I don't get it...

[rs4guy]

So my prized L3 female H. coronatus just molted, in a picture perfect enclosure(16oz w/ cloth top, 1 twig), yet one of her raptorial claws is all funky. What I'll deem as her humerus, is slightly bent sideways, and it makes her claw come out at an odd angle. She is otherwise in great health, eats, etc.. Why did this happen? just a fluke/bad luck? She in no way could have bottomed out/ bumped into something.. Being as this is my only female, I realllllly wanted her to be perfect, but I suppose as long as she can still reproduce I can always try another run with her brood.

 

[azn567]

Inbreeding? who knows.

There's always a chance for error.

But if it is inbreeding, than it is likely that her offspring will have even more molting problems.

 

[lunarstorm]

She just molted? I've noticed similar issues the first day after a molt in other species that eventually cleared up over the next few days (I gave the nymph extra humidity, dunno if that mattered much.)

If the anomaly persists the good news is it'll likely improve and hopefully vanish after future molts, right?

 

[PhilinYuma]

Hymenopus coronatus comes from the tropical rain forests of Malaysia, where it is very hot and very, very humid. If the room where you keep your orchid is comfortable, it is probably not humid enough. How do you provide humidity? It should be well over 80% RH.

Get a couple of 32oz deli cups; layer the bottom of both with some sphagnum moss or other absorbent material, covered by a disc of paper towel Moisten the moss in both pots equally; place the mantis in one and a digital thermometer/hygrometer in another (I always recomend the Caliber III from Amazon, which fits nicely into a 32oz pot but not a 16oz one). You'll be shooting for 80F/80%RH. By trial and error, discover how often you need to moisten the pot and whether you need a lamp s a heat source, sine the humidity will decrease the ambient temp.

You will find that this is a lot of work. That's why orchids are so expensive. Using this method, and with a little luck, your mantis may correct its deformity by the final molt. Let us know how things work out.

 

[Precarious]

It happens. If they have trouble pulling the claw out sometimes the joint over-extends. Should correct with next molt.

 

[rs4guy]

I'm no newcomer to tropical/neotropical species Philin. I mist 3 times a day, keep about a 75-85% RH in the enclosure using many layers of paper towel. Temps about 85ish, 75 at night. That's what I'm hoping for Precarious, time will tell.....

I hope it's not interbreeding, male and female seem fully normal otherwise...

 

[rs4guy]

She eats well, and drinks, so I think she will correct herself with the next few molts. Male also molted (no problems), and is now a sub adult I believe (L4).

 

[Termite48]

I suppose this thread is as good a place to share my experiences with a couple of Orchid females from the same ooth, and orignally from a shipment that was shared with others from Poland. The girls each molted to adult without a hitch, a couple of weeks apart as fate would have it. They must have had different levels of food intake because they were in the same net cage, therefore the conditions for growing were identical. This makes the case for a breeder trying to pay attention as to the individual needs of a prized mantis, rather than the average needs. If the breeder has a heat lamp to provide the prescribed range of warmth for the specific species being reared, then what about the local conditions. Does the warmth next to the lamp provide the same temperature reading as in the most distal location in the cage? The same with humidity. Are the readings you are getting the same throughout the enclosure? Are the individual feeder insects gut-loaded with some degree of consistency? Does the one individual always seem to get the feeder insect available and the other mantid not? How is it that my two adult females both died after being mated and ate like champs for a while. The one which molted to adult first layed a very ugly ooth and then went on a fading stage and died. The second one which was always the better eater went on a hunger strike before laying her ooth and she died while I had her on a Thanksgiving visit away from home. I took her with me and placed warming packs near her. I even offered her juicy meal worm halves and she took a few licks and refused the rest. If anyone reading this log can identify with it and has some suggestions, I would like to know what I did wrong. I perhaps was wrong by seldom turning off the heat lamp. which was to augment the bug room's ambient temperature of about 70 degrees. I was aiming for 80-90 degrees with humidity above 70 per cent. This is sometimes hard to get with the measures that I was taking to achieve it. If there is one thing where I could improve it would be the heat and the r/l. Please offer suggestions if you think you have something worthwhile to post. I am heart broken after having only two females out of seven total Orchids. They are my favorite of all. I have not had the pleasure of scores of different species like some of you, but the personality not just the beauty of the Orchids are what make them my favorite and therefore I need help if I am to try again. Thanks to Henry and Tammy for their advise and help in making suggestions and observations having gone through the same issues themselves nearly at the same times.

 

[lunarstorm]

Sorry to hear of the troubles, hang in there Rich. I don't have any helpful entomological suggestions for you but I hope you're not too discouraged and the heartaches fade soon.

I expect to see orchid nymphs in the U.S. circulating at some point in the coming months, I'd be happy to try to grab some at the same time with you. Perhaps by raising a batch from the same ooth and comparing detailed notes on Hymenopus Coronatus (temp, RH, enclosure types, feeding details, etc. similar to the idolomantis diabolica consolidated thread), we can work together to figure out how to best raise the gorgeous species?

 

[Termite48]

There are a few success stories now. I believe that Yen Saw has had a recent hatch and Precarious is waiting on a beautiful huge ooth. Also Tammy Wolfe is sitting on a beautiful ooth. My ooth is so ugly, I cannot expect much from it. One thing about my latest experience is that I was able to get all seven of the L-3s presented to me, to the adult stage. Hopefully one of more of the males, some of which I let go to others who needed them, found a better fate and even perhaps lent their precious genes to some of the ready and willing Orchid ladies in the U.S. I hope that is true.

 

[PhilinYuma]

I'm no newcomer to tropical/neotropical species Philin. I mist 3 times a day, keep about a 75-85% RH in the enclosure using many layers of paper towel. Temps about 85ish, 75 at night. That's what I'm hoping for Precarious, time will tell.....

I hope it's not interbreeding, male and female seem fully normal otherwise...

.Sorry, rsd4guy, I didn't realize that you are an experienced breeder. There are a few other conditions that can cause mismolts, but as an old timer, I guess you know those too --in fact I'm wondering why you asked the question? Good news though, the mismolt is not from inbreeding. Inbreeding events are fairly uncommon in insects, and they are systemic, such as the lower fecundity that we find in domestic Drosophila melanogaster strains, reduced hatch rates due to nymphal developmnt failure, lopsided sex ratios and shortend life spans, not an isolated event like an occasional mismolt Hope that cheers you up!

BTW, I noticed that you and a fair number of folks over the years shorten my name to "Philin". Actually, my signature means Phil in Yuma