Carolina mantis wild mating

[Mystymantis]

I have been keeping an eye on a female Carolina mantis in my garden and today I was super surprised to find that she was mating! This is the first time I have seen a mantis mating outside in the wild.  I am so excited to have seen it!
 The male was not quite attached yet, male Caroline's seem to take their time with this and seem to stay on the females for a long time. But I checked back later in the day and he was indeed connected. Here is a picture of them in my garden on sunflowers.

 

[CosbyArt]

Looks like you peeked in at the right time to see she will have fertile ooths, for next years mantises. She though is already gravid and will be laying a ooth in less than a week, judging by her abdomen, but most likely she has already mated at least once before this one.

 

[ashleenicole]

Such a cool find! I'm jealous of people who can find mantids just hanging around in their yards. Apartment living doesn't allow much for that. 

 

[Mystymantis]

Yep, I found her a few days later and she had laid her ootheca. She was super skinny. I have been wondering, do female mantises lay ootheca's only after they mate? or will they lay them even if they haven't mated?  I have had female Carolina's lay ootheca's even though they haven't mated, but I don't know if that was just a rare instance or it happens all the time. But then again I have had female Chinese mantises that never laid and was wondering if it was because they were not mated.

 

[CosbyArt]

Yep, I found her a few days later and she had laid her ootheca. She was super skinny. I have been wondering, do female mantises lay ootheca's only after they mate? or will they lay them even if they haven't mated?  I have had female Carolina's lay ootheca's even though they haven't mated, but I don't know if that was just a rare instance or it happens all the time. But then again I have had female Chinese mantises that never laid and was wondering if it was because they were not mated.

No, mantid females lay ooths if they have mated or not. It is why it's impossible to guarantee a ooth is fertile even if a female has been mated (as she can reject his spermatophore or other issues). There is only one mantid species I've heard of where the eggs can be viewed by candling, to see them developing to ensure they are fertile.

Once female mantids reach a certain age they will quit making ooths. In most females I've had once they reach old age (no longer laying ooths), they live another 1-2 months typically.