Idolomantis Consolidated

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i am a little slower than you guys, all of mine are sub-adult. i think my boys are about to molt though, have some pretty swollen bud-wings. other than that they are doing great! no real problems at all. defiantly my favorite mantis!

 
Glad it's all going well for you Alice(;

I had more good fortune, I may rename my self angeloflife if all goes well?

2nd ooth from my prego girl, can't believe I caught her again on film??? :)

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Nick: Congratulations are definitely in order here for all your work, the mantis' cooperation and the end result of two (so far) oothecae. Please, when you get time, post for the rest of us a normal time elapsed from mating to 1st ooth, 2nd ooth. The 2nd item of intested for me, especially since I am the caretaker of two oothecae from a long way across the pond, what is the normal dimensions of an Idolo ooth, and if possible the weight of a fertile ooth. I will share my info as well. The two I am incubating are approximately 5 cm in length and 2.5-2.8 cm in width. Good job!

 
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Again, nice work! Love the Tiger's logo on the lighter!

Nick: The numbers on the first page of this thread are accurate on my count two times through - I was late by only 5 days, and I've kept them much cooler than the last time around (so not a huge change in numbers based on temp for me).

Not sure the weight of the ooths is going to be much use, as size REALLY varies. If you haven't read other posts from Phil and a few others (and I agree), there's is a growing interest in a drench/dry approach for the ooths, instead of a constant humidity. Warm/cold, dry/wet. Since we KNOW they hatch in trnasit on long (5-day plus) journeys, light CAN'T be the only trigger that get's them hatching. or at least, it's not that simple. Well, at least we KNOW they CAN hatch in the dark. :)

 
I need to bring my tape measure in from my van lol and measure them, sorry I will soon I promise Rich. But here is some 4 day old news from me that I finally had time to bring you, I know I make you sick with the good news, but 2nd female is mated!!!

Just shoot me(;

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UPDATES:

A few health issues I've been meaning to present here.

1. Shield Rot...?

Below is a picture of an Idolo male with what I call Shield Rot. Never seen it before, and not sure what it is. It's been a week and he doesn't seem bothered by it. I'll post more if it seems to affect his health.

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2. Chinese libido knows no boundaries

Here's a pic of what happened when I put a small male Chinese in my Idolo pen for a few hours. He tried to mount my day-old adult Male... Crazy!

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3. It's not ALL bad news...

Here's a pic of one of my gals from a few weeks back, that had trouble inflating her wings (we think she may have fell at some point, and got back up). Weeks later, she's healthy, eating well, and calling regularly (but the boys won't have anything to do with her). But she's evidence that a bad molt isn't ALWAYS a death sentence (but, generally it IS... sigh).

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HEALTH UPDATE:

Two other mysteries solved...

1. CURVED LEGS

I've had larger nymphs come out of a molt with curved legs. I finally got to witness this happening. A large female molted a few inches from the front glass - the only surface not (yet) coated with something gripable.

When she was stabilizing herself, I watched as she tried over and over to brace herself with the foot, unable to grip anything. She did it so many times, that she re-shaped her leg in a curve, and flattened out the hooks on her tips.

After about an hour, that leg was worthless. So, when it came time to flip and inflate her wings, since it was one of her front legs, she couldn't get the angle right, and the wings were perfectly straight, but wouldn't close completely. Wish I'd have gotten pictures.

He overall look was not DIS-similar to the female pictured above. She is more lethargic than her sisters in the same circumstances, and I'm doubtful of her survival chances.

I will probably/possibly add a thin "ribs" to the glass (similar to your rear window defrosters).

2. MESSY WINDOWS

A long time ago, I posted that the back wall behind my screen enclosures looked like a Jackson Pollack painting - all splatters of something or other. I thought it might be blood and guts that squirted out when my Idolos & Gongy's bit into a fly. But I finally got to see what it really was - first hand.

I had never noticed before that my mantids didn't JUST have solid waste. But I watched an L4ish mantis shoot out a small jet of liquid from his hind quarters. It looked like a cat spraying a bush with urine. Where it hit the glass matched the spray on the wall. Somehow, I had never seen that happen before.

 
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I just got a few of them recently as l1s and are l2 now and out of 5 I have 2 are left.I can say that I keep them in the same conditions as my other species in room temperature with little or no humidity and they seem to be adjusted just as well as the other species. so it is my observation is one size does fit all usually and would work on most species of mantis using the same conditions unless its a real exotic species needing extremely humid conditions. So i think keeping them at the same temperature and the same environment works for me though most would disagree. but I find it is not a problem in my experience!

 
As far as your wrinkled wing gal, I think it may be hard for a male to mount her? But hey you never know Bud, I wish her/you well and I'm sure she's loving all the extra attention I know you and your staff give her(;

Update: 2nd Female laid her first ooth this morning, so 3 in total now, all fertile out of 3 laid.

And Massaman, to each his own by all means! But we/us have put in alot of time and effort into writing all these pages and going from step A to Z for all to see and learn from, but hey I wish you luck on your method of no special treatment, do keep us posted on that.

 
Yeah, I think she's a novelty, and not going to be mated, unless i cut the wings (which I kind of think is a visual cue - note the Chinese male mounting the winged female... Although, the same thing happened with a short-winged female Violin, so maybe not).

And massaman - keep us posted. I don't predict sucess, but this thread illustrates plenty of exceptions (and a few new "rules"). See keep us in the loop!

 
So is that a male or female the Chinese is on, you've said both?

Do be careful if you trim her wings, I've never done it but I hear they run the risk of bleeding out, and super glue would be to hard to use in that location?

 
My males have finally molted to adult and girls are close to fallow. i had no molting issues and they all look good. As i read through the post, its awesome to see the great success everyone is having with molting and breeding, i hope i am soon to join in. Hands down for me this has been the most rewarding species and getting ooths(and hatching them) will be the ultimate reward!

 
Nick, you mentioned that you have had three oothecae laid to date and that all are fertile. Is this based on that you have seen the matings, or is there a method of candling the ooth that lets you know that there are virile embryonic nymphs inside the ooth?

 
Rich: I caught and photographed each female mating/connected for more than 4 hours each, the first girl mated twice. It's been posted here for all to see? Look above and on the previous page. So no I don't have absolute proof the male seeded her, but it's as close to a sure thing as I can get.

 
Thanks for such an informative post. I do have one question (and I'm sorry if it's been covered before- it's hard to search for): What does IGM # 25 mean? Does it refer to the specific species of the insect?

 
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meaganelise9 said:
Thanks for such an informative post. I do have one question (and I'm sorry if it's been covered before- it's hard to search for): What does IGM # 25 mean? Does it refer to the specific species of the insect?
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The IGM list is for enthusiasts that would like to know specific information about their mantids. For example, IGM 198 is a stock of Idolomantis from Musoma, Tanzania. This is a geographically distinct group that is slightly different that the Idolomantis of IGM 130 stock (Kenyan group that is somewhat smaller with more vibrant colors).

It is similar to humans: We are all Homo sapien, yet there are geographical differences in phenotype (looks), genetic predispositions, etc.

Some stocks have been diluted throughout the trade, particularly of the very common species.

 
Oh, interesting. Thanks. So I suppose if someone is selling me something and refers to a particular number, he probably knows what he's doing.

 
Update: I've got my adult Idolos now in very large net cubes (something like 35" across). They are under the heat lamps for warmth, and I should have the Repti-fogger setup later tonight.

I lined the top (and one side) of one of the cubes with the same nylon carpet liner (mesh) I've been using in most of the cages. It's working out really well. They ALWAYS hold on to the mesh - adjusting until they're off the netcube mesh, and firmly on the nylon liner.

I have some concerns that their feet and claws will get stuck in the net cube mesh (I've seen it with other species).

They seem to mate more freely in the larger, better ventilated enclosure. Speculation, of course.

I still have my eye on the really, really big Net cages... just not sure where to put it. :)

 
Yeah please keep us up to date on how the big net cube mesh works out, I was worried about the snagging of the tarsus, getting stuck or damaged?

Update: I'm now closing in on a half dozen fertile ooths, one laid this morning. And I plan on keeping all the babies for myself! Just kidding, I will throw a Idolo nymph party and everyone is invited, but only if my males spunk was good, time will tell? Fingers crossed.

 

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