Orchid Mantis sexing

[Ebichua]

Looking for some advice from folks with orchid mantis experience

How accurate is it to identify their sex based off of their back color?  As seen here (A).

I started off with 5 L2 mantids and I was counting abdomen nodes. I only counted 5 on all of them and assumed all were female. However, they're L4 now and their back colors are showing. Maybe segment counting was inaccurate due to how small and young they are. 

 

[Sarah K]

Looking for some advice from folks with orchid mantis experience

How accurate is it to identify their sex based off of their back color?  As seen here (A).

I started off with 5 L2 mantids and I was counting abdomen nodes. I only counted 5 on all of them and assumed all were female. However, they're L4 now and their back colors are showing. Maybe segment counting was inaccurate due to how small and young they are. 

I do find it difficult sometimes to sex the orchid mantis by counting abdomen segments, especially when they are so small, so I prefer using the necklace color myself. Unfortunately, necklace color does not show up in the early instars though. 

 

[Ebichua]

So neck color is very accurate then? My orchids have shown colors now. Three are green and two are brown. 

 

[Ranitomeya]

Neck color is an inaccurate method of sexing as well. My experience is that sometimes females will retain the brown coloration until days after becoming subadults. The segment count is also inaccurate since a skinny male will appear to have only five segments. Males actually have seven if you count the abdominal sternites. The last two segments on the males are quite small and only clearly visible when they are very well-fed. In addition, lower instar females will appear to have more than five abdominal sternites since they gradually fuse as they molt so that they form the ovipositor when they're adults.

Look for the cleft in the subgenital plate that is clearly visible at L3 with good eyes or some magnification. The presence of the cleft means it's a female, the absence means it's a male.

 

[Sarah K]

Neck color is an inaccurate method of sexing as well. My experience is that sometimes females will retain the brown coloration until days after becoming subadults. The segment count is also inaccurate since a skinny male will appear to have only five segments. Males actually have seven if you count the abdominal sternites. The last two segments on the males are quite small and only clearly visible when they are very well-fed. In addition, lower instar females will appear to have more than five abdominal sternites since they gradually fuse as they molt so that they form the ovipositor when they're adults.

Look for the cleft in the subgenital plate that is clearly visible at L3 with good eyes or some magnification. The presence of the cleft means it's a female, the absence means it's a male.

what about the unicorn horn (as I call it)? I do not recall what instar you can start seeing the green horn in the middle of the females eyes, but the males do not have it. I am also wondering what that is actually called. Does anyone know? LOL