Disfigured wings

[Chelsea]

So 1 of my Chinese mantises has reached adulthood. This one had no mismolts or issues previously. But the adult wings are disfigured. It is not even at all. The right wing is very tiny, like stunted. She can open up the wings fine, did not try to fly. It is not misshaped but the wings are uneven and 1 is like dwarf sized!

What could cause such!

 

[sally]

After she molted to adult she had trouble pumping the wings up. Probably she wasn't in a proper position. It won't hurt her at all she will be fine.

 

[Sticky]

Can you show us some pictures?

 

[Crazy4mantis]

After she molted to adult she had trouble pumping the wings up. Probably she wasn't in a proper position. It won't hurt her at all she will be fine.

+1

It looks like one wing did not inflate. It happened to my ghost he was fine. It might cause a problem I'm mating though, but it should be fine.

 

[Chelsea]

I will try to get a photos of her up soon.

 

[Chelsea]

Now, Shorty another mantis, has a problem. I found her lying on the floor of her cage, sideways. She seems to have started a molt but is having trouble. She has no energy to grab or hang on to anything. So I propped her upright, resting on a blanket. The head is up and the very bottom of the abdomen is on the ground. Or should it be head at the bottom and tail end up in the air?? I am afraid to tape her cause she seems really delicate.

 

[Chelsea]

Here is video of stryker with disfigured wing.

 

[Chelsea]

Update on Shorty - the one who is weak and having trouble molting. So I now taped Shorty hanging upside down, along the side of cage.

 

[Chelsea]

Well, Shorty has passed away. And now two more mantids are shedding but it seems to be going wrong. I have been misting a least twice a day, and now am doing it more often.

Lookout had perfect legs, but now one has 2 sharp unnatural bends in it. Worried about Lookout's wings, but it seems they are still being fluffed/pumped up.

Joe Swanson reached adulthood, and still the 3 messed up legs never fixed themselves, not even after shed. Now Joe is having wing trouble and not sure if she/he is even trying to pump them up anymore.

Stryker still has deformed wings, but is active and acting just fine.

Any help for Lookout and Joe is greatly needed and appreciated!

Also there seems to be differences in my mantids last (tail end) segment. Maybe this is male vs female? Is there a different to shape all around to the tail end segment, or is it just a noticeable difference in the underside size and width? I am still not sure exactly how to tell male from female, and google images didn't lead me to any really good help.

 

[Crazy4mantis]

What surface are they molting from? Don't disturb them during wing inflation. I think that's why my ghost's wings didn't inflate. Lookout should be fine with just one disfigured leg, just won't move as quickly and food will have to come to him. Legs usually take several molts to fix. If Joe was feeding fine before he should be ok unless you are trying to mate him.

As for sexing, http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7110

 

[Chelsea]

They often hang from the top of the plastic critter keeper (hermit crab like) cages. But I put Joe and Lookout out on top crumpled blanket. lookout is acting fine now. Joe, is not doing good.