Cool, Kamakiri... I like those stripes too! 
M. religiosa diapause/breeding 2009 season
- Thread starter kamakiri
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kamakiri
Well-known member
Had a couple of girls molt to L7/subadult last night, and geez they look like they've more than doubled in size! The boys should follow shortly as some of them aren't eating.
They must molt pretty quickly. I was just looking at one hanging and it seemed like just a few minutes later she was inflated and I noticed her kicking the old exo off.
They must molt pretty quickly. I was just looking at one hanging and it seemed like just a few minutes later she was inflated and I noticed her kicking the old exo off.
kamakiri
Well-known member
Only one male followed shortly and I guess L6 is subadult for males...since he's an adult.
One of the others is yellow and white, is that 'normal'? I've only seen them brown and green before.
One of the others is yellow and white, is that 'normal'? I've only seen them brown and green before.
my ooths havent hatched. they are from females I caught outside. i left them in my backyard so that they can hatch when spring arrives, but most spring critters are already here. the ooths look large compared to when they where laid. Should I give them some time or throw them away I think ill give them a month or so
I think ill give them a month or so
ismart
Well-known member
All 17 of my M. religiosa siedleckii are doing very well. 9 of my 11 males have all sucsessfully moulted to adulthood. I just had my first female moult to adult today. I'm becoming quite pleased with the turn out for this species. I hope i can continue this species for a few more generations.
Hey Ismart,
Are yours "normal sized"? Seems mine are noticibly smaller then the other Europeans I've had. Maybe I've just been underfeeding them!
Are yours "normal sized"? Seems mine are noticibly smaller then the other Europeans I've had. Maybe I've just been underfeeding them!
ismart
Well-known member
Hey Hypoponera,
Your observation is on point. The females are deffinetly smaller than your common european females. I had three more females moult to adulthood last night. All my males are ''normal sized'' thus far. The size difference in this case has nothing to do with feeding. Mine are fed every day till the point where they have refused there food, and the females are still noticibly smaller. How many do you currently have? What is your male to female ratio?
I still have a total of 19 left. But only 6 adult males so far and no adult females. But I had noticed that the remaining nymphs are of two sizes. So I think I have 3 more males who are just late bloomers. If so, that will give me 9 males and 10 females.
Odd as it may sound, I've never seen a European male. I've only had females. These larger nymphs that I assume are females are much too small to be the size of the wild caught females here. These nymphs would need a few more molts to get that big. And I also feed them to the point of rejecting food.
We will need to keep track of the size difference. I will contact Fisherman_Brazil and see if he can measure some wild ones there. Maybe the smaller size is normal for this sub-species.
Odd as it may sound, I've never seen a European male. I've only had females. These larger nymphs that I assume are females are much too small to be the size of the wild caught females here. These nymphs would need a few more molts to get that big. And I also feed them to the point of rejecting food.
We will need to keep track of the size difference. I will contact Fisherman_Brazil and see if he can measure some wild ones there. Maybe the smaller size is normal for this sub-species.
kamakiri
Well-known member
Very good news guys! I'm still not sure, but by my count the females take one more molt than the males.
Please let me know when either of you have spare ooths for sale!
Please let me know when either of you have spare ooths for sale!
ismart
Well-known member
I was under the impression the females were not even sub-adults yet. I was very surprised to see them moulting to adulthood. At some point this week i will post some pics up.
MantidLord
Well-known member
My two ooths have yet to hatch. They're incubating along with my I.oratorias outside in 70-80 degrees fahrenheit. I'm starting to get worried... :huh:
kamakiri
Well-known member
Well I can be pretty certain that I'll never have a wild population of M. religiosa religiosa here. It's just too dry for them. Two of the ooths that I left in the garage un-misted had fully developed embryos, but none successfully hatched. Most seemed to have died in the egg case without emerging. One of the two ooths that did have several emerge most died that way, and just a few died still stuck in the exuvium.
So anyway, that makes me think that added or increased humidity is not required for the M. religiosa embryo development at all. However, 20-40% is too low for emerging/eclosion/hatching.
I pulled the remaining 4 ooths in diapause out today and will keep them inside in humidified containers.
So anyway, that makes me think that added or increased humidity is not required for the M. religiosa embryo development at all. However, 20-40% is too low for emerging/eclosion/hatching.
I pulled the remaining 4 ooths in diapause out today and will keep them inside in humidified containers.
MantidLord
Well-known member
Hmm. Maybe that's why my ooths won't hatch, they're too dry. But I wonder since I caught the wild female in Vegas, so the conditions have to be able to support at least a small population of M. religiosa. Either that or their being displaced by the much more populous(sp.) I. oratoria in the area.
MantidLord
Well-known member
What conditions did you keep your ooths. Congratulations by the way.I came home to a pleasant surprise. MY OOTHS HATCHED!!!YES!!
thanks, I left em outside and let nature take care of them. they hatched when its about 70 - 80. maybeyou should leave them outside and them put them in your incubator. if you put them in the same conditions ever since they were laid, those are the conditions they'll be used to. <_< so, like i said give the ooths a few days of cooler weather then put them in your incubator. thats what i did.
Borya
Well-known member
One more M.religiosa ooth layed on 25.03 hatched today. It was incubated in a fridge at +3C. Hatch rate is obviously lower than of previous ones, only about 20 came out. I think it's because this ooth was next-to-last the female had produced.
i am sorry to say, only 3 nymphs survived. I dont understand. I gave them fruit flies and aphids. last year the nymphs ate like crazy, this year the nymphs bat away the prey, or take a bite before letting go please help!!!
I gave them fruit flies and aphids. last year the nymphs ate like crazy, this year the nymphs bat away the prey, or take a bite before letting go please help!!!MantidLord
Well-known member
I think that's what Rick meant when he said they were difficult to raise. And I've been keeping the ooths outside after about a month of incubation. Still nothing...at what point should I conclude that they're duds?
