Mantis 'calling'

[ellroy]

According to 2 journal articles I've come across, female mantids release pheromones to attract males (this is what they term'calling').

The studies of Hierodula patellifera, Empusa pennata and Mantis religiosa found virgin females bend or curl their abdomens at night, apparently to release a sex pheromone by a kind of pumping action. Apparently this goes all through the night until it gets light. With H patellifera this begins 14 days after the adult moult and continues until they have mated.

They noted that males were attracted to the pheromone releasing females but not the mated ones.

I beleive I have witnessed this behaviour myself in C.gemmatus and I.diabolica.

Thanks

Alan

References:

Calling behaviour in female praying mantis, Hierodula patellifera. Perez.B

Nocturnal calling behaviour in mantids. Gemeno C, Claramunt J, Dasca J

 

[Alex 1]

Hmm. So that's why my ghost female's abdomen was curling downwards over a month after her final molt. Unfortunately, she only did this after she killed 2 of her mates, and another dying of old age.

 

[Andrew]

Ive seen it with C. gemmatus as well.

 

[Rick]

Never seen the abdoment curl but they all release pheremones. How else do you expect the males to find the females? Being mated or not doesn't seem to make much difference as you could mate them everyday if you wanted.

 

[julian camilo]

i dont know if thats true. my p.wahlbergii mated straight away the first time i introduced them. every time since, theres been little or no interest by the male, certainly not by the female. i imagine avirgin female would release more pheromones to attract a mate, but once she has one, wont release as much/any more. shes got what she needs, she isnt going to mate for the sake of it. therefore i do think being mated or not makes a differences, i dont see why she would want to release pheromones and attract a mate just after being mated.

 

[Rick]

Everything I say is my own experience. Yours may be different. Never saw a female interested in being mated though but have had males that would mate daily even with the same female if I let them. I believe once they are within sight that visual cues come more into play.

 

[nympho]

i put my female heirodula in with the male today to see what would happen; she only moulted a few days ago. he virtually ignored her. this fits in with her not producing a scent yet.

it would be virtually impossible for mantids, being small and widely dispersed in thick vegetation to locate a mate without chemical attractants. vision may take over when the male is drawn within range. insects that dont use pheramones to attract the male either use sound, like grasshoppers or have a display flight like butterflies, and mantises dont do either.

 

[Rick]

i put my female heirodula in with the male today to see what would happen; she only moulted a few days ago. he virtually ignored her. this fits in with her not producing a scent yet.it would be virtually impossible for mantids, being small and widely dispersed in thick vegetation to locate a mate without chemical attractants. vision may take over when the male is drawn within range. insects that dont use pheramones to attract the male either use sound, like grasshoppers or have a display flight like butterflies, and mantises dont do either.

Nobody is saying they don't use pheremones.