Deroplatys desiccata

[Montana_Mantids]

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Some background information:

Deroplatys desiccata
Giant Dead Leaf Mantis

I got both of these wonderful specimens as a small sexed pair. (Thanks to Arizona Mantids for the chance to raise this amazing species. You should contact her if you are interested in healthy and amazing mantis species) Now, I have a mature pair, and many ooths and nymphs on the way. I’m here to show you my beautiful mantises and make more people love this beautiful, giant, and hardy mantis as much as I do.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Ooth number 2.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

 

[Montana_Mantids]

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Sorry for how blurry this picture is. Mantis molting.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

 

[Montana_Mantids]

 

[hibiscusmile]

nice, got any babies?

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Very soon! I’ll contact you when the first ooth hatches or when she lays her next ooth.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Newest ooth! Ready to be shipped out Tomorrow!

 

[Montana_Mantids]

A feeder insect got into my incubator and ate half of one of my Deroplatys ooths last night. This ooth has had a pretty rough time. This ooth was left out of my females enclosure for a week by a friend who was looking after my mantises (and didn’t know it was an egg). It completely dried up in the lovely 35% humidity we have here in Montana.instead of throwing it away, I kept the ooth thinking that there was a chance that a few nymphs would hatch out. A couple of weeks ago, 1 nymph hatched out. I thought it was a scout, but still none came for the next two weeks. That nymph (even though it was kept in the right conditions) died for no apparent reason. Last night, a small feeder insect made its way into my incubator and ate the top half of the ooth. In doing this, it revealed fully alive (and some moving) and developed nymphs. Now I in know that my ooths are fertile, I just wish I would have figured that out in a different way. Sorry for the long post, but pictures of the ooth and a mangled unhatched nymph are below.

 

[happy1892]

That is very interesting. I've never really looked closely at the eggs inside oothecas.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Thanks! Happy something good could come out of this incident.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Sexual dimorphism in L4 (I believe) Deroplatys desiccata. Female -> first pic
Male -> second pic.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

The pair above is the younger version of the adult pair in the first photos in this thread.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

I’m was really unlucky with this species. Only one of my females ooths hatched due to incorrect incubation on all of the other desiccata ooths. Fortunately I am left with 2 females and 1 males. I have an extra pair arriving this Thursday. Hopefully this time around is more successful.

 

[Montana_Mantids]

Unfortunately I had to scroll really far back in my camera roll to get these photos. I wasn’t able to get a 3rd generation due to poor hatching numbers from the last ooths. Hope I’ll be able to keep this wonderful species again in the near future.