is it easy

[bruty2fruity]

to stunt a mantids growth?

 

[Johnald Chaffinch]

feed it less and keep it cooler, i think both these have an affect on the speed they develop

 

[bruty2fruity]

right, tonight i shall have fotos my my mantises, some are so tiny even as adult it makes me wonder, would they still produce big ooths?

 

[julian camilo]

it is easy, and is good for slowing down for example a male, to let a female catch up (when they have one more moult). or if some of the nymphs are from another batch and a few moults behind this also works.

 

[Jwonni]

looks like these answers are for slowing a mantis's growth whereas i beleive the original question is to make a species that should be large as an adult be a small adult when fully grown

 

[julian camilo]

ah right. i think it would be very hard to grow an adult in captivity that was much noticeably smaller than another in your captivity on purpose.

 

[bruty2fruity]

right. hopefully if these are chinese mantids i will show everyone my crazy pics of my fiesty midgets. now the next question is. if that is the case and i have a rediculessly small mantis...would it produce smaller ooths with obviously a smaller egg/larvae count, or would they still be the same size as a larger specimen of the same species... would the hatchlings take the characteristics of their parents, or just grow to suit their surroundings?

 

[Jwonni]

As the mantis wouod be smaller it would not have as much space to form eggs/foam so i would have to guess they would be smaller

 

[rlechols]

I had wild-caught chinese mantids last year--some lived until almost Christmas, and almost all laid ooths. Most of the mantids were about 4 inches, except one was 4 1/2 inches, and one was only 3 3/8 inches. The smaller mantis did lay smaller ooths, and the bigger mantids laid quite large ooths, but decreasing in size as they laid more and more. Unfortunately, the ooth of the small mantid didn't hatch, but I'm assuming her nymphs would have been the same size as any other chinese mantis--there would just be fewer of them.

 

[bruty2fruity]

thats what im thinking. my mantis is 2.5 inches. it has all the characteristics of a chinese...though it is just small.

 

[wuwu]

have anyone noticed any negative side effects to slowing a mantid's growth? like infertility perhaps?

 

[Rick]

thats what im thinking. my mantis is 2.5 inches. it has all the characteristics of a chinese...though it is just small.

Got a pic of it?

 

[bruty2fruity]

i keep meaning to get one as my camera isnt that good. infact its poor quality. but i just am a bit drawn at the mo. hopefully tomorow, hopefully. ill put a ruler next to it aswell

 

[julian camilo]

if they are indeed smaller than the others, i assume they would lay smaller oothecas. however, im pretty sure they are only smaller due to lower egg count, not size. the nymphs that hatch out will be of equivalent size to others, i assume.

 

[bruty2fruity]

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bruty2fruity/

ive only uploaded a few, quality isnt that grat due to lighting in my room. but i shall get some better ones. but checkem out

 

[julian camilo]

7cm, isnt that about right for a male? it doesnt seem that tiny to me, but ive never kept tenodera. also, is this the only tiny one you have? because if so you shouldnt be worried about the ootheca size if the females are normal size.

 

[bruty2fruity]

the female is tiny too. kinda filled out odly but still small. no where near the size of my african mantids. also i have astrage mantis which i dont knoe the species of (if that makes sense) infact 2 of them. that male and the other one. but the small male i purchased as a grandis...beleive m it aint no grandis

 

[bruty2fruity]

ok, im going to link my pix if ppl could help me id be appreciative

heres my supposed chinese female only cm long

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3789.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3787.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3784.jpg

heres my gian indians

i dont know if this is th male or the female

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3783.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3777.jpg

the other giant indian

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3766.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3762.jpg

this is my mysetery mantid - bare in mind it had red blotches and is far stockier than any of my giant indians - i think its a marbled mantid

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3757.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3749.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3746.jpg

i think this one also is a marbled mantid but he's tiny - he also used to have red blotches.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3733.jpg

if anyone could help me identify and sex the mantids here itd be a great help

 

[wuwu]

your mystery mantid looks like a c. humeralis to me.