When she was mated has nothing to do with when she will make her ooth. She will lay soon. I usually mate them again after they have laid a couple.
Firstly, i must admit that i have no experience with
Polyspilota, but i think it's somewhat hasty to suggest that there is no relationship between copulation and the laying of the first ootheca. Although there are certainly many variables that affects ootheca laying; using mrblue's records on his blogs and allowing for plus or minus 1 day recording errors, i will list the date of conception and the intervals between each ootheca-laying (post and pre first ootheca after conception). Unfortunately, many of the variables were uncontrolled i.e temperature, humidity and photoperiod, but i presume the virgin adult males and females were in optimal conditions (extremely well fed and mature) and were in close proximity to many suitable laying perches (as i have seen mrblue's dedication to his mantids husbandry, i think such presumptions are fair). Here is the list:
Phyllocrania paradoxa: mated on 02/05/08
*first fertile ootheca laid on 03/05/08 -
1 dpc (days post copulation)
*second fertile ootheca laid on 08/05/08 -
6 dpc (5 days interval)
*third fertile ootheca laid on 16/05/08 -
14 dpc (8 days interval) although fertility needs to be confirmed
Pseudocreobotra occelata: mated on 09/03/08
*first fertile ootheca laid on 13/03/08 -
4 dpc
*second fertile ootheca laid on 19/03/08 -
10 dpc (6 days interval)
Pseudocreobotra occelata: mated on 09/03/08
*first fertile ootheca laid on 13/03/08 -
4 dpc
*second fertile ootheca laid on 19/03/08 -
10 dpc (6 days interval)
Acromantis formonosa: mated on 06/03/08
*first fertile ootheca laid on 09/03/08 -
3 dpc
*second fertile ootheca laid on 17/03/08 -
11 dpc (8 days interval)
*third fertile ootheca laid on 23/03/08 -
17 dpc (6 days interval)
From these records it is clear that the first fertile ootheca was laid between 1-4 days after copulation, and the intervals between laying are between 5-8 days. I've listed the records, i'll let you decide on whether "When she was mated has nothing to do with when she will make her ooth". Although the records are entirely biased towards Hymenopodidae, other trends could be evident in other Orders. From my own personal experience with
Pseudempusa, similar trend was observed with the female laying an ootheca 4 days after copulation.
Now i've presented the records and highlighted the speculated trends (based on some evidence), but i can not make a clear conclusion due to the nature of the data and lack of repeats, therefore it would interesting to read about what other people's opinions.
