How come I cant find any mantids?!?

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Now where and what is it?

Deroplatys_lobata_Gunung_Serapi_2007_verkleinert.jpg

 
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this is like "wheres wally?"!

i see it in the bottom right quarter of the photo. i assume some kind of mantis but have no idea on species. the abdomen is slightly curled round like the tail on some dogs, front arms/legs outstrectehd like popa/acromantis/sybilla/others. what species is it?

 
i dunno, but i find it depressing someone will soon destroy such a fine habitat for all those creatures :( esp the small spike like insects! :mellow:
I dont want to seem like I just want to geedaly take from the wild, but the entire lot I found is going to be buldozed and built over probably killing 90% of the mantids there anyway. I think that mabey if I caut some, they would have a better chance of living than if I left them there. :(

 
Here's another one. I will give the answers with the third and last picture. I cannot upload more per day, my attachment file is filled up with 246 kb already.

Deroplatys_lobata_2_Gunung_Serapi_2007_verkleinert.jpg

 
I can't upload a third pic. So where is the mantis in the second one? Mrblue found the first.

 
Here's another one. I will give the answers with the third and last picture. I cannot upload more per day, my attachment file is filled up with 246 kb already.
Just down and to the right of center. Looking at the camera with legs folded out in front and up high.

 
Yeah. So both are Deroplatys lobata nymphs in their natural habitat, just prior to collecting. I have another picture, but my attachment folder seems to be full.

 
Some of you can't find them even in a photo of a very small part of the habitat. Now imagine how it is to find those in the rainforest! Finding mantids in the temperate zone can't be compared to this. There, you have a habitat of about 1 m height, in the tropics you have habitats of 60 m height. Even the portion that you can overlook ist still about 3 m high. And much more structurated than an old field. That's why the most spectacular species (which are the visually best protected ones) are so rarely available. And when they are, the effort that was necessary to obtain and subsequently breed them isn't even appreciated. I made this experience with D. trigonodera. It would not be worth the effort at all if I wasn't interested in some aspects of the life cycle of such species.

 
It is not easy spotting crptive species in the wild. My poor eye sight doesn't help either. I circled the one found from Christian pics for anyone having trouble finding the mantis.

solve1.jpg


solve2.jpg


 
Some of you can't find them even in a photo of a very small part of the habitat. Now imagine how it is to find those in the rainforest! Finding mantids in the temperate zone can't be compared to this. There, you have a habitat of about 1 m height, in the tropics you have habitats of 60 m height. Even the portion that you can overlook ist still about 3 m high. And much more structurated than an old field. That's why the most spectacular species (which are the visually best protected ones) are so rarely available. And when they are, the effort that was necessary to obtain and subsequently breed them isn't even appreciated. I made this experience with D. trigonodera. It would not be worth the effort at all if I wasn't interested in some aspects of the life cycle of such species.
If it helps Christian, I appreciate it.

 

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