Mantis eye color changing?

[SneakyPsycho]

What does it mean when the eye color of a mantis goes from a greenish color to brown or even black over the time span of a couple days? Someone once told me that this was from dehydration, but I'm not sure if that's really the case. I also heard the color change could be due to an exposure to darkness. I have two mantises of the same species that get the same amount of water and light, and today one of them has light eyes while the other has dark.

 

[Mvalenz]

My budwings eyes would turn to a dark maroon at night. However, I don't think black is good.

 

[lancaster1313]

When I had Tenodera sinensis, their eyes were always black in the dark. I thought it was the coolest thing.

If one eye stays black, it is not the coolest thing.

 

[brancsikia339]

SOme species' eyes turn black in the dark. If they're black in the light, that is bad news...

 

[MandellaMandy123]

A picture might help as well. How much light are they getting? A mantids eyes turn black when it dies, but usually that's not until a few days afterward. How is the mantid acting?

 

[SneakyPsycho]

http://www.critterzone.com/magazineresource/praying-mantis-mantid-mantises-Mantodea-Mantidae.htm

The eyes of the mantis in the top picture are similar to mine. Those eyes appear more glossy and a little bit darker, though. Some days the eyes are light green with the dark pupil near the center, other days they are super dark like that one. I've had them for several weeks and all the Chinese mantises have been like that.