Orchid nymph--molting?

[Galactic Lord Xenu]

I have an orchid nymph that isn't eating (apparently), mostly sits on top of its cage doing nothing-- and keeps a leg or both legs "up" (up to the mantis, down back to earth for us) and just sits there.

Is this a normal sign of molting? Unfortunately, two siblings I received with it came injured, one died and one is dying (may be dead now, not sure, need to check), so I'm unsure if this is a bad sign or not for this mantis (this one was the healthiest one of the bunch that arrived).

So I'm wondering if this is a sign of a possible molt or a sign of being injured or dying somehow.

Picture:

(apologies for subjecting you to an edited/re-saved jpg image in MSPaint; I should have used photoshop!)

 

[Rick]

That is not a sign of molting. I usually see it when the leg has been injured or the end was shut in the lid or something.

 

[Sparky]

That is not a sign of molting. I usually see it when the leg has been injured or the end was shut in the lid or something.

Yeah, same with me.

 

[Galactic Lord Xenu]

I think the mantis and its siblings must've been jostled around too much during shipping or something, then; they all appeared injured when I got them. It's been doing it with different legs here and there, sometimes one, sometimes two, and I think I saw it doing it with 3...

It's also showing signs similar to when I caught a Chinese mantis that was dying--lethargic, caught a bug that was bothering it but just sat there and didn't even nibble, etc.

When I went to mist it this morning it fell with the spray of water and just sat there in the substrate. Of the three I got I was hoping this one was going to survive but apparently it just took the least damage or whatever.

Oh, and does the orientation of the abdomen (thorax? What is the correct term?) mean anything? Their little bellies weren't perky (they were full, though) and facing upwards when I got them, not like the budwing nymphs I received nor any picture of nymphs I've seen at all. Is this also a sign of injury?

 

[Rick]

I think the mantis and its siblings must've been jostled around too much during shipping or something, then; they all appeared injured when I got them. It's been doing it with different legs here and there, sometimes one, sometimes two, and I think I saw it doing it with 3...It's also showing signs similar to when I caught a Chinese mantis that was dying--lethargic, caught a bug that was bothering it but just sat there and didn't even nibble, etc.

When I went to mist it this morning it fell with the spray of water and just sat there in the substrate. Of the three I got I was hoping this one was going to survive but apparently it just took the least damage or whatever.

Oh, and does the orientation of the abdomen (thorax? What is the correct term?) mean anything? Their little bellies weren't perky (they were full, though) and facing upwards when I got them, not like the budwing nymphs I received nor any picture of nymphs I've seen at all. Is this also a sign of injury?

It is normal for their abdomens to curl upwards. Orchids and some other mantids do that as nymphs.

 

[Galactic Lord Xenu]

It is normal for their abdomens to curl upwards. Orchids and some other mantids do that as nymphs.

Does an abdomen that DOESN'T curl upward when it should indicate anything in particular? Injury, I'm guessing?

 

[OGIGA]

I think it's a sign of fatigue.

About the legs, quite a few of my orchids right now have a leg pointed "up" and I'm pretty sure I didn't trap their leg. I wonder......