Guess The Ootheca

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Woodbox

Woodbox

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I was on break at work when my friend started getting upset. He thought somebody put gum on his radio antenna on his car. I immediately knew it was something I always look for when I am walking in scrub. I grabbed it off gently and took it home. I am guessing it was laid by Pseudovates? I am in NE Florida, USA.

It looks fertile to me. As soon as I got home, I set up a fruit fly trap. Spring is on top of me now so I expect these will hatch soon. I want to build 2-3 screen net houses for a few adults but am unsure about nymph care. I will obviously need to let go most of them since I dont plan to keep an army. I want to start out with 10-20 depending so I can release those I dont want as soon as I can sex them.

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I really don't know what species ooth it is; but it looks like a Phyllovates chlorophaea ooth to me. I didn't think they were found that far east though, which would contradict my guess.

 
This is amazing! I am really not very interested in guessing what species the ooth is; you will discover that as the nymphs grow, if it is fertile, but I am amazed that you have irrefutable evidence that the female has overwintered and is still able to lay eggs.

If the ooth is infertile, it could be that the female is very old and found somewhere to live, perhaps indoors,during the cold months, but if it is fertile, it means that the female is younger and almost certainly mated during the winter. This in turn suggests the possibility of two generations a year of this species. There has been discussion, by Hurd, I think, that some desert species might overwinter as adults (and next week I shall meet with a local entomologist with whom I can discuss this), but I have never read any evidence that any U.S. species has two generations (is bivoltine or "partially" bivoltine).

Really, really keep us informed on this, mate!

 
Katnapper said:
I really don't know what species ooth it is; but it looks like a Phyllovates chlorophaea ooth to me. I didn't think they were found that far east though, which would contradict my guess.
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It does look like Phylovates chlorophaea but I am not sure if they are found that far east. It is probably s. carolina even though it really doesn't look like one. It looks like it has already hatched to me.

 
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hmm, Does anybody else think this thing is empty. I don't know what to look for. My friend saw it for the first time the other day but he does not strike me as a very observant individual. I think it might have been there all winter in which case the ootheca has weathered a few car washes which I bet wont bother it any. After I perked his interest, he looked at pictures online and said he sees green mantises all the time. Im guessing Carolina or Chinese.

 
It looks like it may have hatched. However it is also deformed a bit as eggs are exposed. The exposed eggs look fairly fresh so perhaps it hasn't hatched. Hang onto it and see.

 
!!!!

I just ordered 3 chinese ooths. I had given up on this ooth. I was walking by the container that I put it in and noticed MANTIDS!!! I will be posting pics in a few minutes. I had then in a container which has dirt with lots of little tiny bugs. mites and things. They were directly under a baby bird nest so I know bird poo fell on top of the screen which attracted other things. I have no exp with baby mantids so I dont know the instar. pics coming.

 
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Ok, I counted 13. Most look great, only one is dieing. I figure Ill single out a few in those glad cups and keep the rest in that parent container.

Drinking



Container on the right is where I had the ooth









 
It pays to be prepared. I have 6 in individual cups and I stuck one of my fly motels with fruit flies inside the parent container. The fruit flies can go in and out of that thing so they should keep the rest happy. So these are Carolina Mantids?





 
HOpefully someone can identify that nymph.

 
To me they look different from L1 Chinese nymphs, so they might be Carolina mantises. I never saw Carolinas at L1, let alone at all.

 

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