Kaddock
Well-known member
What causes a mantid to display? I guess it's probably different for each species? Anyway, my P. affinis just hit adulthood yesterday. Do budwings display, and is there a nice way to invoke this behavior?
:huh:
:huh:
forced display behavior?
- Thread starter Kaddock
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PhilinYuma
Well-known member
Fear. It's called a "deimatic display." Mantis nymphs try to make a run for it, adults raise their wings to make themselves seem larger than they are.
Pretty much the same, though obviously, the wings have differnt markings.
Some mantids, like Pseudoharpax virescens, that have cryptic coloration, prefer to run and hide, but budwings display.
Some people (and I won't mention Peter by name) poke their dirty great finger at the poor thing until it either displays or dies of fright. Try using a thin stick or artist's paintbrush to poke its nose.
cloud jaguar
Well-known member
Superworms scare the gibbies out of my mantids. Of course there is that ugly plastic mantis from that panda movie my kids got in a happy meal - that one works too!
Out of the many I have had, I have seen it only a handful of times, so I am no help, when I have trouble getting them out to clean the house is where it happens.
[email protected]
Well-known member
You could tell them about the H.R. 669 i bet that would get them mad........
revmdn
Well-known member
My P. wahlbergii do it all the time. But most of my other species almost never do.
superfreak
Well-known member
they will sometimes do it to each other. i also find reptiles scare the jeebies out of mine. if theyre sitting in the garden and a skink gets too close they go crazy.
Kaddock
Well-known member
There are so many comedians on the forum! Jeez! :lol:
I think I may have a hard time getting the affinis to display, as he is too darn friendly! He almost never gets startled, and basically begs to get on my hands, then won't get off...
The only time I have seen displays was before I split up my mendica nymphs... They were all sitting in a circle with their arms up... So cute!
Deimatic display huh? Thanks Phil!
idolomantis
Well-known member
And now for the dramatic image:
And then there's a third defense; playing dead, one of my D.lobata females likes to do this.
And if anyone has an image of a ghost pulling the "Deimatic display", show me, those things never do this.
And most people just call it threat pose.
And then there's a third defense; playing dead, one of my D.lobata females likes to do this.
And if anyone has an image of a ghost pulling the "Deimatic display", show me, those things never do this.
And most people just call it threat pose.
PhilinYuma
Well-known member
Yeah, I've never seen it in ghosts, either, I guess that they just like to stick with their camouflage. I just went and poked a female with a paintbrush. Noththing. And when I tried it on a male, he tried to eat the paintbrush. Beter give him a bunch of flies. He's working tonight.
Kaddock
Well-known member
OK, this is hopeless! The affinis actually did not even flinch while being annoyingly poked repeatedly in the nose, and I wasn't that nice about it...
I also tried freaking him out by smacking his attena and wings lightly with my fingers, and moving them around him very quickly to confuse... HE KEPT REACHING FOR THEM, and jumped on! He is soooo friendly! Sitting on my hand at the moment, couldn't get him off, and a breeze just blew in and he fluttered his wings!!! I am satisfied.
EDIT: I love spring, this is such a beautiful day!
I also tried freaking him out by smacking his attena and wings lightly with my fingers, and moving them around him very quickly to confuse... HE KEPT REACHING FOR THEM, and jumped on! He is soooo friendly! Sitting on my hand at the moment, couldn't get him off, and a breeze just blew in and he fluttered his wings!!! I am satisfied.
EDIT: I love spring, this is such a beautiful day!
Last edited by a moderator:
superfreak
Well-known member
i saw a video on youtube aaages ago with a couple of ghost nymphs displaying to each other. they lift their arms in the air and take turns wobbling from side to side. it cracked me up!
mantidian
Well-known member
try poking its butt.
it would either run away like a mental monkey or display
my budwings just molted to adult too.
it would either run away like a mental monkey or display
my budwings just molted to adult too.
Omen414
Active member
My brother caught video of his ghost nymphs doing it. I thought he was playing it sped up the whole time but it was normal speed. Hilarious maybe ill get him to post it some time.
Kaddock
Well-known member
I keep my two remaining B. mendicas in adjacent enclosures (betta fish tactic) and they display at each other every few days! Really cool! And they are nymphs... The adults will be amazing! They are so aggressive~ I can only imagine how cool the giant devils must be compared to my mini devils!!!
