Ghost mating - connection time?

[kamakiri]

Trina (FG3) made her first ooth today. 12 days after mating. She was fairly skinny when I got her, so I think she spent that time for oogenesis, since she did not lay right away. She did start a foam spot yesterday, but I don't know if she was disturbed. I'm guessing a 'false start', since today's ooth was interrupted because she started too low on the stick. Stopped laying and moved further up the stick and continued laying maybe an hour later.

Part of a test for oogenesis will be how soon her sister Quinn (FG4) takes to make her first ooth. They were on roughly the same feeding schedule, but were mated at significantly different times, 9 days apart.

And while I don't have a lot of experience with ghosts, I was pretty certain that they wouldn't know the difference between sticks and their ooths, so the ooths come out as soon as possible, except when I got that one munched by a cric .

 

[kamakiri]

Liana (FG2) made her 7th ooth today, 9 days after her last. It has definitely been colder lately 67-69 inside the house overnight. She has been well fed since the last ooth.

 

[kamakiri]

Sorry I am late with this one, u both did fine, they will be fertile so don't worry about that. I didn't answer because I thought with all the post someone else was gonna, so here I am, late but here.The ooths will be fertile and in 6 or 7 weeks from now u will have babies, get the nurseries ready and don't forget grandma will buy extra ooths B)

You're predictions are 2 for 2! That first ooth hatched today, exactly 6 weeks from this post! I'm sending you the 3rd ooth, because the 2nd one would probably hatch in transit.

 

[kamakiri]

Trina is not proving to be a very smart mantis. She started her second ooth this morning, like her first, way too close to the bottom of the stick. *Sigh* I suppose I should give her better, more open options to compensate. This one was laid 8 days after her first.

Quinn appears that she is not mated, or not fertile... as I have noticed her calling again over the weekend and this morning. It also may have been too soon for the male. I'll try them again tonight, or maybe with the new, younger male.

 

[kamakiri]

My 4th female (Quinn) was going to be part of an experiment to see how long before she laid the infertile ooth, fed on the same schedule as one of her previously mated sisters. Every morning for the last week, and since getting 'fat', she has been calling for a mate. I really hate watching the girls call, so I cancelled the experiment and had her mated with Ron. Oh, well.

That mating a connection was not witnessed, but the male (Ron) did manage to dismount and go on walkabout. Quinn is currently connected to MG2 (Black & white). Been together for about 1 hour now.

 

[kamakiri]

Today at lunch I saw Quinn making this short little ooth:

That was it, and a little weird looking being laid on end. Maybe 4 to 6 eggs in it. I hope she tries again tomorrow and makes something normal looking...and on a stick.

 

[kamakiri]

Quinn FG4 made her first normal ooth today 11/11 to follow the little one on the cloth lid yesterday. Liana made her 8th shortly after.

 

[kamakiri]

Liana's 2nd ooth hatched today!...forgot to bring the flash card with me so I'll try to post some pics later tonight.

Was really nice to finally see a ghost ooth hatch!! Too bad I didn't have the time to take them out for the shoot...had to shoot through the deli tub walls quick count was over 20. I guess I'll see when I get home.

 

[kamakiri]

Looks like 36 hatched from Liana's 2nd. Confuses me a little since they're the same length... :huh: ???

 

[ismart]

Looks like 36 hatched from Liana's 2nd. Confuses me a little since they're the same length... :huh: ???

Wow! Thats a great hatch rate! Maybe not all from the first ooth developed properly, and hatched out?

 

[beckyl92]

your so lucky!

mine won't even mate. how long do the males live for? his been adult for about 10 weeks now.. i am screwed if he dies on me before my girls are mated.

 

[kamakiri]

Wow! Thats a great hatch rate! Maybe not all from the first ooth developed properly, and hatched out?

Well, I was disappointed with the first of this batch since the only other ooth I hatched in April had more than 40. 42, IIRC.

Posted hatching pictures here

 

[kamakiri]

Maybe not all from the first ooth developed properly, and hatched out?

I partially dissected that ooth and there were some that appeared unfertilized, and some that appear to have been fertilized and developed or partially developed, but failed to hatch. Some of those that were developed were not dried-out...others were, but it has been a week and a half since it hatched.

As I recall from the last hatched ooth that I cracked open, every zig and zag of the 'zipper' contained two ova. So a zipper like \/\/\/\/\/ would contain about 18 eggs. This ooth should have had 30+.

Update:

Trina made her 3rd ooth today on the plastic grid. They've seemed to prefer the sticks I've included, but I've been wondering if they'd lay on the cloth lid or the plastic grid.

 

[yeatzee]

could you describe this "calling" that the females do? I haven't recognized this behavior with my female, and she is more than old enough to begin mating.

 

[kamakiri]

could you describe this "calling" that the females do? I haven't recognized this behavior with my female, and she is more than old enough to begin mating.

It's bending the abdomen down (ventrally) so that the tergites (back segments) are visible. Presumably to help disperse pheremones. It sorta looks like when the females 'tap' their ovipositor to look for a place to lay, but without the tapping and walking around. Am I making sense?

 

[kamakiri]

Update:

Liana made a weird shaped ooth on her lid last Thursday 11/19. Quinn followed with her 2nd on 11/20.

First batch of hatchlings are all L2. The 2nd batch are still L1.

 

[kamakiri]

Trina made her 4th ooth on the lid. This one is pretty small. Liana's 3rd ooth hatched after shipping. Her 4th hatched one out today. I guess the rest will be tomorrow? :huh:

 

[AmandaLynn]

My ghost still hasn't laid a second ooth yet. I thought she was going to last Thurs. but then she climbed back up to her lid. I don't know what the hold up is. She's pretty fat, maybe she needs to be remated....

 

[kamakiri]

My ghost still hasn't laid a second ooth yet. I thought she was going to last Thurs. but then she climbed back up to her lid. I don't know what the hold up is. She's pretty fat, maybe she needs to be remated....

When was the first one laid? Mine all seem to be from 5 to 9 day intervals.

Liana's 3rd ooth hatched after shipping. Her 4th hatched one out today. I guess the rest will be tomorrow? :huh:

42 more hatched today! Too bad I got up a bit too late to get more pictures...

 

[AmandaLynn]

When was the first one laid? Mine all seem to be from 5 to 9 day intervals.42 more hatched today! Too bad I got up a bit too late to get more pictures...

She laid her first ooth on the 14th. So it's been 12 days now.