New Ooth by African Mantid!

[Cytronix]

My mantid (miomantis caffra) laid an ooth top edge of the container. Really excited to see its progress and the day it hatches . Apparently my mom took it off and placed it elsewhere in the container so Im going to have to place it back where it was. Since I'm a beginner at keeping a Mantid and my first time caring for an Ooth I just want to know when should I expect the Ooth to hatch and if it needs diapause to in order for it to hatch and any other tips for looking after an ooth. 

I live in New Zealand and going into Winter in less than a week the average temperature in my house would be about 13-16C (55F to 60F).

 

[Cytronix]

This is the Ooth. My mother was trying to trap a fly into the container but was unaware she was kind of crushing the Ooth in the process   I really hope its okay 

She did take it out. The other side seemed fine. I just realised while placing the Ooth back.

 

[CosbyArt]

Diapause if only for seasonal species in cold environments, and that is definitely not one of those - and will simply kill the eggs if you diapause the ooth.

The ooth incubation time is, "Incubation: 28-40 days at 75-80F w/ 60-80% humidity or mist everyday." As it is a Miomantis sp. the same basics caresheets apply although there is some variations such as hatching nymph amount and such. Here is the caresheets for the Miomantis binotata and the Miomantis paykullii.

Regarding any damage to the ooth it does appear to be eggs exposed on the side with the damage, and is likely ruined. If you incubate it you should still get a few to hatch as long as they were not all exposed. Ooths take 24 hours to harden, and I leave mine alone for at least 48+ hours to ensure they are dry before moving as they can be easily damaged before hardening.

 

[Cytronix]

Diapause if only for seasonal species in cold environments, and that is definitely not one of those - and will simply kill the eggs if you diapause the ooth.

The ooth incubation time is, "Incubation: 28-40 days at 75-80F w/ 60-80% humidity or mist everyday." As it is a Miomantis sp. the same basics caresheets apply although there is some variations such as hatching nymph amount and such. Here is the caresheets for the Miomantis binotata and the Miomantis paykullii.

Regarding any damage to the ooth it does appear to be eggs exposed on the side with the damage, and is likely ruined. If you incubate it you should still get a few to hatch as long as they were not all exposed. Ooths take 24 hours to harden, and I leave mine alone for at least 48+ hours to ensure they are dry before moving as they can be easily damaged before hardening.

Yeah. Luckily the other side wasn't exposed so that's good. How many eggs would be expected in an Ooth for Miomantis sp. and if mine was damaged how many would be expected to hatch if  incubated? 

 

[CosbyArt]

Yeah. Luckily the other side wasn't exposed so that's good. How many eggs would be expected in an Ooth for Miomantis sp. and if mine was damaged how many would be expected to hatch if  incubated? 

From the two Miomantis paykullii ooths I've hatched I had one hatched 94 nymphs, and the other was closer to 100. Of course yours is a different species than mine though.

I did more digging and found a number for the Miomantis caffra, it seems you can expect 30-50 nymphs (with 40 being average) see the information here. So with damage I would expect about half to hatch, so that would be 15-25 nymphs. That is of course if your female laid a fertile ooth after being successfully mated. The species is also known to be parthenogenesis but is not very common.

I'd recommend you let it harden for a day before doing anything with it to prevent further damage. Then setup a incubation container for the ooth, and start incubating it once it dries. Best of luck.

 

[Cytronix]

From the two Miomantis paykullii ooths I've hatched I had one hatched 94 nymphs, and the other was closer to 100. Of course yours is a different species than mine though.

I did more digging and found a number for the Miomantis caffra, it seems you can expect 30-50 nymphs (with 40 being average) see the information here. So with damage I would expect about half to hatch, so that would be 15-25 nymphs. That is of course if your female laid a fertile ooth after being successfully mated. The species is also known to be parthenogenesis but is not very common.

I'd recommend you let it harden for a day before doing anything with it to prevent further damage. Then setup a incubation container for the ooth, and start incubating it once it dries. Best of luck.

Alright thank you for your time! 

 

[Cytronix]

Just one more question about the incubation (Sorry lol). Would it matter about the Ooth's orientation or being facing up on the ground do just fine?

 

[CosbyArt]

Just one more question about the incubation (Sorry lol). Would it matter about the Ooth's orientation or being facing up on the ground do just fine?

The ooth position makes a difference between them hatching successfully or most of them getting caught up and drying improperly (as they hatch they will hang on threads to dry out before pulling themselves up watch a hatching ooth here).

In the photos of the ooth you took the top hatching area of the ooth is facing up. In the incubation container you want to attach the bottom of the ooth so the hatching area is facing downwards to the bottom of the container so they hatch out correctly. Ideally you want to mount the ooth completely level/horizontal for best results - see my photo below for a example.

I use a glue gun to attach ooths myself. Just put a dab of hot glue on a dowel rod or stick and let it cool for about 5 seconds, you want it sticky but not burning hot. Then simply press the ooth gently into the hot glue. Then hot glue the dowel rod/stick across the container top.

 

[Cytronix]

Ah Ok then, thanks for the tip!