Lack of Ooth

xxdreamchas3r913 · Dec 25, 2010

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for so long! Just wanted to say I'm back! And MERRY CHRISTMAS PPL! However I had a question about my mantid. Remember when i said she seemed pregnant? Well she's been fat like that for the past 2 or 3 months or so. it's december now, and all the wild mantises have seem to died. I've already found an ooth of the same species outside months ago. How long does it usually take Limbatas to lay their ooth after they start getting really fat? Or about what month do they usually lay in captivity? I've only had one have an ooth years ago and it was infertile at that. I can't remember when it was. But I don't think it took this long...Please help guys she's getting really old. It's hard for her to catch her food. She hasn't even eaten the last couple days I'm guessing that means shes either ready to die or lay that ooth...=(

PhilinYuma · Dec 26, 2010

kova

Hi, Johnny. I remember your account of yr female Stagmomantis limbata because a wild-caught mated female was the first mantis that I kept. I caught her, starving in late October, and once she was nourished she laid ooths regularly until the following March, shortly before her death, though by that time they were just tiny, "token" ones.

Normally if I think that a female is egg bound (rare in my experience, despite the low RH here) I increase the humidity, but I know that S. limbata can lay in a RH of 20% or lower. Does she exhibit calling behavior? I would suggest that if you can find another male, you might try remating her.

@Rick: I saw you mention recently that you had never seen an account of calling behavior in the literature, and now I can't remember the thread! ;D It is mentioned as "pheromone release behavior" in Acanthops falcata in the Prete book, p.72, and there is a pic of the a female calling at fig. 5.1 I hope that helps.

Rick · Dec 26, 2010

I'm assuming you are saying she has been an adult and fat for a few months. In that case she should have layed by now. Do what Phil suggested. She is probably eggbound. Thanks for the info Phil. I couldn't remember if there was something official or just hobbyists' observations.

xxdreamchas3r913 · Dec 26, 2010

@Phil Wow she lived until March?? O.O Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to make her habitat better and more humid. And I don't think there are any more wild mantids now..I don't seen I've seen one this far into December before. But I can look? I think she DID exhibit calling behavior. I don't know what that looks like for sure, but she had her butt looking like she was gonna poop but she wasnt. I mean it kinda looked like she would be making some pheromones..

@Rick Hopefully she will lay before she dies...I'm alot more hopeful now that I learned they can live till March..but my female is eating less and less and shouldnt pregnant females eat alot? She just seems really old.

Thanks for the comments guys I'll keep you updated!

PhilinYuma · Dec 26, 2010

I agree that you are very unlikely to find a wild adult of either sex in the wild now. We always say here that adult mantids die with the first deep frost, but in Yuma, where we never even have a shallow frost (!) and there are plenty of prey insects around all winter, the adults seem to die out once the males have copulated and the females laid ooths. Perhaps, though, you could advertise for a male on the for "for sale-wanted" forum. I'm afraid that I only have ooths at the moment. Good luck!