Mismolt recomendations

[fatal_mantis]

My male E. Macrops had a missmolt from its previous molt that caused his arms to cross slightly. it didn't cause many problems but I did have to hand feed him several times when he was having a little trouble catching his food. After weeks of waiting, hoping they would right themselves in the next molt, I got this:

He had plenty of room to molt and I made sure the humidity levels were up a little higher when he was showing signs he was getting ready. So now its been about 5 days since he molted and he has yet to catch anything. I had to hand feed him but he is always so hard to deal with. Anything that approaches him he will back away, put his misshapen arms in front of him, making it near impossible to get the food to the mouth and sometimes jump off things to get away no matter how slow I am. So Does anyone have any recommendations on what I could do or should I send him to the freezer?

 

[fatal_mantis]

and I just noticed I misspelled the whole topic title. sorry ^^;

 

[PhilinYuma]

O.K. while we're waiting for a qualified person to answer, here's a semi educated guess. I've nevver seen the nervous system of a mantis dissected out, but given the highly specialized nature of its forelegs and the fact that mantids and roaches are closely related, I would guess that a mantis has three sets of ganglia (clusters of nerve cell bodies) in the thorax that receive sensory messages from the legs and send messages to the muscles of the limbs, causing them to move. I think that the anterior (frontmost) thoracic ganglia in your nymph are damaged, and the nerve damage is the cause of the misshapen forelegs, which probably don't feel much, either. I can guess at the reason why this got worse after the last molt (impairment of the anterior spiracles causing anoxia to the ganglion?) but my guess is based on no specific scientific evidence,. The fact is that your mantis has an incurable condition which may well worsen at the next molt if it survives that long. Kill it.

And if anyone has a more cheerful prognosis based on something more than "hoping for the best," I would be very glad to be proven wrong!

 

[fatal_mantis]

O.K. while we're waiting for a qualified person to answer, here's a semi educated guess. I've nevver seen the nervous system of a mantis dissected out, but given the highly specialized nature of its forelegs and the fact that mantids and roaches are closely related, I would guess that a mantis has three sets of ganglia (clusters of nerve cell bodies) in the thorax that receive sensory messages from the legs and send messages to the muscles of the limbs, causing them to move. I think that the anterior (frontmost) thoracic ganglia in your nymph are damaged, and the nerve damage is the cause of the misshapen forelegs, which probably don't feel much, either. I can guess at the reason why this got worse after the last molt (impairment of the anterior spiracles causing anoxia to the ganglion?) but my guess is based on no specific scientific evidence,. The fact is that your mantis has an incurable condition which may well worsen at the next molt if it survives that long. Kill it. And if anyone has a more cheerful prognosis based on something more than "hoping for the best," I would be very glad to be proven wrong!

And that’s not a qualified answer? I’ve taken a few entomology classes while at college but I didn't even know something like that could be the cause. He did a great deal of jumping around as a nymph so I wouldn't doubt that he could have damaged his thoracic ganglia in a fall or something along those lines. Thanks for the information.

 

[Rick]

Nobody can diagnose most issues with mantids. A molt will also not always fix the issue. If he was mine he would become food for another mantis or one of my reptiles. He can't feed himself and in the wild he would be a goner too.

 

[fatal_mantis]

Nobody can diagnose most issues with mantids. A molt will also not always fix the issue. If he was mine he would become food for another mantis or one of my reptiles. He can't feed himself and in the wild he would be a goner too.

I had one other mantis that missmolted but after each molt it was better until by the time he was adult you couldn't even tell he had ever had a problem, which is why I had been hopeful. Thats a good idea to use them for food, I didn't think of that. But as it is, he is currently my largest mantis. I don't think any of them could take him. Shame, I was looking forward to seeing how big he would get.

 

[Katnapper]

If his deformity doesn't seem to cause him pain or interfere with his normal activities (except feeding), and you like having him around and don't mind the challenge and hassle of hand feeding him... I'd keep on. It's really up to you... and I realize it can be a hard decision to make. The best to you, whatever you decide to do.

 

[Rick]

I had one other mantis that missmolted but after each molt it was better until by the time he was adult you couldn't even tell he had ever had a problem, which is why I had been hopeful. Thats a good idea to use them for food, I didn't think of that. But as it is, he is currently my largest mantis. I don't think any of them could take him. Shame, I was looking forward to seeing how big he would get.

That's why I said it won't always fix during a molt but often will. You said he molted and it got worse. I can't see him molting very well in his current condition. I guess I am just different in that I see mantids for what they are (short lived insects) and it doens't bother me when one doesn't make it.