positive id

[robo mantis]

i want to be positive this is a male chinese (bad pics)

 

[Rick]

Thats a female. Looks nothing like a male.

 

[Ian]

Looks more like a female to me, Robomantis. Nice find.

 

[tarpshack]

Why is it so hard to take pictures of these guys? I wish I knew someone with a macro camera. Btw... I like that housing.

 

[Rick]

Half decent cam and taking them out helps with the pics.

 

[robo mantis]

oh the thing that got me was when i fed it crickets its stomach buldged but not like a female but it has female segaments. and its stomach is narrow? wow i got a weird mantis lol i guess now i have to take pics of my other 'male' and see because it failed to mate 2 times i almost thing the other is European i'll post a few pics

 

[robo mantis]

lolololololololololol :lol: i just checked on the one in the pics and there was an egg in there lolol i was prooven wrong

 

[Rick]

oh the thing that got me was when i fed it crickets its stomach buldged but not like a female but it has female segaments. and its stomach is narrow? wow i got a weird mantis lol i guess now i have to take pics of my other 'male' and see because it failed to mate 2 times i almost thing the other is European i'll post a few pics

There is nothing weird about that one. Looks like any other brown chinese female. You had to see an ooth from it to prove it wasn't male? I told you it wasn't.

 

[robo mantis]

ok now i'm getting scared about my other "male" it is fat and looks like it is about to lay an egg but i'll post these pics shouldn't be as bad

 

[robo mantis]

i'm now almost sure it is a female is it chinese or European?

It ate last night.

 

[Rick]

Female chinese. You know telling sex on adults is very easy. Pics would be better if you take them out of the cage.

 

[robo mantis]

i know but some i'm not sure because size

 

[Rick]

i know but some i'm not sure because size

Males are just more petite and have a long thin abdomens. They can be the same length though.

 

[robo mantis]

oh ok

 

[Jesse]

It is difficult to tell from the pics, but European mantids have distinct "targets" or "eyespots" on the coxa of the prothoracic legs, Chinese will have markings but they will not look like a target

 

[robo mantis]

oh ok thanks jesse