Favorite Mantid...

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sidewinder

sidewinder

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Folks,

Things are a little slow around here and I thought this would be an interesting topic. This is more for the members here that have kept a lot of different mantid species, but all are welcome to participate.

What is your favorite mantid species to keep? If you could only have one mantid to keep from now on, which one would it be? Please explain why.

Scott

 
I want Deroplatys sp. back...they had those nice shields, weren't too hard to keep, and were a large size. Plus, they had those wicked forelegs :p

 
I would keep Chinese mantises. They are everything I love in a mantis. Beautiful, slender classic mantis build, grow to a nice size, easy keepers, voracious eaters, highly active, easy to handle, and overall friendly little love bugs. I also enjoy how magnificent they can look when you get one with the rich golden brown body that sharply contrasts green rimed wings and emerald eyes.

Despite the fact most members in the hobby seem to consider them nothing more than a common starter mantis for beginners, I love them to pieces and would pick them over the rare exotic species any day.

 
I can't believe that I'm still saying this, but I prefer my Tarachodes over my Gongylus, Sybilla, and Psudovates! :blink:

The Tarachodes are just so crazy awesome, they way they hide on sticks, somewhat communual, HIGHY aggressive towards food etc. They have HUGE heads for their size even though they only grow to 2" long. (the adult Tarachodes female head is bigger than my subadult gongylus' heads!). They are just stunning to watch chase down prey. :wub: Also something unique about them, no body knows what exact species I have, even Christian! :lol:

And best of all, I' selling some now. :D :p

 
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:rolleyes: Humm, so many choices, so few answers allowed! I do like the chinese like KK said, but I guess the

Ghost is my choice, or the asian, or is it the trachodes? Hummmmmmmm, ok it is the

Ghost! I like the different colors, browns, golds, beige, greens, and the way they walk, and the waggle of the butt and the light feeling when u hold them, hardly know they are there. They eat most anything. Are easy to breed, good layers, and can be kept together with enough food, don't take a lot of room and can withstand room temp.

Anyone notice the Orchid is not a fav yet?

 
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My favorite species was Idolomorpha - long, thin limbs and a slender frame. Green thorax and legs from L1 to L3, but from L4 upwards they turn brown and pretty much stay that way untill the last molt. Then they just blossom into a big and beautiful mantids whose colors are differend shades of brown, green, yellow and purple - with long horns protruding from the top of their heads with females, or long feathery antennae with males - awesome.

But now I have to say that Gongylus are a killer - pretty unassuming untill they turn adult - females are just about 8 cm - sometimes even a bit shorter than the males (if you count the wings) - but with thick limbs covered with leafy projections, and big heads growing out from a very long and incredibly thin thorax, which looks a bit unreal. They are lazy as heck, but once a female gets ahold of a house fly - it takes less than a minute to devour the poor fly - and they pivot a lot when aroused, especially nymphs.

Males are more delicate, gracious - with greenish legs, and much smaller projections on their legs, abdomen and thorax - arch like feathery antennae do look stunning - just a cool, cool mantis.

Which one of them is better? I don't know - but Gongylus are less problemantic, so I pick Gongylus Gongylodes.

 
If I were limited to just one species, it would have to be Pseudovates peruviana. It is a happy medium in both size and bulk. While mostly green and of typical mantis form, it does have this cool purple hue to all the soft tissue and joints. Requirements are about as beginner friendly as you can get. Mine grew well at 70-75F! And unlike its cousins the TX and AZ unicorns, the males live as adults for several months! My males outlasted the females!! It is also the most communal species I have ever tried.

Now, does anyone have this species? My last ooths all failed! I need more!!!!!

 
Can't choose....

I think Giorgio would say Pnigomantis medioconstricta and I would Brunneria borealis or Cilnia humeralis.

But!!

We still think Sphodromantis lineola's rock B)

 
aLWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MYSELF AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE dEROPLATYS LOBATA, THEY ARE AMAZING MANTIDS

 
Bloody keyboard lol

Deroplatys are amazing, i had a female who was my favourite mantis evor,

They are a nive size, like 8cm or so, and they have a very impressive shield, plus their threat display is truely something

They are pretty aggressive too, i can post some old pics if ya like, already posted on a couple of other threads like this i think :lol:

 
Of alle the mantids I had (D. desiccata, H. membranacea, S. lineola, S. bacetti, P. paradoxa, P. wahlbergii, P. virescens), I think my favorite is Phyllocrania paradoxa. Awesome camouflage, strange forms, strange head, and the first mantis I bred. I find them easy to keep, I only lost a few nymphs when L2 and further all nymphs became subadult (they are now subadult).

 
Orchid mantises are my favorite species. I love the pink and white color, even though their behavior is a little boring (either stock still pretending to be a flower or freaking out when you try to move/touch them).

On the other hand, my adult female Kerrigan is super cool, lets me handle her no problem when I clean her tank and eats very well.

 

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