Is my gastrica subadult/wingbuds??

[5eyesUK]

Hiya, just a learning question please, as its surprisingly hard to find this answer by googling....

So my 1st mantis, gastrica, is apparently a subadult now as someone saw in the pic. Is that correct? Are those wing buds? Is subadult the very last stage before adult or is there a few stages?

Im surprised that she should only have 1 molt left, she is not that big after all. What size do adult Gastricas grow into?

Thank you ☺

 

[River Dane]

She looks like a presub to me. Although I’ve never kept Sphrodos before

 

[5eyesUK]

Ok thats great, thank you! Theres not a lot of detailed info online like that when one is starting out

 

[Mantis Lady]

Yeah, she has 1 molt to go as  I see her wingbuds. I had them last year.

 

[5eyesUK]

Really Little Mantis? Just 1? But she only some 5 cm from head to end of abdomen long........? Someone was just telling me how very big gastricas grow..... This really surprises me.

 

[hysteresis]

Pre sub is two molts away from adult.

Sub is one molt away.

Mantises really grow in their last two molts, especially large species.

I have no further comment because im new. 🖐

 

[MantisGirl13]

Yeah, she has 1 molt to go as  I see her wingbuds. I had them last year.

The wingbuds will get larger and more shaped for subadult. She is pre-sub.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

hmm, I thouft they were big on her already, but I can be wrong

 

[5eyesUK]

Ok all of you lovely mantis peops, thank you for that. All of that makes sense now, i am now getting excited about her future growth spurt

Hysteresis lol please stop saying ur new, after so many posts lol ?!?

In that case I am still stuck in my own past life!!!  

 

[hysteresis]

Hysteresis lol please stop saying ur new, after so many posts lol

There are people in here that have been keeping mantises for decades.

Im humbled to stand in hallowed halls.

Im just a freaky "chatty nancy"!

 

[5eyesUK]

Ok, so I have taken a new pic of her ad now I really see those buds. (Was looking at the wrong bit ha ha dumb n00b!!)

So does this picture help to pinpoint it? Subadult then? Thank you very kindly for your wisdom

You know what is weird? Its like she reads my thoughts.... shes been very still and mostly near the "ceiling" hanging downwards and since shes not taking interest in food Im guessing she must be pre - molt again. But she only molted 12 days ago !?! ..... however, as I was near her with my camera, she completely changed position, climbed down and took a complete pose, perfect to give me a good view of the wing buds. Its like she wanted to show them to me! She settled in that pose and remained still...

Btw someone suggested to me to handle her a lot as a pre sub. (I havent handled her yet, have a strange fear of it lol, of either being "bitten" or that she runs and gets lost somewhere in my room...) I do want to handle her very much though, I want her to be a true pet if possible. Of course not if shes aboug to molt tho.

 

[5eyesUK]

There are people in here that have been keeping mantises for decades.

Im humbled to stand in hallowed halls.

I understand! Im humbled to breathe the dust off the hallowed halls' doorstep!!!!

 

[MantisGirl13]

Ok, so I have taken a new pic of her ad now I really see those buds. (Was looking at the wrong bit ha ha dumb n00b!!)

So does this picture help to pinpoint it? Subadult then? Thank you very kindly for your wisdom

You know what is weird? Its like she reads my thoughts.... shes been very still and mostly near the "ceiling" hanging downwards and since shes not taking interest in food Im guessing she must be pre - molt again. But she only molted 12 days ago !?! ..... however, as I was near her with my camera, she completely changed position, climbed down and took a complete pose, perfect to give me a good view of the wing buds. Its like she wanted to show them to me! She settled in that pose and remained still...

Btw someone suggested to me to handle her a lot as a pre sub. (I havent handled her yet, have a strange fear of it lol, of either being "bitten" or that she runs and gets lost somewhere in my room...) I do want to handle her very much though, I want her to be a true pet if possible. Of course not if shes aboug to molt tho.

View attachment 12135

She is a pre-sub I'm pretty sure. She shouldn't bite, so don't be scared of handling! 

- MantisGirl13

 

[River Dane]

Here’s a presub vs subadult pic of my Stagmomantis female. Her wingbuds are significantly smaller because females of her species have much smaller wings than gastricas. But ignoring size alone, you can kind of see how the buds take a more final shape in subadult and the patterns become clearer. The wingbuds also tend to be darker than the rest of the body at sub. They also bulge out a little more at subadult and look flatter as presubs, which can be hard to tell from most pics, but I still think yours is presub. 

 

[5eyesUK]

Here’s a presub vs subadult pic of my Stagmomantis female. Her wingbuds are significantly smaller because females of her species have much smaller wings than gastricas. But ignoring size alone, you can kind of see how the buds take a more final shape in subadult and the patterns become clearer. The wingbuds also tend to be darker than the rest of the body at sub. They also bulge out a little more at subadult and look flatter as presubs, which can be hard to tell from most pics, but I still think yours is presub. 

Great, River, thank you, thats very educational and useful to know!!