She was not being cooperative and would not look at the camera on the nickel shot. Best face shot i could get with cybershot on first pic.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Your pic is perfect for my cause! I hope that it is indeed L6 because if you looked at the site link previously posted, my mantis looks like the L5 pictures. I can see lighter-brown streaks across the face where the white stripes should (hopefully) later come in.