European Mantis

[Dave509]

Just caught this little guy in a field nearby. This is my first endeavor in raising a mantis, and I am unsure how old he is, but I am pretty sure (feel free to correct me on this) he is a European Mantis. (Pretty sure it is a male, ya?) He is not very personable, but maybe this is because he is fairly young? He tends to fly away whenever I hold him. Enjoy!

 

[Ntsees]

You are correct that it is a European mantid. It's an adult because it has wings. If you look in the same field you found that one, you might find a female for it.

 

[Dave509]

Any idea how far along his lifespan he would be? Will he continue to grow, or is he full sized?

Also, there were several females there, some much much larger than him, but I don't think I am up for breeding at this point.

 

[lunarstorm]

He's full sized in length. Mantids reach their full length upon their final molt, which is when their wings become visible. He will not molt or grow any further, though you might be able to feed him well and fatten him up a bit.

In terms of lifespan? I've never raised Europeans but I would guess they have a maximum lifespan of up to a year.

 

[Dave509]

Aha, thank you for the information. He was the smallest one that we found out there. We might try to go back and get one that is earlier in its life span, even thought it is late summer, we did see one or two very small (<1") mantids out there.

 

[Ntsees]

The very small mantids you found will probably not be able to contribute ooths since the season is already this far out (assuming you left them). If you found females, that's good. Usually people here who find/have a mantid would also like to find a mate for it but it's all good for you then. Regarding how long the male will live, he should be alive between now and a few more months (1 or 2). I haven't had a European male that made it to December but that's just my experience.