Mantis Color

[yen_saw]

Interesting, so you did see a relation between the environment and the coloration with stagmomantis carolina? How many did you raise and was the trend pretty obvious?

I'm really interested in this topic.

Hundreds. It was 100%.I wrote a paper for Texas Park and Wildlife Department on life cycle of Stagmomantis carolina collected from two state parks, a subtopic was on color. I can forward you the paper if you are interested.

 

[Paradoxica]

post it

 

[yen_saw]

post it

there are over 80 pages (just one of the two reports).

 

[Mime454]

What if someone did a test where, one enclosure green, another yellow, one blue, and another just plain and simple. They all have to be the same species and be fed the same food, to make sure its not the foods doing the changing. Wait a week and see if there was ANY color change relative to their enclosures color. I would try myself, but I don't have enough mantids ;(

I did this with wild caught S. Carolina. I only had 2 though. I grew one in a green enclosure and one with dead leaves. They were green and brown respectively. I tried switching them at l5. They didn't change their colors back.

 

[yen_saw]

What if someone did a test where, one enclosure green, another yellow, one blue, and another just plain and simple. They all have to be the same species and be fed the same food, to make sure its not the foods doing the changing. Wait a week and see if there was ANY color change relative to their enclosures color. I would try myself, but I don't have enough mantids ;(

A week is too short to see any color change for that kind of setup. Mantis is not chameleon afterall.

 

[tylersterrain]

Hundreds. It was 100%.

I wrote a paper for Texas Park and Wildlife Department on life cycle of Stagmomantis carolina collected from two state parks, a subtopic was on color. I can forward you the paper if you are interested.

I'm very interested.

 

[yen_saw]

I'm very interested.

Send me email ([email protected]).

 

[minomantis]

I have a hard time believing that a mantis would change its colors based on its surroundings within one generation. In other words, a mantis would not realize it's environment is green and make it's next molt more green. Generally speaking, camouflage is a trait that develops over time as the off spring with worse blending coloration are eaten by visual predators (natural selection).

This being said, I could definitely see moisture playing a small roll in color (if their is anything I would personally test, it would be that. Even a small trend over the testing of several generations would be an interesting find). However, from what I have read/researched, the mantids change color from molt to molt due to genetics (and that is all). Their genes may carry the possibility for completely brown, completely green, and a blend of the two. Not only this, but this can change from molt to molt (ensuring an even broader genetic diversity in camouflage).

My personal hypothesis behind the changing between molt to molt is that it ensures a faster adaption to its surroundings through a quickly changing trait. For example: If a drought hits an area, and the environment is brown/dead, it wouldn't take as long for the natural selection to take place, and the species would adapt faster.

If anyone has links to research or articles on mantids changing color to better fit the surroundings within one generation I would be happy to see it

I like you thinking. But I've seen a mantis go from green to brown in a molt but never brown to green which is weird.

 

[hierodula]

I like you thinking. But I've seen a mantis go from green to brown in a molt but never brown to green which is weird.

Well, what would stand out more, green in a sea of brown, or brown in a sea of green+ in green areas, there's always a little brown i.e. the trunk, dead leaves.

 

[JackTopus]

I too been doing a little experiment with my Chinese Mantis both born from the same ooth. both born tan color. i added one in a mostly green while the other mostly dark brown.

still waiting for my Mantis B to reach full adult hood. but my Mantis A while part brown does have some Green in it. makes me wonder how much more green if i didnt let some plants die or added more green plants.

 

[gs304]

Genes determine mantis colour most. I noticed it when I kept 5 miomantis in the same conditions - green and yellow colour appeared. Now I have plistospilota nymphs and the same happened - one of six is as green as grass, five are brown. Also live in the same temperature and humidity.

I think that some species have bigger colour-adaptation abilities, but I really doubt it's environment colouration that releases the changes. It's probably changes of temperature and humidity, which can be easily detected by insect's organism.

 

[minomantis]

I know this is a timely post, but what do you guys think about how lighting affects color? Do you think it affects it at all?

 

[psyconiko]

It does not affect it at all.