Limbata ooth?

[agent A]

hello all, I was sent an ooth labeled as stagmomantis californica, but i am not convinced it is californica

i think it's limbata

here is how the following pics go:

the 2 compared to each other, my new ooth, and yen's old californica ooth,

 

[CoolMantid]

If you are unsure. YOu can look at some google images. Remeber S. Limbata and S. Californica are almost idenctical species.

 

[happy1892]

Maybe you can ask on bugguide.net.

 

[happy1892]

Those are good pictures agent A.

 

[CoolMantid]

Happy1892 helped me out to idnetify the species. S. Limbata are completely brown with a light brown zipper.

 

[happy1892]

So that is Stagmomantis limbata right?

 

[CoolMantid]

No the other picture I showed you was a Stagmomantis Limbata. This is a S. Californica. Agent A- I have 2 more fo these strung in my backyard.

 

[happy1892]

You wrote "S. Limbata are completely brown with a light brown zipper." The one in the picture is completely brown with a light brown zipper.

 

[happy1892]

Which one is yen's old californica ooth?

 

[happy1892]

The lighter colored one or the dark one?

 

[CoolMantid]

The one I sent Agent A is the darker one

S. Limbata are completely brown

S. Californica are Dark Brown with a white zipper like in the picture

 

[CoolMantid]

This is my S. Limbata. See the difference

 

[CoolMantid]

Sorry its so blury. Its the only picture I have

 

[agent A]

The lighter, fatter one is yens and the long thin one is yours

Personally I don't care which it is

I did have problems with californica before so maybe limbata is something better

U said it yourself, they r almost identical, so it doesn't really matter, though I'd still like to know wat it is definitively

 

[CoolMantid]

I sent the S. Limbata ooth in the picture to Carey and the S. Californica to you. I saw the female laying it.

 

[agent A]

then i'm thinkin that there is some variation in californica, since yen's ooth is from an arizona female and yours is from california, the structure of the ooths may vary

just a guess though, rick will probably read this and go "the ooths of the same species will not have that much variation" or something but i'm not sure what it is

i'm stumped

 

[ismart]

The lighter colored one is a californica ooth. The darker one is a limbata ooth.

 

[agent A]

i thought so!!!

 

[CoolMantid]

No I have to disagree.

The adult females of both species are nearly identical except for a small difference in coloration in there hindrwings. I sent an S. Limbata to Carey

Personally, I think that S. Limbatas are very rare to find in CA but I have found an S. Limbata at the basketball court at my school. I did check the hindwings (yellow and discovered it was and S. Limbata) (Maybe not as rare as I thought) There is also a very distinct difference in their ootheca. S. Limbata is shorter and more wide compared to s. Californcia which is Longer,.

In adults S. Limbata show more Molted Colors in brown while S. Californica are more of a solid green. To tell a complete difference look at the top of the abdomen near prothorax, S. calilfornica has 3 dark color stripes while S. limbata has none. S. californica has black hind wings with reddish color on coastal vein region and purplish at the base. The adult mantis who laid and ootheca (Its the one is sent you) had a red hindwing. So you have to look at color,wing difference, and ootheca to tell the difference in this species.