Oxyothespis dumonti- North African Grass Mantis

[meaganelise9]

All L3 now, and hard to sex! With your lens you could pretty much sex them at L1. My eyes are bad. I ordered a jeweler's loupe finally.

They're pretty easy once they get past the ultra tiny jumpy stage. Gonna take some pics today and see if I can get a closer look.

 

[Precarious]

I have an L2 finally. And out of 18 or 19 I only have 5 left. Not sure what happened to them. Didn't witness any cannibalism but I didn't find any bodies when I cleaned the cup, which doesn't mean much considering they are so small. Didn't find the molted skin either so... :mellow:

I'm ordering a better lens so I'll have much clearer pics of them pretty soon.

 

[psyconiko]

Oh sorry to learn that....They need to have fruitflies all time.I never give them water.Mine are L4 I believe.

 

[meaganelise9]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that! I had one that I lost like that. I looked and didn't see a body, but I figured I probably just didn't see it since they're so small. Then I had another that was just kind of a runt that didn't seem to be eating and another that got cannibalized. Ended up with 8 of 11.

Clearer pics than what you've got?? Impossible I say..

I've seen mine drink plenty of water, but my apartment is super dry, so I've been misting a bit.

 

[Precarious]

Oh sorry to learn that....They need to have fruitflies all time.I never give them water.Mine are L4 I believe.

Maybe I have them way too humid. I have a very wet substrate because I added springtails. I wonder if that killed them off.

Clearer pics than what you've got?? Impossible I say..

Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet! The lens I ordered today (Canon MP-E 65mm) is the best of the best for macro. Should be crystal clear all the way down to 5x, which is equivalent to my current lens using extension tubes and two add-on magnifying lenses. That's why these look less than pro to me. May have it as soon as tomorrow. Then there are no excuses!

I should point out that nearly all the money that comes in from mantis sales goes toward better camera gear so everybody wins!

 

[lunarstorm]

Grats, I can't wait to see shots from the new lens!

 

[CoolMantid]

I don't know. This isn't a thread about Acanthops.

Agreed. They slip and scramble on smooth plastic. They blend in with the excelsior well too.

A couple of mine have molted to L3 now.

Sorry. When you they were tiny and cant grip well it reminded me of my post. it was about my Acanthops. What I meant was do Oxyothespis dumonti need springtails as a starter food/?

 

[meaganelise9]

Ahh, yes. They definitely need tiny food. I started with springtails, which I found to be kind of a pain just because a) this species likes it a bit dry, so flooding the floor with water and springtails seems like not the best thing to do and b ) they're so small at first instar that I worried about killing one with a drop of water. But they were appropriately sized. I quickly moved on to Turkish Gliders or DMels.

I had one move on to 4th instar today.

 

[Precarious]

I sure hope you continue doing well with these because I'm down to only 2 or 3. I should have been giving them more attention. Too much going on here. :blink:

So long as I get a couple adults I'll be happy. If not we'll have to do a swap. Need photos of adults.

 

[bobericc]

Ahh, yes. They definitely need tiny food. I started with springtails, which I found to be kind of a pain just because a) this species likes it a bit dry, so flooding the floor with water and springtails seems like not the best thing to do and b ) they're so small at first instar that I worried about killing one with a drop of water. But they were appropriately sized. I quickly moved on to Turkish Gliders or DMels.

I had one move on to 4th instar today.

One of mines too

Getting a little larger now

More defined around the eyes

 

[meaganelise9]

They get So much longer with each molt. I like to look at their pointy heads with my new jeweler's loupe.

 

[meaganelise9]

So long as I get a couple adults I'll be happy. If not we'll have to do a swap. Need photos of adults.

Indeed. I sent 5 to bobericc before I could successfully sex them (say that 10 times..) and it looks like I kept all dudes, so yeah.. I PM-ed Yen, but his are only at L1 now, so they're about a month younger than mine.

 

[bobericc]

Sexsexfully sexed lol

 

[Precarious]

Pics of adult female here:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=24067

Turns out if you put these nymph in the microwave on defrost for 3 minutes they mature much faster. Don't ask how I found that out.

OK, just kidding. Adult female was part of a trade.

 

[meaganelise9]

Here's my biggest (sub-adult I think).

 

[gripen]

wow they grow quick! how many moults?

 

[meaganelise9]

Yeah, really quick! They hatched on Christmas. That I've seen... I would have said this was 5th instar. I've been counting, but you know how tiny they are as babies.. And those are clearly wing buds. Pretty sure this is a male?

 

[gripen]

yeah i think it is a boy.

 

[Precarious]

Holy ! That was fast. You must be a good mommy.

 

[meaganelise9]

They are good eaters!