Mantis abdomen suddenly swollen after ooth laying

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JoeCapricorn

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So the last of my Shield mantises named Vex recently laid her second oothecae. Infertile, since I never paired her up with a male. However, something quite bizarre happened and I'm quite baffled as to why.

Her abdomen expanded like a balloon. Just last night her abdomen was normal sized, a little on the skinny side because she had just laid an ooth and I've been careful in feeding her. She's quite old for a mantis, over fourteen months old, so she is a little slow.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c47/JoeCapricorn/vexballoon2.jpg

Has anyone seen this symptom before? What could cause this?

I have two theories, since Vex doesn't feel heavier than last night. First, material to make an oothecae somehow expanded inside her. Second, a bacterial infection caused her abdomen to swell up like that. I gently felt the abdomen to see if it was squishy or firm, and it is firm - not too different from how the abdomen feels in a freshly molted adult mantis (once upon a time a long while ago I had to hold a mantis by her abdomen after she molted because she almost fell. Once her feet were strong enough I let her cling to the paper towel 'wall' on her cage and her wings expanded almost flawlessly. Actually, I think this was a Shield mantis too from the previous generation)

She had one mealworm last night. I doubt that was the cause of it, since she's been eating mealworms for most of her life.

 
No crickets. I've been feeding mealworms to the adult mantises I have (which are three, two Chinese mantises and this ol' Shield mantis here)

 
I've had a mantis live 18 months.

It seems Vex has been vomitting a bit as well. This is not a good sign :(

I'll try spraying her, but it looks like she might be on her way out :(

She had a good life! No doubt about that, and I have 11 other mantises including nine nymphs that will bring me joy in the coming months.

 

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