Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii mating

[JoeCapricorn]

So I have a mating pair of P. wahlbergii. Every so often, spaced a couple of days, I am going to try to mate them under close observation. I don't want my male to end up like my male D. lobata.

I plan to do this on a day where I can devote a good portion of the day to observing them. When it comes time to separate them, I will do so carefully, to ensure the male survives the whole process.

Actual mating procedures aside, how long should I allow the two to be connected with this species?

Let's say I mate them at night, they connect, and in the morning about 9 hours later I separate them (for example), would the female be fertile?

Or I mate them at noon and separate them at 2:00 AM, 14 hours later.

But could they be connected for as short as 3 hours and still the female be fertile?

 

[LauraMG]

I would let them stay connected as long as they want to and not separate them forcibly. I would try and get them hooked up first thing in the morning when you get up and keep an eye on them throughout the day and hopefully they'll be separated by the evening. However, times for mating can vary greatly even among the same species. Could be 8 hours could be 36 hours. Just make sure the male has plenty of room to escape and do your best to keep an eye on them.