Hierodula colors - normal or illness?

[thalassarche]

A local friend got me into mantises after she bought her budwing nymph. She's out of town right now and I'm caring for her bugs now alongside my own, her budwing and the H. majuscula nymph I gave her when she expressed interest in getting a big mantis. The other four majusculas that I kept have gone through two molts and are still mostly green in coloration, but this one has very different colors after its last molt. I did some googling and it looks like the colors are a rarer phase for majusculas, but I'm a bit concerned about the darker spot on the abdomen and whether it might be a sign of infection. In attitude this little nymph is still hunting readily, zooms out of its enclosure and up my arm in the blink of an eye, and otherwise doesn't seem sick, but I would appreciate some input from those more experienced than I! I do have some honey and bee pollen I can offer if I can get the little one to sit still long enough to nibble it off a toothpick.

Here's the best photo I managed to show the black spot on the abdomen. There's also darker lines running up the thorax as if lining the shield.

 

[patrickfraser]

It looks pretty normal. Just a different color "morph". They sometimes will phase in and out of colors as nymphs, but usually will end up green as adults. Only time will tell, but It looks ok now..

 

[gripen]

That is normal coloration.

 

[thalassarche]

Thanks! I thought/hoped that was the case, but since this is someone else's pet in my care, I want to be extra careful, you know? Anyway, thanks for the input!