Pseudopupils = Pulse?

[Curiosity]

I've had a few mantises die young recently, and one of the things I noticed in every case was that, while they were still moving, and definitely alive, I could always find those little black eye dots. After I knew for certain they were dead, I couldn't find them from any angle. Is there a connection here? Does the absence of the pseudopupils constitute a reliable indicator of death?

 

[MantisGirl13]

Possibly, I suppose. Pseudopupils are pretty much an optical illusion for us, so it's hard to say. I've never looked at that aspect of a dead mantis before.

- MantisGirl13