Color changing mantis?

[Hikari012]

My Chinese mantis used to be brown. Now he's becoming greenish brown. My friend that gave me the mantis said both his parents were brown. I've also seen pictures of Chinese mantids green and brown at adult age. Are there any factors that make a mantis change its color? XD I'd really like to have a green mantis ^_^

(Sorry if this is in the wrong forum...thing)

 

[joossa]

Color change may be caused by several different factors like genetics, diet, and environment and may vary from species to specis and from individual to individual. I have not seen or read any studies or reports on this subject, though.

 

[Rick]

Mantids do not change colors at will. They may change after a molt though.

 

[Mantis_Whisper]

yeah, I've noticed that a good number of my babies are bown with green tint and the others are all brown. I think it might be humdity or mabye something that they will grow out of.

 

[Mantis Keeper]

My adult PW has gone through at least three different minor color changes since it's final molt. The color on it's wings surrounding the #9 and along it's back has gone from brown to green, back to brown, and is now sitting at green again. Anyone had this before?

 

[Techuser]

The colours of flower mantis for example changes according the ambient humidity (as rick said, not at will)

I remember a very old topic showing a test of two mantises being kept with hi/low moisture, one turned out brown and the other green

It depends on the species... some might have nothing to do with humidity

 

[Mantis Keeper]

I know that the species can have color variations for things such as that, but before now the only thing I've seen is changes in color from molt to molt, not post molt.

 

[macro junkie]

[SIZE=24pt]L2[/SIZE]

[SIZE=18pt]L3[/SIZE]

 

[Mantis Keeper]

Thanks for the pics, Macro, but again these show color change between molts, black at L2, lighter at later molts. But I'm saying my mantis changed color after the final molt multiple times. I'll try and get some pics.

 

[yen_saw]

It is possible Kirk, i have seen it with spiny flower mantis doing this (especially the P. ocellata species). Humidity, light intensity, and even surrounding color can initiate the color changes, just like the pics below sent to me from a friend. (P. wahlbergii species)

 

[macro junkie]

It is possible Kirk, i have seen it with spiny flower mantis doing this (especially the P. ocellata species). Humidity, light intensity, and even surrounding color can initiate the color changes, just like the pics below sent to me from a friend. (P. wahlbergii species)

omg - how amazing

 

[Mantis Keeper]

Thanks for the info Yen. By the way, the purple color is awesome, I didn't even know a variation like that was possible.

 

[Mantida]

Woah, what a gorgeous purple!

My three P. paradoxa are all currently different colors, are same instars and also kept in same conditions. One is a bright green, the other is a light brown, and the other is a really dark brown. It also has a play on genetics.