Question about Egg Case
- Thread starter bobbyd
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I'm new to this forum. I have a 5 inch green female that I saved last week from the cold weather here in michigan. She gave birth to the ootheca today. Will she soon die now that she gave birth? What do I do with the foamy white ootheca that is hanging on the side of my tank??
PhilinYuma
Well-known member
Bobbyd:
Like you, I am new to mantis care and have not been on this board much longer than you. I have some experience with insects and getting around forums and the internet, though, so here are a few ideas that might help until someone more experienced posts a reply if only to correct some mistake of mine!
It seems likely that your mantis is a Chinese mantis, Tenodera sinensis, though they are not usually reported as being longer than 4". Perhaps yours is a giant, or too frisky to make measurement easy. The 4" value is obtained by measuring from the front of the head to the tip of the tail, by the way; don't include the forlegs that are sticking out in front.
In the "Important Information ("stickies") at the top of this topic list, is an article on ooth (short for ootheca, of course) care by Peter that is very well written and should answer most if not all of your questions on that subject.
Mantises typically lay several ootheca in the few months before they die, yours may produce more; keep it well fed, just in case, and look for swelling of the abdomen. So your female may lay another ooth, several or none before she dies! The good news, though, is that if she laid five days after you found her and had been living in the wild, you stand a pretty good chance of having fertile eggs.
While you are keeping her, you will need a steady supply of live food. The easiest to obtain for an insect this size is, I think, a suitably sized cricket. These are available from any pet store that sells lizards, tarantulas and the like, and they are available throughout the year. If you feel more adventurous, you might want to check out the advertisements elsewhere on this board. I know that Hibiscusmile sells fly pupae, all nice and (relatively!) clean, and she will give you any further advice that you might need on "hatching" them.
Peter and others on this board all advocate "researching your species" even if it is only on Google. It is a good idea to use both the common name and the scientific name in your search. This is one of the few species where the scientific name can be more confusing than the common one. The correct name, according to our entomology expert Christian, is Tenodera sinensis, but except for the Wikipedia article that was corrected, I believe by another member, Salomonis, you will see it rendered as Tenodera aridifolia sinensis. Take no notice.
I hope that you successfully hatch your ooth(s) and that you keep us informed of the hatchlings' progress. Good luck!
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I think he said it all!
