Chinese Mantises at Temple

[sppc9876]

Back when I visited Taiwan, I visited a Buddhist temple with my parents way up in the mountains. I was amazed at how abundant mantises were. They were so easy to find as well. Took about 5 minutes of Steve Irwin mode to find these.

 

[MantidLord]

Steve Irwin mode :lol: Nice finds.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Great pix! We find mantids around Jewish temples here in the States, they are easy to spot because the guys are usually wearing a kippah or yarmulke. sometimes, you'll find them in a Tallit, as well.

 

[thorhack]

Man, those mantids are gorgeous, are they chinese?

I'd really love to find some with color like that here!

 

[sppc9876]

Based upon what I've read, it seems that humidity, temperature, environment, and even sunlight may affect the color of mantises. It makes sense that in highly humid and hot areas with lots of sunlight that tropical and green plants would be thriving and thus the mantis would adapt a green camouflage. Makes me kind of want to buy an ootheca from a nursery and run an experiment housing Chinese mantises in dry, brownish environments vs humid, vibrant green environments. Any input from people who have kept them?

 

[SntaCruz83]

Based upon what I've read, it seems that humidity, temperature, environment, and even sunlight may affect the color of mantises. It makes sense that in highly humid and hot areas with lots of sunlight that tropical and green plants would be thriving and thus the mantis would adapt a green camouflage. Makes me kind of want to buy an ootheca from a nursery and run an experiment housing Chinese mantises in dry, brownish environments vs humid, vibrant green environments. Any input from people who have kept them?

I've done some VERY casual testing on this and I didn't really follow the scientific method so there are still far too many variables to be certain, but with my current set of Chinese mantises that I'm raising I've found something kind of interesting. Out of the last ooth that hatched I ended up saving three brown ones, three green ones, and one that was just too feisty to not save. I've kept them all in clear acrylic cases with brown twigs/sticks/branches for climbing surfaces...except one. One single green mantis I decided to keep in an acrylic box that was tinted green. Now, their diet has fluctuated between fruit flies, house flies, crickets, moths and at times, whatever I could find...truly not consistent enough to rule out diet. Also, they are on two separate shelves, one of which is much closer to the light bulb in my room. That being said, however, the only one mantis I have that is still green after several molts, is the one that is kept in the green acrylic case.

Like I said, this is anything but definitive, but I thought interesting enough to share nonetheless. =)